Injection radioactive tracer sentinel node (both sides) at Advocate Sherman Hospital

1425 North Randall Road, Elgin, IL · Advocate Health · · NPI 1629026364

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Nov 4, 2025 · Ingested Aug 13, 2026

$210.00

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.

$420.00

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.

$155.82 with Blue Cross Blue Shield City of Chicago vs $4,116.00 with United Healthcare — 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
Blue Cross Blue Shield City of Chicago Commercial $155.82 ↓ -26%
Advocate Employee Commercial $165.48 ↓ -21%
Blue Cross Blue Shield Choice Commercial $168.42 ↓ -20%
Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO $177.24 ↓ -16%
Cigna One Health Commercial $218.40 ↑ +4%
Blue Cross Blue Shield Blue Precision Managed Care $240.24 ↑ +14%
Aetna Commercial $243.05 ↑ +16%
Blue Cross Blue Shield HMO $244.86 ↑ +17%
Cigna Commercial $277.20 ↑ +32%
Private Healthcare Systems Commercial $340.20 ↑ +62%
Multiplan Commercial $378.00 ↑ +80%
Ambetter Medicare Advantage $607.37 ↑ +189%
Molina Medicare Advantage $607.37 ↑ +189%
Oscar Health HMO Medicare Advantage $628.31 ↑ +199%
HSTechnology Medicare Advantage $804.24 ↑ +283%
United Healthcare Charter Commercial $3,260.00 ↑ +1452%
United Healthcare Core Navigate Commercial $3,606.00 ↑ +1617%
United Healthcare Nexus Commercial $3,705.00 ↑ +1664%
United Healthcare HMO $4,116.00 ↑ +1860%

Visitor-reported prices

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Injection radioactive tracer sentinel node (both sides) at other Illinois hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Genesis Silvis Medical Center Silvis $78.60 $120.52 – $363.22
MercyOne Genesis Aledo Medical Center Aledo $78.60 $983.68 – $2,970.16
Advocate Christ Medical Center Oak Lawn $785.00 $607.37 – $6,291.00
Advocate Condell Medical Center Libertyville $710.00 $559.48 – $4,528.00
Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital Downers Grove $447.50 $352.63 – $6,291.00
UnityPoint Health - Trinity Moline Rock Island $699.68 $28.85 – $385.70
SSM Health Good Samaritan Hospital - Mt. Vernon Mount Vernon $717.20 $428.40 – $449.82
Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center Chicago $645.00 $508.26 – $6,291.00

All Illinois hospitals for this procedure →