Interphalangeal joint spacer 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

$4,528.16

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.

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What you pay up front if you don't use insurance.

$6,468.80

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.

$1,153.17 with AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] vs $5,974.95 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] NWR AETNA NM EMPLOYEES $1,153.17 ↓ -75%
CIGNA HEALTH PLAN [178] NWR CIGNA ALTERNATIVE $1,177.07 ↓ -74%
MERCY CARE HEALTH PLANS [5013] NWR MERCY CARE $1,813.40 ↓ -60%
CIGNA HEALTH PLAN [178] NWR CIGNA BROAD $1,846.26 ↓ -59%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NWR BCBS PPO $2,025.51 ↓ -55%
ALTERNATE BLUE CROSS [1402] NWR BCBS PPO $2,025.51 ↓ -55%
AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] NWR AETNA APCN/SP $2,055.38 ↓ -55%
AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] NWR AETNA IL PREFERRED $2,121.11 ↓ -53%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NWR BCBS HMO $2,131.86 ↓ -53%
ALTERNATE BLUE CROSS [1402] NWR BCBS HMO $2,131.86 ↓ -53%
UNITED HEALTHCARE [158] NWR UHC CORE $2,832.13 ↓ -37%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NWR BCBS BLUECHOICE SELECT $2,856.03 ↓ -37%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NWR BCBS BLUECHOICE PREFERRED $2,856.03 ↓ -37%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NWR BCBS BLUECHOICE OPTIONS $2,856.03 ↓ -37%
HEALTHLINK [125] NWR SEIU HEALTHLINK $2,987.48 ↓ -34%
UNITED HEALTHCARE [158] NWR UHC HMO/PPO $3,148.80 ↓ -30%
CHOICECARE [177] NWR CHOICE CARE $3,178.67 ↓ -30%
MULTIPLAN/PHCS [142] NWR PHCS PPO $3,764.22 ↓ -17%
THE ALLIANCE [1703] NWR THE ALLIANCE $3,837.71 ↓ -15%
HEALTH'S FINEST NETWORK [126] NWR HFN PLATINUM EPO $4,182.47 ↓ -8%
HEALTH'S FINEST NETWORK [126] NWR HFN PPO $4,361.71 ↓ -4%
CIGNA HEALTH PLAN [178] NWR CIGNA BEHAVORIAL BHS $4,481.21 ↓ -1%
BEECHSTREET [176] NWR BEECHSTREET $4,779.96 ↑ +6%
MULTIPLAN/PHCS [142] NWR NON-CONTRACTED PAYORS $5,974.95 ↑ +32%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NWR BCBS PAR/INDEMNITY ADP $5,974.95 ↑ +32%
GLOBAL EXCEL [1712] NWR MEDICARE not published by hospital
ALTERNATE BLUE CROSS MEDICARE ADV [2304] NWR BLUE CROSS MEDICARE ADVT not published by hospital
ALTERNATE HUMANA MEDICARE ADV [2409] NWR HUMANA MEDICARE ADVT not published by hospital

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Interphalangeal joint spacer at other Illinois hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Northwestern Memorial Hospital Chicago $8,543.81 not published
Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital DBA Northwestern Medicine Catherine Gratz Griffin Lake Forest Hospital Lake Forest $9,593.68 not published
MercyOne Genesis Aledo Medical Center Aledo not published $432.26 – $432.26
Advocate Christ Medical Center Oak Lawn not published $531.16 – $1,262.86
Advocate Condell Medical Center Libertyville not published $531.16 – $796.36
Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital Downers Grove not published $531.16 – $1,292.75
UnityPoint Health - Trinity Moline Rock Island not published $182.75 – $586.11
Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center Chicago not published $531.16 – $1,301.16

All Illinois hospitals for this procedure →