Carotene at Princeton Community Hospital

122 12th St, Princeton, WV · Wvumedicine · · NPI 1558313213

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Jul 10, 2026 · Ingested Sep 16, 2026

$47.50

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.

$95.00

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.

$8.72 with highmark health options west va vs $53.70 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
highmark health options west va mgd mcaid $8.72 ↓ -82%
wellpoint wv chip $8.72 ↓ -82%
wellpoint west virginia mgd mcaid $8.72 ↓ -82%
highmark health options chip $8.72 ↓ -82%
the health plan wv mgd mcaid $8.84 ↓ -81%
the health plan wv chip $8.88 ↓ -81%
aetna better health wv mgd medicaid $8.88 ↓ -81%
aetna better health wv chip $8.88 ↓ -81%
aetna better health va mgd medicaid $9.13 ↓ -81%
pennsylvania health & wellness medicaid $9.13 ↓ -81%
united mine workers of america medicare advantage united mine workers of america medicare advantage $9.22 ↓ -81%
peak health medicare advantage all plans $9.22 ↓ -81%
optima va medicare advantage all plans $9.22 ↓ -81%
anthem va medicare advantage hmo $9.22 ↓ -81%
highmark wv medicare advantage all plans $9.59 ↓ -80%
humana medicare advantage all plans $9.68 ↓ -80%
aetna medicare advantage all plans $9.68 ↓ -80%
pa health & wellness medicare advantage all plan $9.68 ↓ -80%
wv senior advantage isnp $9.77 ↓ -79%
the health plan wv medicare advantage all plans $9.77 ↓ -79%
unitedhealthcare medicare advantage all plans $10.05 ↓ -79%
the health plan wv peia $10.33 ↓ -78%
molina managed medicaid molina managed medicaid $11.00 ↓ -77%
alliance coal alliance coal $11.52 ↓ -76%
aetna better health pa chip $12.10 ↓ -75%
occunet occunet $12.45 ↓ -74%
coventry health care worker's compensation $14.57 ↓ -69%
blue cross blue shield traditional blue cross blue shield traditional $53.70 ↑ +13%
blue cross blue shield ppo blue cross blue shield ppo $53.70 ↑ +13%

Visitor-reported prices

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Carotene at other West-virginia hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Jefferson Medical Center Ranson $9.50 not published
West Virginia University Hospitals Morgantown $35.00 $5.99 – $39.06
Reynolds Memorial Hospital Glen Dale $9.50 $5.99 – $14.57
Summersville Regional Medical Center Summersville $9.50 not published
Berkeley Medical Center Martinsburg $9.50 $8.72 – $14.57
Braxton County Memorial Hospital Gassaway $9.50 not published
United Hospital Center Bridgeport $9.50 $8.72 – $14.57
Jackson General Hospital Ripley $9.50 not published

All West-virginia hospitals for this procedure →