Contrast x-ray of brain at Ascension Saint Joseph - Chicago (Presence Chicago Hospital Network)

2900 N Lake Shore Dr, Chicago, IL · Ascension · · NPI 1679659585

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Jan 1, 2026 · Ingested Sep 7, 2026

not published by hospital

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.

not published by hospital

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.

$49.06 with CIGNA IFP vs $828.27 with UHC CHOICE — 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
CIGNA IFP 3019_JCIL CIGNA IFP 20250101 $49.06
CIGNA ONE HEALTH 2826_CIGNA ONE HEALTH 20241001 $79.08
UHC PPO 3096_PFIL, PRIL, PSIL UNITED HEALTHCARE OPTIONS PPO 20250701 $368.12
MEDICARE REPLACEMENT 3133_JCIL MEDICARE ADVANTAGE PLAN INPATIENT 20251001 $372.28
UHC MCR REPLACEMENT 3103_JCIL MEDICARE ADVANTAGE UNITED HEALTH CARE OUTPATIENT 20250701 $372.28
UHC MCR REPLACEMENT 3102_JCIL MEDICARE ADVANTAGE UNITED HEALTH CARE INPATIENT 20251001 $372.28
BCBS MCR REPLACEMENT 3131_JCIL MEDICARE ADVANTAGE BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD HMO INPATIENT 20251001 $372.28
BCBS MCR REPLACEMENT 2892_JCIL MEDICARE ADVANTAGE BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD HMO OUTPATIENT 20250101 $372.28
MEDICARE REPLACEMENT 2894_JCIL MEDICARE ADVANTAGE PLAN OUTPATIENT 20250101 $372.28
AETNA MCR REPLACEMENT 2891_JCIL MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AETNA OUTPATIENT 20250101 $372.28
AETNA MCR REPLACEMENT 3130_JCIL MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AETNA INPATIENT 20251001 $372.28
TRICARE 2571_TRICARE OUTPATIENT 20231001 $372.28
TRICARE 3136_JCIL TRICARE INPATIENT 20251001 $372.28
HUMANA MCR REPLACEMENT 3139_JCIL MEDICARE ADVANTAGE HUMANA INPATIENT 20251001 $372.28
HUMANA MCR REPLACEMENT 2898_MEDICARE ADVANTAGE HUMANA OUTPATIENT 20250101 $372.28
BCBS BCS 2832_JCIL BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD BCS 20241001 $389.40
BCBS BCE 2879_JCIL BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD BCE 20241001 $389.40
MERIDIAN HEALTH MEDICARE 2893_JCIL MEDICARE ADVANTAGE MERIDIAN OUTPATIENT 20250101 $390.89
AETNA BETTER HEALTH MCR REPLACEMENT 3138_JCIL MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AETNA BETTER HEALTH INPATIENT 20251001 $390.89
MERIDIAN HEALTH MEDICARE 3132_JCIL MEDICARE ADVANTAGE MERIDIAN INPATIENT 20251001 $390.89
AETNA BETTER HEALTH MCR REPLACEMENT 2896_MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AETNA BETTER HEALTH OUTPATIENT 20250101 $390.89
CIGNA 3006_JCIL CIGNA 20250101 $408.86
HUMANA MMAI 3140_JCIL MEDICARE ADVANTAGE HUMANA MMAI INPATIENT 20251001 $409.51
HUMANA MMAI 2897_MEDICARE ADVANTAGE HUMANA MMAI OUTPATIENT 20250101 $409.51
MOLINA MEDICARE 3141_JCIL MEDICARE ADVANTAGE MOLINA INPATIENT 20251001 $409.51
MOLINA MEDICARE 2899_MEDICARE ADVANTAGE MOLINA OUTPATIENT 20250101 $409.51
BCBS FOCUS CARE 3129_JCIL BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD MYBLUE PLUS POS INPATIENT 20251001 $465.35
BRIGHT HEALTH 2889_BRIGHT HEALTH OUTPATIENT 20250101 $465.35
BRIGHT HEALTH 3135_JCIL BRIGHT HEALTH INPATIENT 20251001 $465.35
UHC INDIVIDUAL EXCHANGE 3104_JCIL UHC IP INDIVIDUAL EXCHANGE 20251001 $502.58
UHC INDIVIDUAL EXCHANGE 3100_JCIL UHC OP INDIVIDUAL EXCHANGE 20250701 $502.58
BCBS FOCUS CARE 3003_JCIL BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD MYBLUE PLUS POS OUTPATIENT 20250101 $502.58
SMARTHEALTH 3142_JCIL SMARTHEALTH INPATIENT 20251001 $521.19
SMARTHEALTH 2917_SMARTHEALTH OP 20250101 $521.19
AETNA SMARTCARE 1344_AETNA SMARTCARE OP 20180101 $558.42
BCBS PPO 2834_JCIL BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD PPO 20241001 $575.84
AMBETTER 3134_JCIL AMBETTER INPATIENT 20251001 $603.09
AMBETTER 2888_AMBETTER OUTPATIENT 20250101 $603.09
UHC CHOICE 3095_PFIL, PRIL, PSIL UNITED HEALTHCARE 20250701 $828.27
AETNA 2925_JCIL AETNA 20250201 not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Contrast x-ray of brain at other Illinois hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center Chicago not published $198.52 – $1,116.63
Advocate Trinity Hospital Chicago not published $198.52 – $1,109.41
MercyOne Genesis Silvis Medical Center Silvis $445.20 $237.44 – $682.64
UnityPoint Health - Trinity Moline Rock Island $163.20 $29.17 – $277.83
MercyOne Genesis Aledo Medical Center Aledo not published $357.13 – $1,484.19
Uchicago Medicine Adventhealth Hinsdale Hinsdale not published $74.54 – $605.65
Advocate Christ Medical Center Oak Lawn not published $198.52 – $1,083.76
Advocate Condell Medical Center Libertyville not published $198.52 – $731.32

All Illinois hospitals for this procedure →