Ghs inj transforaminal cerv single bil 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

$2,131.77

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.

$3,045.39

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.

$3.93 with UNITED HEALTHCARE [158] vs $2,936.00 with BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] — 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
UNITED HEALTHCARE [158] NLFH UHC HMO/PPO $3.93 ↓ -100%
UNITED HEALTHCARE [158] NLFH UHC CORE $3.93 ↓ -100%
AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] NLFH AETNA NM EMPLOYEES $487.38 ↓ -77%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NLFH BCBS HMO $622.14 ↓ -71%
ALTERNATE BLUE CROSS [1402] NLFH BCBS HMO $622.14 ↓ -71%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NLFH BCBS BLUECHOICE SELECT $687.02 ↓ -68%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NLFH BCBS BLUECHOICE OPTIONS $687.02 ↓ -68%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NLFH BCBS BLUECHOICE PREFERRED $687.02 ↓ -68%
ALTERNATE BLUE CROSS [1402] NLFH BCBS PPO $801.53 ↓ -62%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NLFH BCBS PPO $801.53 ↓ -62%
CIGNA HEALTH PLAN [178] NLFH CIGNA ALTERNATIVE $1,106.87 ↓ -48%
AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] NLFH AETNA $1,262.48 ↓ -41%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NLFH BC LAKE COUNTY PHYS ASSOC IPA $1,321.20 ↓ -38%
AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] NLFH AETNA ASA $1,335.88 ↓ -37%
HEALTHLINK [125] NLFH SEIU HEALTHLINK $1,468.00 ↓ -31%
HEALTH'S FINEST NETWORK [126] NLFH HFN PLATINUM/CHC ELITE $1,876.10 ↓ -12%
THE ALLIANCE [1703] NLFH THE ALLIANCE $1,885.79 ↓ -12%
CIGNA HEALTH PLAN [178] NLFH CIGNA BROAD $1,902.53 ↓ -11%
MULTIPLAN/PHCS [142] NLFH PHCS $2,348.80 ↑ +10%
BEECHSTREET [176] NLFH PHCS $2,348.80 ↑ +10%
FIRST HEALTH PLAN [6034] NLFH FIRST HEALTH $2,407.52 ↑ +13%
HEALTH'S FINEST NETWORK [126] NLFH HFN PPO $2,642.40 ↑ +24%
UNITED HEALTHCARE [158] NLFH UHC NON-CONTRACTED OON - ED ONLY $2,936.00 ↑ +38%
MULTIPLAN/PHCS [142] NLFH NON-CONTRACTED PAYORS $2,936.00 ↑ +38%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NLFH BCBS PAR/INDEMNITY ADP $2,936.00 ↑ +38%
HUMANA HEALTH PLAN [130] NLFH ADVOCATE IPA 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
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

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Ghs inj transforaminal cerv single bil at other Illinois hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Genesis Silvis Medical Center Silvis $916.20 $325.76 – $2,573.12
MercyOne Genesis Aledo Medical Center Aledo $916.20 $292.00 – $687.15
Uchicago Medicine Adventhealth Hinsdale Hinsdale $446.25 $430.00 – $1,535.46
Advocate Christ Medical Center Oak Lawn $1,160.00 $914.08 – $6,071.00
Northwestern Memorial Hospital Chicago $9,043.75 $8.91 – $8.91
Advocate Condell Medical Center Libertyville $1,135.00 $894.38 – $4,681.00
Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital Downers Grove $1,360.00 $1,071.68 – $6,071.00
UnityPoint Health - Trinity Moline Rock Island $3,351.88 $119.11 – $923.86

All Illinois hospitals for this procedure →