Blood smear interpretation at Ascension Columbia St. Mary's Hospital - Ozaukee Campus (Columbia St. Mary's Hospital Milwaukee, Inc.)

13111 N Port Washington Rd, Mequon, WI · Ascension · · NPI 1316000706

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Jan 1, 2026 · Ingested Sep 8, 2026

$27.56

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.

$52.00

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.

$31.29 with HUMANA WVN vs $81.74 with ALLIANCE — 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
HUMANA WVN 1135_HUMANA WVN 20221001 $31.29 ↑ +14%
CCHP MARKETPLACE 1124_CCHP MARKETPLACE 20221001 $31.54 ↑ +14%
UHC NON OPTIONS PPO 1130_UNITED HEALTH CARE NONOPTIONS 20221001 $33.29 ↑ +21%
HUMANA HMO POS 1127_HUMANA 20221001 $33.29 ↑ +21%
HUMANA PREFERRED 1134_HUMANA PREFERRED 20221001 $33.29 ↑ +21%
HUMANA PPO 1133_HUMANA PPO 20221001 $33.29 ↑ +21%
NETWORK HEALTH PLAN 1136_NETWORK HEALTH PLAN 20221001 $38.69 ↑ +40%
SEHN C89 1128_SEHN 20221001 $42.67 ↑ +55%
ANTHEM HMO POS 1120_ANTHEM HMO POS 20221001 $76.49 ↑ +178%
ANTHEM PATHWAYS 1121_ANTHEM PATHWAYS 20221001 $76.49 ↑ +178%
ANTHEM PPO 1122_ANTHEM PPO 20221001 $76.49 ↑ +178%
ALLIANCE 1066_ALLIANCE 20220101 $81.74 ↑ +197%

Visitor-reported prices

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Blood smear interpretation at other Wisconsin hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Ascension Columbia St. Mary's Hospital - Milwaukee Campus (Columbia St. Mary's Hospital Milwaukee, Inc.) Milwaukee $27.56 $31.29 – $81.74
UnityPoint Health - Meriter Hospital Madison $90.40 $14.47 – $62.90
SSM Health St. Clare Hospital - Baraboo Baraboo $39.60 $178.04 – $178.04
SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital - Janesville Janesville $39.60 $142.41 – $142.41
SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital - Madison Madison $39.60 $145.65 – $145.65
SSM Health Monroe Hospital Monroe $47.30 $27.56 – $27.56
Midwest Orthopedic Specialty Hospital Franklin $28.62 $31.54 – $84.18
Ascension St. Francis Hospital, Inc. Milwaukee $28.62 $31.54 – $84.18

All Wisconsin hospitals for this procedure →