Brach/thor cath addl 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

$4,239.90

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.

$6,057.00

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.

$1,005.46 with AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] vs $6,057.00 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
AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] NLFH AETNA NM EMPLOYEES $1,005.46 ↓ -76%
ALTERNATE BLUE CROSS [1402] NLFH BCBS HMO $1,283.48 ↓ -70%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NLFH BCBS HMO $1,283.48 ↓ -70%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NLFH BCBS BLUECHOICE PREFERRED $1,417.34 ↓ -67%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NLFH BCBS BLUECHOICE SELECT $1,417.34 ↓ -67%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NLFH BCBS BLUECHOICE OPTIONS $1,417.34 ↓ -67%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NLFH BCBS PPO $1,653.56 ↓ -61%
ALTERNATE BLUE CROSS [1402] NLFH BCBS PPO $1,653.56 ↓ -61%
CIGNA HEALTH PLAN [178] NLFH CIGNA ALTERNATIVE $2,283.49 ↓ -46%
AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] NLFH AETNA $2,604.51 ↓ -39%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NLFH BC LAKE COUNTY PHYS ASSOC IPA $2,725.65 ↓ -36%
AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] NLFH AETNA ASA $2,755.94 ↓ -35%
HEALTHLINK [125] NLFH SEIU HEALTHLINK $3,028.50 ↓ -29%
HEALTH'S FINEST NETWORK [126] NLFH HFN PLATINUM/CHC ELITE $3,870.42 ↓ -9%
THE ALLIANCE [1703] NLFH THE ALLIANCE $3,890.41 ↓ -8%
CIGNA HEALTH PLAN [178] NLFH CIGNA BROAD $3,924.94 ↓ -7%
MULTIPLAN/PHCS [142] NLFH PHCS $4,845.60 ↑ +14%
BEECHSTREET [176] NLFH PHCS $4,845.60 ↑ +14%
FIRST HEALTH PLAN [6034] NLFH FIRST HEALTH $4,966.74 ↑ +17%
HEALTH'S FINEST NETWORK [126] NLFH HFN PPO $5,451.30 ↑ +29%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NLFH BCBS PAR/INDEMNITY ADP $6,057.00 ↑ +43%
UNITED HEALTHCARE [158] NLFH UHC NON-CONTRACTED OON - ED ONLY $6,057.00 ↑ +43%
MULTIPLAN/PHCS [142] NLFH NON-CONTRACTED PAYORS $6,057.00 ↑ +43%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NLFH ADVOCATE IPA not published by hospital
GLOBAL EXCEL [1712] NLFH MEDICARE not published by hospital
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
HUMANA HEALTH PLAN [130] NLFH ADVOCATE IPA not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Brach/thor cath addl at other Illinois hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Genesis Silvis Medical Center Silvis $2,426.40 $574.08 – $2,143.62
MercyOne Genesis Aledo Medical Center Aledo $374.40 $1,790.87 – $2,970.16
Advocate Christ Medical Center Oak Lawn $390.00 $307.32 – $6,291.00
Advocate Condell Medical Center Libertyville $620.00 $488.56 – $4,528.00
Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital Downers Grove $950.00 $748.60 – $6,291.00
UnityPoint Health - Trinity Moline Rock Island $953.94 $45.52 – $525.86
Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center Chicago $340.00 $267.92 – $6,291.00
Advocate Childrens Hospital - Park Ridge Park Ridge $360.00 $283.68 – $6,291.00

All Illinois hospitals for this procedure →