Contrast exam thoracic aorta at Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital

500 Martha Jefferson Drive, Charlottesville, VA · Sentara · · NPI 1346248663

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

$2,746.50

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.

$5,493.00

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.

$3,142.32 with Sentara Health Plan vs $11,263.64 with Bcbs — 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
Sentara Health Plan Medicare Managed Care Plan $3,142.32 ↑ +14%
Humana Medicare Managed Care Plan $3,173.13 ↑ +16%
Bcbs Anthem Medicare Managed Care Plan $3,227.04 ↑ +17%
Aetna Medicare Managed Care Plan $3,234.74 ↑ +18%
Bcbs Anthem Exchange $9,741.66 ↑ +255%
Bcbs Anthem Hmo $10,474.95 ↑ +281%
Bcbs Anthem Ppo $11,263.64 ↑ +310%

Visitor-reported prices

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Contrast exam thoracic aorta at other Virginia hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center Woodbridge $2,939.00 $1,879.27 – $3,234.74
Lonesome Pine Hospital BIG STONE GAP $1,357.80 $224.00 – $7,393.69
Sentara Halifax Regional Hospital South Boston $3,526.50 $2,047.87 – $3,252.59
Sentara Leigh Hospital Norfolk $2,939.00 $3,142.32 – $3,234.74
Sentara RMH Medical Center Harrisonburg $2,746.50 $3,142.32 – $3,234.74
Sentara CarePlex Hospital Hampton $2,939.00 $3,142.32 – $3,234.74
Sentara Norfolk General Hospital Norfolk $2,939.00 $3,142.32 – $3,234.74
Sentara Princess Anne Hospital Virginia Beach $2,939.00 $3,142.32 – $3,234.74

All Virginia hospitals for this procedure →