MRA without fol w/cont, abd at Ascension Saint Thomas DeKalb

520 W Main St, Smithville, TN · Ascension · · NPI 1649659582

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Jan 1, 2026 · Ingested Sep 8, 2026

$887.69

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.

$2,958.95

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.

$267.02 with COMMUNITY PLAN vs $1,721.36 with CIGNA HMO — 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
COMMUNITY PLAN 2495_SDTN MEDICAID REPLACEMENT UNITED HEALTH CARE COMMUNITY PLAN 20191001 $267.02 ↓ -70%
AETNA (RUTHERFORD ONLY) 3160_MTTN AETNA 20250701 $562.19 ↓ -37%
AETNA 3159_STTN AETNA 20250701 $573.63 ↓ -35%
BCBS ACA EXCHANGE 3147_STTN BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD NETWORK E 20241231 $581.65 ↓ -34%
UHC 3172_RPTN UHC 20250715 $610.96 ↓ -31%
BCBS ACA EXCHANGE 3146_MTTN BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD NETWORK E 20241231 $768.95 ↓ -13%
BCBS MISSIONPOINT 2422_BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD MISSIONPOINT REGIONAL 20221001 $857.68 ↓ -3%
BCBS NETWORK E 3149_BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD NETWORK E REGIONAL 20250401 $882.33 ↓ -1%
BCBS SELECT 3182_BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD SELECT REGIONAL 20250701 $961.19 ↑ +8%
BCBS NETWORK L 3150_BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD NETWORK L REGIONAL 20250401 $961.19 ↑ +8%
BCBS PREFERRED 3181_BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD PREFERRED REGIONAL 20250701 $1,040.06 ↑ +17%
CIGNA SUREFIT 2825_CIGNA SUREFIT (DEKALB) 20241001 $1,161.71 ↑ +31%
CIGNA LOCALPLUS 3192_RHTN CIGNA LOCALPLUS 20250601 $1,407.61 ↑ +59%
CIGNA LOCALPLUS 3193_CIGNA LOCALPLUS (DEKALB) 20250601 $1,407.61 ↑ +59%
CIGNA LOCALPLUS 3187_STTN CIGNA LOCALPLUS 20250601 $1,534.81 ↑ +73%
CIGNA PPO 3199_CIGNA PPO (DEKALB) 20250601 $1,704.40 ↑ +92%
CIGNA HMO 3196_CIGNA HMO (DEKALB) 20250601 $1,721.36 ↑ +94%

Visitor-reported prices

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MRA without fol w/cont, abd at other Tennessee hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Ascension Saint Thomas Highlands Sparta $887.69 $267.02 – $1,721.36
Ascension Saint Thomas River Park McMinnville $845.42 $267.02 – $1,721.36
Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford Murfreesboro $845.42 $562.19 – $1,780.72

All Tennessee hospitals for this procedure →