Blood smear microscopic w manual differential wbc count at Northwestern Memorial Hospital

251 E. Huron, Chicago, IL · Nm · · NPI 1497859649

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Apr 1, 2026 · Ingested Sep 17, 2026

$42.00

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.

$60.00

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.

$9.89 with AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] vs $58.00 with BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] — 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
AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] NMH AETNA NM EMPLOYEES $9.89 ↓ -76%
CURAECHOICE [6100] NMHC CURAECHOICE $13.57 ↓ -68%
AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] NMHC IMAGINE HEALTH $13.77 ↓ -67%
AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] NMH AETNA BP $15.30 ↓ -64%
IMAGINE HEALTH [6032] NMHC IMAGINE HEALTH $15.66 ↓ -63%
AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] NMH AETNA ASA $18.00 ↓ -57%
HUMANA HEALTH PLAN [130] NMH ADVOCATE IPA $20.40 ↓ -51%
HUMANA HEALTH PLAN [130] NMH CHS IPA $20.40 ↓ -51%
HUMANA HEALTH PLAN [130] NMHC SCPP IPA $22.95 ↓ -45%
HEALTHLINK [125] NMH SEIU HEALTHLINK $25.50 ↓ -39%
HUMANA HEALTH PLAN [130] NMHC UIC IPA $25.50 ↓ -39%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NMHC SCPP IPA $26.10 ↓ -38%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NMHC CHWN IPA $26.10 ↓ -38%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NMHC UIC IPA $29.00 ↓ -31%
HEALTH'S FINEST NETWORK [126] NMH HFN PLATINUM/CHC ELITE $33.15 ↓ -21%
GLOBAL MEDICAL MANAGEMENT INC [6090] NMHC GMMI $33.64 ↓ -20%
MEDPARTNERS [6038] NMHC MEDPARTNERS $40.60 ↓ -3%
MULTIPLAN/PHCS [142] NMH PHCS PPO $40.80 ↓ -3%
CIGNA HEALTH PLAN [178] NMH CIGNA BEHAVIORAL HEALTH (EVERNORTH) $40.80 ↓ -3%
HEALTH'S FINEST NETWORK [126] NMH HFN/20 EPO $41.82 ↓ -0%
HEALTH'S FINEST NETWORK [126] NMH HFN/10 PPO $43.35 ↑ +3%
MULTIPLAN/PHCS [142] NMHC NON-CONTRACTED PAYORS $51.00 ↑ +21%
HEALTHLINK [125] NMHC NON-CONTRACTED PAYORS $51.00 ↑ +21%
CIGNA HEALTH PLAN [178] NMHC NON-CONTRACTED PAYORS $51.00 ↑ +21%
MULTIPLAN/PHCS [142] NMH NON-CONTRACTED PAYORS $51.00 ↑ +21%
UNITED HEALTHCARE [158] NMH UHC NON-CONTRACTED OON - ED ONLY $51.00 ↑ +21%
UNITED HEALTHCARE [158] NMHC NON-CONTRACTED PAYORS $51.00 ↑ +21%
UNITED HEALTHCARE [158] NMHC UHC REF LAB JOHN DEERE $51.00 ↑ +21%
GALAXY HEALTH NETWORK [220] NMHC NON-CONTRACTED PAYORS $51.00 ↑ +21%
AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] NMHC NON-CONTRACTED PAYORS $51.00 ↑ +21%
OPTUM/UNITED BEHAVIORAL HEALTH [157] NMH Optum UBH $51.00 ↑ +21%
FIRST HEALTH PLAN [6034] NMHC NON-CONTRACTED PAYORS $58.00 ↑ +38%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NMHC NON-CONTRACTED PAYORS $58.00 ↑ +38%
CIGNA HEALTH PLAN [178] NMH CIGNA LIFESOURCE TRANSPLANT not published by hospital
HUMANA HEALTH PLAN [130] NMH IL HEALTH PARTNERS IPA not published by hospital
AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] NMH AETNA TRANSPLANT not published by hospital

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Blood smear microscopic w manual differential wbc count at other Illinois hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center Chicago $30.00 $3.80 – $48.00
Advocate Trinity Hospital Chicago $30.00 $3.80 – $48.00
Ascension Saint Joseph - Chicago (Presence Chicago Hospital Network) Chicago $17.49 $2.85 – $16.35
MercyOne Genesis Silvis Medical Center Silvis $37.80 $4.84 – $55.20
MercyOne Genesis Aledo Medical Center Aledo $37.80 $4.37 – $28.20
Uchicago Medicine Adventhealth Hinsdale Hinsdale $20.00 $3.72 – $6.16
Advocate Christ Medical Center Oak Lawn $30.00 $3.80 – $48.00
Advocate Condell Medical Center Libertyville $30.00 $3.80 – $48.00

All Illinois hospitals for this procedure →