X-ray esophogram chest radiograph(s) & delayed images single contrast study 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

$1,096.61

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.

$1,096.61

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.

$61.66 with BCBS vs $899.22 with Multiplan — 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
BCBS NetworkP $61.66 ↓ -94%
Molina MCD $76.76 ↓ -93%
Humana HumanaChoiceCare $111.72 ↓ -90%
Humana NarrowExchangeNetwork $111.72 ↓ -90%
Humana BroadNetwork $111.72 ↓ -90%
Humana HumanaChoice $111.72 ↓ -90%
Aetna COMM $136.12 ↓ -88%
Aetna NewBusiness $136.12 ↓ -88%
NHC Advantage, Inc. MCRHMO $208.36 ↓ -81%
Cigna NewBusiness $216.09 ↓ -80%
United OptionsPPO $242.35 ↓ -78%
Cigna OAP $245.45 ↓ -78%
Cigna PPO $321.31 ↓ -71%
United CorePayer $341.20 ↓ -69%
United HeritageSelect $341.20 ↓ -69%
United AllPayerAppendix $341.20 ↓ -69%
United GlobalBenefitPlan $493.47 ↓ -55%
Aetna NAP $548.30 ↓ -50%
City of Springfield COMM $712.80 ↓ -35%
Multiplan ComplementaryNetwork $855.36 ↓ -22%
Multiplan PrimaryNetwork $899.22 ↓ -18%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

X-ray esophogram chest radiograph(s) & delayed images single contrast study at other Tennessee hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Ascension Saint Thomas Midtown Nashville $173.00 $33.33 – $291.55
CHI Memorial Hospital Hixson Hixson $390.13 $49.61 – $922.60
62-1166050 BMH Carroll County Huntingdon $165.60 $33.33 – $325.10
CHI Memorial Hospital Chattanooga Chattanooga $557.52 $49.61 – $922.60
Johnson City Medical Center JOHNSON CITY $69.30 $38.66 – $356.81
Ascension Saint Thomas DeKalb Smithville $165.00 $33.33 – $291.55
Ascension Saint Thomas Highlands Sparta $165.00 $33.33 – $291.55
Ascension Saint Thomas River Park McMinnville $157.13 $42.49 – $291.55

All Tennessee hospitals for this procedure →