Abdominal MRI (without contrast) at CHI Memorial Hospital Chattanooga

2525 de Sales Avenue, Chattanooga, TN · CommonSpirit Health · · NPI 1255428736

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Feb 28, 2026 · Ingested Sep 10, 2026

$1,691.58

Cash price

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Discounted cash price

What a hospital charges a self-pay patient who pays directly, without going through insurance — usually well below the gross charge.

Example: A CT scan has a $3,200 gross charge but an $850 discounted cash price. Ask for it by name when scheduling — hospitals don't always advertise it up front.

Full explanation →

What you pay up front if you don't use insurance.

$3,999.00

Gross charge

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Gross charge (chargemaster price)

The hospital's full, undiscounted list price — pulled from its internal "chargemaster" price list. Almost no one actually pays this.

Example: A chest X-ray has a gross charge of $1,450. The same hospital's discounted cash price for the same X-ray is $180 — the gross charge mostly anchors negotiations, not what patients pay.

Full explanation →

The hospital's undiscounted list price — almost no one pays this.

$186.96 with United vs $2,799.30 with Aetna — same scan, same building. Share

Negotiated rates by payer
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Negotiated rate

The price a specific insurance plan agreed to pay the hospital for a service — it varies by insurer, and even by plan within the same insurer.

Example: The same knee MRI has a negotiated rate of $904 with one insurer's PPO plan and $1,509 with another's — identical hospital, identical scan.

Full explanation →

Payer
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Payer

The insurance company footing the bill — Aetna, UnitedHealthcare, Medicare, and so on.

Example: "Blue Cross Blue Shield" is the payer. Its negotiated rate for an MRI might be $904, while a different payer's negotiated rate for the same scan is $1,509.

Full explanation →
Plan
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Plan

The specific product an insurer sells — e.g. "Blue Cross PPO 500" — which sets your deductible, coinsurance and negotiated rates.

Example: Two people both insured by Aetna can owe very different amounts for the same MRI: $50 with an HMO plan's flat copay, or the full $1,200 toward a high-deductible PPO plan's unmet deductible.

Full explanation →
Negotiated rate vs. cash
United Medicaid|TennCare $186.96 ↓ -89%
BCBS - ND Medicare|All Plans $225.19 ↓ -87%
Cigna Medicare|Healthspring $227.36 ↓ -87%
Humana Medicare|HMO $229.52 ↓ -86%
Amerigroup Medicare|All Plans $231.69 ↓ -86%
Humana Medicare|PPO $238.18 ↓ -86%
Humana Medicare|All Other Plans $238.18 ↓ -86%
Employers Health Network Commercial|All Plans $314.12 ↓ -81%
Centene Commercial|Ambetter Exchange $407.08 ↓ -76%
BCBS - TN Medicaid|BlueCare $472.36 ↓ -72%
BCBS - TN Commercial|Network S $508.81 ↓ -70%
United Commercial|Options $524.34 ↓ -69%
United Commercial|Non-Options $524.34 ↓ -69%
Cigna Commercial|LocalPlus $561.00 ↓ -67%
Cigna Commercial|Open Access $561.00 ↓ -67%
BCBS - TN Commercial|Network P $642.59 ↓ -62%
Peach State Medicaid|All Plans $839.79 ↓ -50%
Alliant Health Commercial|All Plans $1,787.00 ↑ +6%
Multiplan Commercial|All Plans $2,399.40 ↑ +42%
Humana Commercial|All Plans $2,422.00 ↑ +43%
Health One Alliance Commercial|All Plans $2,459.00 ↑ +45%
Aetna Commercial|Non-Gatekeeper $2,799.30 ↑ +65%
Aetna Commercial|Gatekeeper $2,799.30 ↑ +65%

Visitor-reported prices

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Abdominal MRI (without contrast) at other Tennessee hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Ascension Saint Thomas Midtown Nashville $943.97 $208.35 – $779.03
CHI Memorial Hospital Hixson Hixson $1,183.71 $186.96 – $2,799.30
Ascension Saint Thomas DeKalb Smithville $924.95 $167.52 – $779.03
Ascension Saint Thomas Highlands Sparta $924.95 $167.52 – $779.03
Ascension Saint Thomas River Park McMinnville $880.91 $167.52 – $779.03
Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford Murfreesboro $943.95 $208.35 – $805.90
Ascension Saint Thomas Hickman Centerville not published $281.88 – $779.03

All Tennessee hospitals for this procedure →