Smear fluorescent and/or acid fast stain at West Virginia University Hospitals

1 Medical Center Dr, Morgantown, WV · Wvumedicine · · NPI 1841271459

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Jul 9, 2026 · Ingested Sep 16, 2026

$97.50

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.

$195.00

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.

$3.00 with aetna better health pa vs $22.83 with blue cross blue shield ppo — 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
aetna better health pa chip $3.00 ↓ -97%
uhc community pa chip unison kids $3.09 ↓ -97%
upmc for you medicaid upmc for you medicaid $3.15 ↓ -97%
highmark health options chip $3.15 ↓ -97%
pennsylvania health and wellness mgd medicaid $3.30 ↓ -97%
pennsylvania health & wellness medicaid $3.30 ↓ -97%
upmc for kids chip $3.30 ↓ -97%
amerihealth caritas pa medicaid $3.36 ↓ -97%
highmark wholecare pennsylvania medicaid highmark wholecare pennsylvania medicaid $3.50 ↓ -96%
geisinger pennsylvania mgd medicaid $3.60 ↓ -96%
highmark health options west va mgd mcaid $5.09 ↓ -95%
wellpoint west virginia mgd mcaid $5.09 ↓ -95%
wellpoint wv chip $5.09 ↓ -95%
the health plan wv mgd mcaid $5.17 ↓ -95%
aetna better health wv chip $5.19 ↓ -95%
the health plan wv chip $5.19 ↓ -95%
aetna better health mgd medicaid $5.19 ↓ -95%
highmark pa medicare advantage hmo $5.39 ↓ -94%
peak health medicare advantage all plans $5.39 ↓ -94%
united mine workers of america medicare advantage united mine workers of america medicare advantage $5.39 ↓ -94%
molina oh medicare advantage all plans $5.39 ↓ -94%
upmc for life medicare advantage all plans $5.39 ↓ -94%
caresource oh medicare advantage all plans $5.39 ↓ -94%
anthem pathway anthem pathway $5.39 ↓ -94%
highmark wholecare pa medicare advantage all pla $5.55 ↓ -94%
anthem oh medicare advantage hmo $5.55 ↓ -94%
highmark wv medicare advantage all plans $5.61 ↓ -94%
senior life pa - ma certain hospitals $5.66 ↓ -94%
pa health & wellness medicare advantage all plan $5.66 ↓ -94%
humana medicare advantage all plans $5.66 ↓ -94%
buckeye oh medicare advantage all plans $5.66 ↓ -94%
aetna medicare advantage all plans $5.66 ↓ -94%
geisinger pa medicare advantage all plans $5.71 ↓ -94%
the health plan wv medicare advantage all plans $5.71 ↓ -94%
wv senior advantage isnp $5.71 ↓ -94%
valor health medicare advantage all plans $5.71 ↓ -94%
unitedhealthcare medicare advantage all plans $5.88 ↓ -94%
caresource oh exchange caresource oh exchange $5.93 ↓ -94%
the health plan wv peia $6.05 ↓ -94%
alliance coal alliance coal $6.74 ↓ -93%
buckeye commercial exchange plan $8.09 ↓ -92%
encova worker's compensation $8.09 ↓ -92%
rockport healthcare group worker's compensation $8.35 ↓ -91%
coventry health care worker's compensation $8.52 ↓ -91%
blue cross blue shield traditional blue cross blue shield traditional $22.83 ↓ -77%
blue cross blue shield ppo blue cross blue shield ppo $22.83 ↓ -77%

Visitor-reported prices

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Smear fluorescent and/or acid fast stain at other West-virginia hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Jefferson Medical Center Ranson $42.50 not published
Grant Memorial Hospital Petersburg $64.00 not published
Reynolds Memorial Hospital Glen Dale $50.00 $3.15 – $8.52
Summersville Regional Medical Center Summersville $24.22 not published
Berkeley Medical Center Martinsburg $86.00 $3.21 – $8.52
Braxton County Memorial Hospital Gassaway $18.50 not published
United Hospital Center Bridgeport $34.50 $5.09 – $8.52
Jackson General Hospital Ripley $50.00 not published

All West-virginia hospitals for this procedure →