Blink reflex test at Northwestern Medicine McHenry Hospital

4201 Medical Center Drive, McHenry, IL · Nm · · NPI 1427065499

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Apr 1, 2026 · Ingested Sep 17, 2026

$368.90

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.

$527.00

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.

$101.71 with AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] vs $527.00 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] NWR AETNA NM EMPLOYEES $101.71 ↓ -72%
CIGNA HEALTH PLAN [178] NWR CIGNA ALTERNATIVE $103.82 ↓ -72%
MERCY CARE HEALTH PLANS [5013] NWR MERCY CARE $159.94 ↓ -57%
CIGNA HEALTH PLAN [178] NWR CIGNA BROAD $162.84 ↓ -56%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NWR BCBS PPO $178.65 ↓ -52%
ALTERNATE BLUE CROSS [1402] NWR BCBS PPO $178.65 ↓ -52%
AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] NWR AETNA APCN/SP $181.29 ↓ -51%
AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] NWR AETNA IL PREFERRED $187.09 ↓ -49%
ALTERNATE BLUE CROSS [1402] NWR BCBS HMO $188.03 ↓ -49%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NWR BCBS HMO $188.03 ↓ -49%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NWR BCBS BLUECHOICE PREFERRED $251.91 ↓ -32%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NWR BCBS BLUECHOICE OPTIONS $251.91 ↓ -32%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NWR BCBS BLUECHOICE SELECT $251.91 ↓ -32%
AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] NWR AETNA $256.65 ↓ -30%
HEALTHLINK [125] NWR SEIU HEALTHLINK $263.50 ↓ -29%
AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] NWR AETNA ASA $276.68 ↓ -25%
CHOICECARE [177] NWR CHOICE CARE $280.36 ↓ -24%
MULTIPLAN/PHCS [142] NWR PHCS PPO $332.01 ↓ -10%
THE ALLIANCE [1703] NWR THE ALLIANCE $338.49 ↓ -8%
HEALTH'S FINEST NETWORK [126] NWR HFN PLATINUM EPO $368.90 ↑ +0%
HEALTH'S FINEST NETWORK [126] NWR HFN PPO $384.71 ↑ +4%
CIGNA HEALTH PLAN [178] NWR CIGNA BEHAVORIAL BHS $395.25 ↑ +7%
BEECHSTREET [176] NWR BEECHSTREET $421.60 ↑ +14%
MULTIPLAN/PHCS [142] NWR NON-CONTRACTED PAYORS $527.00 ↑ +43%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NWR BCBS PAR/INDEMNITY ADP $527.00 ↑ +43%
GLOBAL EXCEL [1712] NWR MEDICARE not published by hospital
ALTERNATE HUMANA MEDICARE ADV [2409] NWR HUMANA MEDICARE ADVT not published by hospital
ALTERNATE BLUE CROSS MEDICARE ADV [2304] NWR 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

Blink reflex test at other Illinois hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Advocate Christ Medical Center Oak Lawn $212.50 $89.78 – $388.15
Northwestern Memorial Hospital Chicago $368.90 not published
Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital Downers Grove $212.50 $89.78 – $397.52
UnityPoint Health - Trinity Moline Rock Island $178.40 $28.39 – $74.72
Advocate South Suburban Hospital Hazel Crest $212.50 $89.78 – $413.95
Ascension Saint Joseph - Chicago (Presence Chicago Hospital Network) Chicago $48.51 $61.92 – $217.16
OSF Little Company of Mary Medical Center Evergreen Park $90.60 $63.22 – $117.58
OSF Saint Francis Medical Center Peoria $98.40 $49.73 – $214.91

All Illinois hospitals for this procedure →