ER Visit (level 4) 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

$4,274.02

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.

$6,105.74

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.

$598.76 with AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] vs $3,607.00 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
AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] NLFH AETNA NM EMPLOYEES $598.76 ↓ -86%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NLFH BCBS HMO $764.32 ↓ -82%
ALTERNATE BLUE CROSS [1402] NLFH BCBS HMO $764.32 ↓ -82%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NLFH BCBS BLUECHOICE PREFERRED $844.04 ↓ -80%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NLFH BCBS BLUECHOICE SELECT $844.04 ↓ -80%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NLFH BCBS BLUECHOICE OPTIONS $844.04 ↓ -80%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NLFH BCBS PPO $984.71 ↓ -77%
ALTERNATE BLUE CROSS [1402] NLFH BCBS PPO $984.71 ↓ -77%
CIGNA HEALTH PLAN [178] NLFH CIGNA ALTERNATIVE $1,359.84 ↓ -68%
HEALTHLINK [125] NLFH SEIU HEALTHLINK $1,803.50 ↓ -58%
UNITED HEALTHCARE [158] NLFH UHC CORE $2,274.00 ↓ -47%
HEALTH'S FINEST NETWORK [126] NLFH HFN PLATINUM/CHC ELITE $2,304.87 ↓ -46%
THE ALLIANCE [1703] NLFH THE ALLIANCE $2,316.78 ↓ -46%
CIGNA HEALTH PLAN [178] NLFH CIGNA BROAD $2,427.51 ↓ -43%
UNITED HEALTHCARE [158] NLFH UHC HMO/PPO $2,527.00 ↓ -41%
MULTIPLAN/PHCS [142] NLFH PHCS $2,885.60 ↓ -32%
BEECHSTREET [176] NLFH PHCS $2,885.60 ↓ -32%
FIRST HEALTH PLAN [6034] NLFH FIRST HEALTH $2,957.74 ↓ -31%
HEALTH'S FINEST NETWORK [126] NLFH HFN PPO $3,246.30 ↓ -24%
MULTIPLAN/PHCS [142] NLFH NON-CONTRACTED PAYORS $3,607.00 ↓ -16%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NLFH BCBS PAR/INDEMNITY ADP $3,607.00 ↓ -16%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NLFH BC LAKE COUNTY PHYS ASSOC IPA $3,607.00 ↓ -16%
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
GLOBAL EXCEL [1712] NLFH MEDICARE not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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ER Visit (level 4) at other Illinois hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Genesis Silvis Medical Center Silvis $4,782.60 $346.84 – $977.19
MercyOne Genesis Aledo Medical Center Aledo $719.40 $209.00 – $563.53
Uchicago Medicine Adventhealth Hinsdale Hinsdale $715.00 $437.76 – $724.38
Advocate Christ Medical Center Oak Lawn $1,110.00 $643.63 – $3,426.00
Northwestern Memorial Hospital Chicago $4,049.15 not published
Advocate Condell Medical Center Libertyville $1,020.00 $643.63 – $3,263.00
Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital Downers Grove $1,255.00 $643.63 – $3,426.00
UnityPoint Health - Trinity Moline Rock Island $1,036.96 $21.67 – $331.27

All Illinois hospitals for this procedure →