Consultation pathology during surgery frozen section first tissue block at Ascension SE Wisconsin Hospital - St. Joseph Campus

5000 W. Chambers St, Milwaukee, WI · Ascension · · NPI 1427007384

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

$95.93

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.

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What you pay up front if you don't use insurance.

$181.00

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.

$39.29 with WISCONSIN WELL WOMAN vs $232.95 with SMART HEALTH — 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
WISCONSIN WELL WOMAN 1192_WISCONSIN WELL WOMAN OUTPATIENT 20240701 $39.29 ↓ -59%
ANTHEM PATHWAYS 1242_ANTHEM PATHWAYS 20250101 $46.87 ↓ -51%
CCHP 1280_CCHP 20250701 $53.33 ↓ -44%
ANTHEM BLUE CONNECTION 1277_ANTHEM BLUE CONNECTION 20250701 $55.37 ↓ -42%
ANTHEM HMO POS 1275_ANTHEM HMO POS 20250701 $61.30 ↓ -36%
ANTHEM PPO 1276_ANTHEM PPO 20250701 $92.94 ↓ -3%
WPS 1272_WISCONSIN PHYSICIAN SERVICES PPO 20250701 $103.40 ↑ +8%
VETERANS ADMINISTRATION 1208_VETERAN ADMINISTRATION OUTPATIENT 20250101 $166.39 ↑ +73%
VETERANS ADMINISTRATION 1323_VETERAN ADMINISTRATION INPATIENT 20251001 $166.39 ↑ +73%
MEDICARE REPLACEMENT 1205_MEDICARE REPLACEMENT OUTPATIENT 20250101 $166.39 ↑ +73%
MEDICARE REPLACEMENT 1321_MEDICARE REPLACEMENT INPATIENT 20251001 $166.39 ↑ +73%
UNITED HEALTH CARE 1282_UNITED HEALTH CARE 20250701 $180.91 ↑ +89%
UNITED BEHAVIORAL HEALTH 605_UNITED HEALTH CARE BEHAVIORAL 20171024 $180.91 ↑ +89%
SMART HEALTH 1317_SMARTHEALTH INPATIENT 20251001 $232.95 ↑ +143%
SMART HEALTH 1206_SMARTHEALTH OUTPATIENT 20250101 $232.95 ↑ +143%

Visitor-reported prices

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Consultation pathology during surgery frozen section first tissue block 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 $280.37 $41.08 – $367.00
Ascension St. Francis Hospital, Inc. Milwaukee $95.93 $39.29 – $232.95
Ascension Columbia St. Mary's Hospital - Ozaukee Campus (Columbia St. Mary's Hospital Milwaukee, Inc.) Mequon $280.37 $41.08 – $367.00
UnityPoint Health - Meriter Hospital Madison $314.01 $18.17 – $122.46
Orthopaedic Hospital of Wisconsin, LLC Glendale $171.19 $32.00 – $46.45
SSM Health St. Clare Hospital - Baraboo Baraboo $228.80 $124.11 – $218.69
SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital - Janesville Janesville $209.00 $128.70 – $174.95
SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital - Madison Madison $137.50 $124.11 – $178.92

All Wisconsin hospitals for this procedure →