Create eardrum opening 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

$10,652.35

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.

$15,217.64

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.

$568.85 with CURAECHOICE [6100] vs $3,750.00 with MULTIPLAN/PHCS [142] — 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
CURAECHOICE [6100] NMHC CURAECHOICE $568.85 ↓ -95%
HEALTHLINK [125] NMHC SEIU HEALTHLINK $1,337.05 ↓ -87%
UNITED HEALTHCARE [158] NMH UHC CORE $1,566.00 ↓ -85%
UNITED HEALTHCARE [158] NMH UHC $1,740.00 ↓ -84%
MULTIPLAN/PHCS [142] NMH PHCS PPO $3,750.00 ↓ -65%
AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] NMHC NON-CONTRACTED PAYORS not published by hospital
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NMHC CHWN IPA not published by hospital
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NMHC NON-CONTRACTED PAYORS not published by hospital
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NMHC SCPP IPA not published by hospital
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NMHC UIC IPA not published by hospital
CIGNA HEALTH PLAN [178] NMH CIGNA ALTERNATIVE not published by hospital
CIGNA HEALTH PLAN [178] NMH CIGNA BEHAVIORAL HEALTH (EVERNORTH) not published by hospital
CIGNA HEALTH PLAN [178] NMH CIGNA BROAD not published by hospital
CIGNA HEALTH PLAN [178] NMHC NON-CONTRACTED PAYORS not published by hospital
FIRST HEALTH PLAN [6034] NMHC NON-CONTRACTED PAYORS not published by hospital
HEALTH'S FINEST NETWORK [126] NMH HFN PLATINUM/CHC ELITE not published by hospital
HEALTH'S FINEST NETWORK [126] NMH HFN/10 PPO not published by hospital
HEALTH'S FINEST NETWORK [126] NMH HFN/20 EPO not published by hospital
HEALTHLINK [125] NMH SEIU HEALTHLINK not published by hospital
HEALTHLINK [125] NMHC NON-CONTRACTED PAYORS not published by hospital
HUMANA HEALTH PLAN [130] NMH ADVOCATE IPA not published by hospital
HUMANA HEALTH PLAN [130] NMH CHS IPA not published by hospital
HUMANA HEALTH PLAN [130] NMH IL HEALTH PARTNERS IPA not published by hospital
HUMANA HEALTH PLAN [130] NMHC SCPP IPA not published by hospital
HUMANA HEALTH PLAN [130] NMHC UIC IPA not published by hospital
MULTIPLAN/PHCS [142] NMH NON-CONTRACTED PAYORS not published by hospital
MULTIPLAN/PHCS [142] NMHC NON-CONTRACTED PAYORS not published by hospital
OPTUM/UNITED BEHAVIORAL HEALTH [157] NMH Optum UBH not published by hospital
UNITED HEALTHCARE [158] NMH UHC NON-CONTRACTED OON - ED ONLY not published by hospital
UNITED HEALTHCARE [158] NMHC NON-CONTRACTED PAYORS not published by hospital
UNITED HEALTHCARE [158] NMHC UHC REF LAB JOHN DEERE not published by hospital
IMAGINE HEALTH [6032] NMHC IMAGINE HEALTH not published by hospital
GALAXY HEALTH NETWORK [220] NMHC NON-CONTRACTED PAYORS not published by hospital
GLOBAL MEDICAL MANAGEMENT INC [6090] NMHC GMMI not published by hospital
AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] NMH AETNA not published by hospital
MEDPARTNERS [6038] NMHC MEDPARTNERS not published by hospital
AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] NMH AETNA ASA not published by hospital
AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] NMH AETNA BP not published by hospital
AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] NMH AETNA NM EMPLOYEES not published by hospital
AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] NMHC IMAGINE HEALTH not published by hospital

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Create eardrum opening at other Illinois hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center Chicago not published $2,238.97 – $6,181.00
Advocate Trinity Hospital Chicago not published $2,238.97 – $6,181.00
MercyOne Genesis Silvis Medical Center Silvis $318.00 $487.60 – $1,399.60
MercyOne Genesis Aledo Medical Center Aledo $318.00 $2,970.16 – $2,970.16
UnityPoint Health - Trinity Moline Rock Island $774.40 $144.61 – $1,152.38
Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital IL 60190 $10,652.35 not published
Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital Geneva $7,307.77 not published
Northwestern Medicine Palos Hospital Palos Heights $10,431.38 not published

All Illinois hospitals for this procedure →