Prices at 3 hospitals in Charleston, SC, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $1,104 — 34% below the US median ($1,666), roughly 4.6× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bon Secours-St Francis Xavier Hospital | Charleston, SC | $1,104 | — | ★ 3/5 | 153 min | — |
| Roper Hospital | Charleston, SC | $1,104 | — | ★ 4/5 | 96 min | — |
| Trident Medical Center | Charleston, SC | $4,809 | $2,284 | ★ 3/5 | 126 min | — |
CMS rating = overall hospital star rating (1–5); ER wait = median minutes in the emergency department; Readmit = 30-day readmission rate (lower is better) — all from Medicare’s Care Compare; “—” = not reported. Data last updated October 2026. Prices from hospitals’ machine-readable files (45 CFR §180); Medicare benchmark from CMS PFS/CLFS/IPPS. Prices below 15% of the median are excluded as likely partial or mis-coded charges. Estimates — confirm with the hospital. Report an incorrect price.
Price comparison (median)
Typical cash price here is $1,104 — about 4.6× the Medicare rate ($239). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($479).
💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $1,699 list price could save about $595 (35%).
Rough estimate from this procedure’s median insurer-negotiated rate. Your actual cost depends on your plan — confirm with your insurer.
Doctors who perform this in Charleston
Clinicians who reported the most Medicare volume for this service locally. This reflects Original Medicare activity only and is a volume signal, not a quality ranking.
| Clinician | Specialty | Location | Medicare services |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ian Laxina, MD | Cardiology | Charleston, SC | 114 |
| Christopher Johner, M.D. | Anesthesiology | Charleston, SC | 96 |
| Sheldon Litwin, M.D. | Cardiology | Charleston, SC | 92 |
| Eric Swanson, MD | Anesthesiology | Charleston, SC | 71 |
| Anushri Desai, MD | Anesthesiology | Charleston, SC | 71 |
| Brystol Cagle, M.D. | Anesthesiology | Charleston, SC | 68 |
| Matthew Grabowski, MD | Anesthesiology | Charleston, SC | 49 |
| Randal Atkinson, MD | Anesthesiology | Charleston, SC | 46 |
| Wills Geils, MD | Cardiology | Charleston, SC | 38 |
| George Whitener, MD | Anesthesiology | Charleston, SC | 37 |
| Minh Tran, D.O. | Cardiology | Charleston, SC | 34 |
| Jared Mckinnon, M.D. | Anesthesiology | Charleston, SC | 33 |
All Transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) with and without contrast prices in South Carolina → · All Transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) with and without contrast prices (national) · All hospitals in Charleston