Ultrasound chest at CHI Memorial Hospital Hixson

2051 Hamill Road, Hixson, TN · CommonSpirit Health · · NPI 1083778633

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

$260.48

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.

$880.00

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.

$54.81 with BCBS - TN vs $616.00 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
BCBS - TN Medicaid|BlueCare $54.81 ↓ -79%
United Medicaid|TennCare $88.03 ↓ -66%
BCBS - TN Commercial|Network S $97.72 ↓ -62%
BCBS - ND Medicare|All Plans $99.07 ↓ -62%
Cigna Medicare|Healthspring $100.02 ↓ -62%
Cigna Commercial|LocalPlus $100.11 ↓ -62%
Humana Medicare|HMO $100.98 ↓ -61%
Amerigroup Medicare|All Plans $101.93 ↓ -61%
Humana Medicare|All Other Plans $104.79 ↓ -60%
Humana Medicare|PPO $104.79 ↓ -60%
Employers Health Network Commercial|All Plans $110.73 ↓ -57%
Cigna Commercial|Open Access $111.49 ↓ -57%
BCBS - TN Commercial|Network P $123.25 ↓ -53%
Peach State Medicaid|All Plans $176.00 ↓ -32%
Centene Commercial|Ambetter Exchange $179.09 ↓ -31%
United Commercial|Options $252.18 ↓ -3%
United Commercial|Non-Options $252.18 ↓ -3%
Aetna Commercial|Non-Gatekeeper $616.00 ↑ +136%
Aetna Commercial|Gatekeeper $616.00 ↑ +136%

Visitor-reported prices

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Ultrasound chest at other Tennessee hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Ascension Saint Thomas Midtown Nashville $188.33 $36.83 – $179.33
CHI Memorial Hospital Chattanooga Chattanooga $372.24 $54.81 – $616.00
Ascension Saint Thomas DeKalb Smithville $218.07 $31.15 – $179.33
Ascension Saint Thomas Highlands Sparta $218.07 $31.15 – $179.33
Ascension Saint Thomas River Park McMinnville $207.68 $31.15 – $179.33
Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford Murfreesboro $188.24 $36.83 – $179.33
Ascension Saint Thomas Hickman Centerville not published $65.51 – $179.33

All Tennessee hospitals for this procedure →