Insert sq defib electrode 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

$18,418.40

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.

$26,312.00

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.

$4,367.79 with AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] vs $26,312.00 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 $4,367.79 ↓ -76%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NLFH BCBS HMO $5,575.51 ↓ -70%
ALTERNATE BLUE CROSS [1402] NLFH BCBS HMO $5,575.51 ↓ -70%
CIGNA HEALTH PLAN [178] NLFH CIGNA ALTERNATIVE $9,919.62 ↓ -46%
AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] NLFH AETNA $11,314.16 ↓ -39%
AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] NLFH AETNA ASA $11,971.96 ↓ -35%
HEALTHLINK [125] NLFH SEIU HEALTHLINK $13,156.00 ↓ -29%
HEALTH'S FINEST NETWORK [126] NLFH HFN PLATINUM/CHC ELITE $16,813.37 ↓ -9%
THE ALLIANCE [1703] NLFH THE ALLIANCE $16,900.20 ↓ -8%
CIGNA HEALTH PLAN [178] NLFH CIGNA BROAD $17,050.18 ↓ -7%
MULTIPLAN/PHCS [142] NLFH PHCS $21,049.60 ↑ +14%
BEECHSTREET [176] NLFH PHCS $21,049.60 ↑ +14%
FIRST HEALTH PLAN [6034] NLFH FIRST HEALTH $21,575.84 ↑ +17%
HEALTH'S FINEST NETWORK [126] NLFH HFN PPO $23,680.80 ↑ +29%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NLFH BCBS PAR/INDEMNITY ADP $26,312.00 ↑ +43%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NLFH BC LAKE COUNTY PHYS ASSOC IPA $26,312.00 ↑ +43%
MULTIPLAN/PHCS [142] NLFH NON-CONTRACTED PAYORS $26,312.00 ↑ +43%
UNITED HEALTHCARE [158] NLFH UHC NON-CONTRACTED OON - ED ONLY $26,312.00 ↑ +43%
GLOBAL EXCEL [1712] NLFH MEDICARE 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
HUMANA HEALTH PLAN [130] NLFH ADVOCATE IPA 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

Insert sq defib electrode at other Illinois hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Genesis Silvis Medical Center Silvis $1,057.20 $1,495.74 – $1,621.04
MercyOne Genesis Aledo Medical Center Aledo $1,057.20 $2,970.16 – $2,970.16
Advocate Christ Medical Center Oak Lawn $7,470.00 $5,886.36 – $47,462.00
Northwestern Memorial Hospital Chicago $18,418.40 not published
Advocate Condell Medical Center Libertyville $9,090.00 $7,162.92 – $24,503.00
Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital Downers Grove $7,740.00 $6,099.12 – $47,462.00
UnityPoint Health - Trinity Moline Rock Island $1,112.00 $393.83 – $6,438.39
Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center Chicago $12,450.00 $9,810.60 – $47,462.00

All Illinois hospitals for this procedure →