Diathermy eg microwave at NORTHCREST MEDICAL CENTER

100 NORTHCREST DRIVE, SPRINGFIELD, TN · Tristarhealth · · NPI 1093397184

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Mar 1, 2026 · Ingested Sep 16, 2026

not published by hospital

Cash price

?

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.

not published by hospital

Gross charge

?

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.

$6.74 with United vs $326.00 with Aetna — same scan, same building. Share

Negotiated rates by payer
?

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
?

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
?

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 MASNP $6.74
Amerigroup MGMCR $6.74
Wellpoint MGMCD $6.74
Devoted Health Plan MCR $6.74
Humana ChoicecareMGMCR $6.74
Alive Hospice MCR $6.74
Healthspring MCRPPO $6.74
Healthspring DualEligible $6.74
Healthspring MCRPOS $6.74
Wellcare MCR $6.74
Healthspring MCRHMO $6.74
Aetna MGMCRPPO $6.81
Aetna MGMCRHMO $6.81
Aetna MGMCRSNP $6.81
United MGMCR $6.87
Zing MGMCR $6.94
BCBS MCR $7.01
American Health Advantage MCRPFFS $7.08
American Health Advantage MCRSNP $7.08
Evergreen HMO MCR $7.08
American Health Advantage MCRHMO $7.08
American Health Advantage MCRPOS $7.08
American Health Advantage MCRPPO $7.08
ATRIO Golden Times MCR $7.41
Bright Health MCRNarrow $7.75
Wellcare CHIP $8.90
Wellcare MGMCD $8.90
Prime Health WORKERSCOMP $9.71
NovaNET WORKERSCOMP $9.91
BCBS NetworkP $14.08
Aetna NewBusiness $274.00
Aetna COMM $326.00

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Diathermy eg microwave at other Tennessee hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Ascension Saint Thomas Midtown Nashville not published $5.78 – $13.52
Ascension Saint Thomas DeKalb Smithville not published $5.81 – $13.52
Ascension Saint Thomas Highlands Sparta not published $5.81 – $13.52
Ascension Saint Thomas River Park McMinnville not published $5.81 – $13.52
Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford Murfreesboro not published $5.81 – $13.52
Ascension Saint Thomas Hickman Centerville not published $5.96 – $13.52
CENTENNIAL MEDICAL CENTER AT ASHLAND CITY Ashland City not published $6.74 – $12.23
HENDERSONVILLE MEDICAL CENTER HENDERSONVILLE not published $6.54 – $9.91

All Tennessee hospitals for this procedure →