Biopsy needle lymph node superficial 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

$11,125.27

Cash price

?

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.

$15,893.24

Gross charge

?

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.

$439.07 with AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] vs $2,645.00 with UNITED HEALTHCARE [158] — same scan, same building. Share

Negotiated rates by payer
?

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
?

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
?

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 $439.07 ↓ -96%
ALTERNATE BLUE CROSS [1402] NLFH BCBS HMO $560.48 ↓ -95%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NLFH BCBS HMO $560.48 ↓ -95%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NLFH BCBS BLUECHOICE PREFERRED $618.93 ↓ -94%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NLFH BCBS BLUECHOICE SELECT $618.93 ↓ -94%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NLFH BCBS BLUECHOICE OPTIONS $618.93 ↓ -94%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NLFH BCBS PPO $722.09 ↓ -94%
ALTERNATE BLUE CROSS [1402] NLFH BCBS PPO $722.09 ↓ -94%
CIGNA HEALTH PLAN [178] NLFH CIGNA ALTERNATIVE $997.17 ↓ -91%
UNITED HEALTHCARE [158] NLFH UHC CORE $1,086.00 ↓ -90%
AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] NLFH AETNA $1,137.35 ↓ -90%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NLFH BC LAKE COUNTY PHYS ASSOC IPA $1,190.25 ↓ -89%
AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] NLFH AETNA ASA $1,203.48 ↓ -89%
UNITED HEALTHCARE [158] NLFH UHC HMO/PPO $1,207.00 ↓ -89%
HEALTHLINK [125] NLFH SEIU HEALTHLINK $1,322.50 ↓ -88%
HEALTH'S FINEST NETWORK [126] NLFH HFN PLATINUM/CHC ELITE $1,690.16 ↓ -85%
THE ALLIANCE [1703] NLFH THE ALLIANCE $1,698.88 ↓ -85%
CIGNA HEALTH PLAN [178] NLFH CIGNA BROAD $1,713.96 ↓ -85%
BEECHSTREET [176] NLFH PHCS $2,116.00 ↓ -81%
MULTIPLAN/PHCS [142] NLFH PHCS $2,116.00 ↓ -81%
FIRST HEALTH PLAN [6034] NLFH FIRST HEALTH $2,168.90 ↓ -81%
HEALTH'S FINEST NETWORK [126] NLFH HFN PPO $2,380.50 ↓ -79%
MULTIPLAN/PHCS [142] NLFH NON-CONTRACTED PAYORS $2,645.00 ↓ -76%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NLFH BCBS PAR/INDEMNITY ADP $2,645.00 ↓ -76%
UNITED HEALTHCARE [158] NLFH UHC NON-CONTRACTED OON - ED ONLY $2,645.00 ↓ -76%
GLOBAL EXCEL [1712] NLFH MEDICARE not published by hospital
HUMANA HEALTH PLAN [130] NLFH ADVOCATE IPA not published by hospital
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NLFH ADVOCATE IPA 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

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Biopsy needle lymph node superficial at other Illinois hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Genesis Silvis Medical Center Silvis $768.60 $328.00 – $3,343.15
MercyOne Genesis Aledo Medical Center Aledo $768.60 $226.00 – $1,776.46
Uchicago Medicine Adventhealth Hinsdale Hinsdale $600.00 $430.00 – $2,867.21
Advocate Christ Medical Center Oak Lawn $1,320.00 $1,040.16 – $6,181.00
Northwestern Memorial Hospital Chicago $12,135.30 not published
Advocate Condell Medical Center Libertyville $1,610.00 $1,268.68 – $4,636.00
Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital Downers Grove $1,230.00 $969.24 – $6,181.00
UnityPoint Health - Trinity Moline Rock Island $979.17 $77.42 – $1,260.48

All Illinois hospitals for this procedure →