Insertion of catheter vein 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

$14,602.59

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.

$20,860.84

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.

$163.01 with AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] vs $982.00 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
AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] NLFH AETNA NM EMPLOYEES $163.01 ↓ -99%
ALTERNATE BLUE CROSS [1402] NLFH BCBS HMO $208.09 ↓ -99%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NLFH BCBS HMO $208.09 ↓ -99%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NLFH BCBS BLUECHOICE SELECT $229.79 ↓ -98%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NLFH BCBS BLUECHOICE OPTIONS $229.79 ↓ -98%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NLFH BCBS BLUECHOICE PREFERRED $229.79 ↓ -98%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NLFH BCBS PPO $268.09 ↓ -98%
ALTERNATE BLUE CROSS [1402] NLFH BCBS PPO $268.09 ↓ -98%
UNITED HEALTHCARE [158] NLFH UHC CORE $364.00 ↓ -98%
CIGNA HEALTH PLAN [178] NLFH CIGNA ALTERNATIVE $370.21 ↓ -97%
UNITED HEALTHCARE [158] NLFH UHC HMO/PPO $404.00 ↓ -97%
AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] NLFH AETNA $422.26 ↓ -97%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NLFH BC LAKE COUNTY PHYS ASSOC IPA $441.90 ↓ -97%
AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] NLFH AETNA ASA $446.81 ↓ -97%
HEALTHLINK [125] NLFH SEIU HEALTHLINK $491.00 ↓ -97%
HEALTH'S FINEST NETWORK [126] NLFH HFN PLATINUM/CHC ELITE $627.50 ↓ -96%
THE ALLIANCE [1703] NLFH THE ALLIANCE $630.74 ↓ -96%
CIGNA HEALTH PLAN [178] NLFH CIGNA BROAD $636.34 ↓ -96%
MULTIPLAN/PHCS [142] NLFH PHCS $785.60 ↓ -95%
BEECHSTREET [176] NLFH PHCS $785.60 ↓ -95%
FIRST HEALTH PLAN [6034] NLFH FIRST HEALTH $805.24 ↓ -94%
HEALTH'S FINEST NETWORK [126] NLFH HFN PPO $883.80 ↓ -94%
UNITED HEALTHCARE [158] NLFH UHC NON-CONTRACTED OON - ED ONLY $982.00 ↓ -93%
MULTIPLAN/PHCS [142] NLFH NON-CONTRACTED PAYORS $982.00 ↓ -93%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NLFH BCBS PAR/INDEMNITY ADP $982.00 ↓ -93%
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

Insertion of catheter vein at other Illinois hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Uchicago Medicine Adventhealth Hinsdale Hinsdale $198.75 $1,032.00 – $2,414.00
Advocate Christ Medical Center Oak Lawn $680.00 $535.84 – $6,291.00
Northwestern Memorial Hospital Chicago $14,602.59 not published
Advocate Condell Medical Center Libertyville $1,320.00 $1,040.16 – $4,528.00
Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital Downers Grove $965.00 $760.42 – $6,291.00
UnityPoint Health - Trinity Moline Rock Island $4,687.20 $289.61 – $3,475.95
Uchicago Medicine Adventhealth La Grange La Grange $198.75 $1,032.00 – $2,414.00
Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center Chicago $700.00 $551.60 – $6,291.00

All Illinois hospitals for this procedure →