Autopsy (necropsy) complete 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

$2,955.40

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.

$4,222.00

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.

$700.85 with AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] vs $4,222.00 with UNITED HEALTHCARE [158] — 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] NLFH AETNA NM EMPLOYEES $700.85 ↓ -76%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NLFH BCBS BLUECHOICE SELECT $884.93 ↓ -70%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NLFH BCBS HMO $894.64 ↓ -70%
ALTERNATE BLUE CROSS [1402] NLFH BCBS HMO $894.64 ↓ -70%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NLFH BCBS BLUECHOICE PREFERRED $929.26 ↓ -69%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NLFH BCBS BLUECHOICE OPTIONS $982.46 ↓ -67%
ALTERNATE BLUE CROSS [1402] NLFH BCBS PPO $1,153.03 ↓ -61%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NLFH BCBS PPO $1,153.03 ↓ -61%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NLFH BC LAKE COUNTY PHYS ASSOC IPA $1,899.90 ↓ -36%
AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] NLFH AETNA ASA $1,921.01 ↓ -35%
HEALTHLINK [125] NLFH SEIU HEALTHLINK $2,111.00 ↓ -29%
HEALTH'S FINEST NETWORK [126] NLFH HFN PLATINUM/CHC ELITE $2,697.86 ↓ -9%
THE ALLIANCE [1703] NLFH THE ALLIANCE $2,711.79 ↓ -8%
BEECHSTREET [176] NLFH PHCS $3,377.60 ↑ +14%
MULTIPLAN/PHCS [142] NLFH PHCS $3,377.60 ↑ +14%
FIRST HEALTH PLAN [6034] NLFH FIRST HEALTH $3,462.04 ↑ +17%
HEALTH'S FINEST NETWORK [126] NLFH HFN PPO $3,799.80 ↑ +29%
MULTIPLAN/PHCS [142] NLFH NON-CONTRACTED PAYORS $4,222.00 ↑ +43%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NLFH BCBS PAR/INDEMNITY ADP $4,222.00 ↑ +43%
UNITED HEALTHCARE [158] NLFH UHC NON-CONTRACTED OON - ED ONLY $4,222.00 ↑ +43%
GLOBAL EXCEL [1712] NLFH MEDICARE not published by hospital
ALTERNATE BLUE CROSS MEDICARE ADV [2304] NLFH BLUE CROSS MEDICARE ADVT not published by hospital
ALTERNATE HUMANA MEDICARE ADV [2409] NLFH HUMANA MEDICARE ADVT 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

Visitor-reported prices

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Autopsy (necropsy) complete at other Illinois hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Northwestern Memorial Hospital Chicago $2,955.40 not published
Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital IL 60190 $2,955.40 not published
Northwestern Medicine McHenry Hospital McHenry $2,955.40 not published
HSHS St. John's Hospital IL 62769|301 N. 8th St. $2,268.00 $20.86 – $3,150.00
MercyOne Genesis Silvis Medical Center Silvis not published $151.80 – $151.80
MercyOne Genesis Aledo Medical Center Aledo not published $411.12 – $411.12
Uchicago Medicine Adventhealth Hinsdale Hinsdale not published $46.80 – $411.98
Advocate Christ Medical Center Oak Lawn not published $31.99 – $1,601.81

All Illinois hospitals for this procedure →