Abdominal paracentesis w/image guidance at Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital DBA Northwestern Medicine Catherine Gratz Griffin Lake Forest Hospital

1000 N. Westmoreland Rd., Lake Forest, IL · Nm · · NPI 1124025176

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

$4,277.34

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.

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What you pay up front if you don't use insurance.

$6,110.49

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.

$9.47 with UNITED HEALTHCARE [158] vs $2,971.00 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
UNITED HEALTHCARE [158] NLFH UHC HMO/PPO $9.47 ↓ -100%
UNITED HEALTHCARE [158] NLFH UHC CORE $9.47 ↓ -100%
AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] NLFH AETNA NM EMPLOYEES $493.19 ↓ -88%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NLFH BCBS HMO $629.55 ↓ -85%
ALTERNATE BLUE CROSS [1402] NLFH BCBS HMO $629.55 ↓ -85%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NLFH BCBS BLUECHOICE PREFERRED $695.21 ↓ -84%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NLFH BCBS BLUECHOICE SELECT $695.21 ↓ -84%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NLFH BCBS BLUECHOICE OPTIONS $695.21 ↓ -84%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NLFH BCBS PPO $811.08 ↓ -81%
ALTERNATE BLUE CROSS [1402] NLFH BCBS PPO $811.08 ↓ -81%
CIGNA HEALTH PLAN [178] NLFH CIGNA ALTERNATIVE $1,120.07 ↓ -74%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NLFH BC LAKE COUNTY PHYS ASSOC IPA $1,336.95 ↓ -69%
HEALTHLINK [125] NLFH SEIU HEALTHLINK $1,485.50 ↓ -65%
HEALTH'S FINEST NETWORK [126] NLFH HFN PLATINUM/CHC ELITE $1,898.47 ↓ -56%
THE ALLIANCE [1703] NLFH THE ALLIANCE $1,908.27 ↓ -55%
CIGNA HEALTH PLAN [178] NLFH CIGNA BROAD $1,925.21 ↓ -55%
FIRST HEALTH PLAN [6034] NLFH FIRST HEALTH $2,287.67 ↓ -47%
BEECHSTREET [176] NLFH PHCS $2,376.80 ↓ -44%
MULTIPLAN/PHCS [142] NLFH PHCS $2,376.80 ↓ -44%
HEALTH'S FINEST NETWORK [126] NLFH HFN PPO $2,673.90 ↓ -37%
MULTIPLAN/PHCS [142] NLFH NON-CONTRACTED PAYORS $2,971.00 ↓ -31%
UNITED HEALTHCARE [158] NLFH UHC NON-CONTRACTED OON - ED ONLY $2,971.00 ↓ -31%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NLFH BCBS PAR/INDEMNITY ADP $2,971.00 ↓ -31%
ALTERNATE HUMANA MEDICARE ADV [2409] NLFH HUMANA MEDICARE ADVT not published by hospital
ALTERNATE BLUE CROSS MEDICARE ADV [2304] NLFH BLUE CROSS MEDICARE ADVT not published by hospital
AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] NLFH AETNA ASA not published by hospital
GLOBAL EXCEL [1712] NLFH MEDICARE not published by hospital
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NLFH ADVOCATE IPA not published by hospital
HUMANA HEALTH PLAN [130] NLFH ADVOCATE IPA not published by hospital
AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] NLFH AETNA not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Abdominal paracentesis w/image guidance at other Illinois hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Genesis Silvis Medical Center Silvis $1,102.20 $562.24 – $1,497.16
MercyOne Genesis Aledo Medical Center Aledo $1,102.20 $320.00 – $993.24
Uchicago Medicine Adventhealth Hinsdale Hinsdale $575.00 $430.00 – $1,574.55
Advocate Christ Medical Center Oak Lawn $1,375.00 $1,083.50 – $6,181.00
Northwestern Memorial Hospital Chicago $7,104.37 $51.31 – $51.31
Advocate Condell Medical Center Libertyville $1,490.00 $1,174.12 – $4,636.00
Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital Downers Grove $1,445.00 $1,138.66 – $6,181.00
UnityPoint Health - Trinity Moline Rock Island $1,510.00 $95.71 – $832.38

All Illinois hospitals for this procedure →