ER Visit (level 3) at Northwestern Medicine Palos Hospital

12251 S. 80th Ave., Palos Heights, IL · Nm · · NPI 1043600026

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

$1,890.00

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.

Full explanation →

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

$2,700.00

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.

$307.84 with BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] vs $1,924.00 with GALAXY HEALTH NETWORK [220] — 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
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] PH BCBS BLUECHOICE PREFERRED $307.84 ↓ -84%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] PH BCBS BLUECHOICE OPTIONS SELECT $307.84 ↓ -84%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] PH BCBS BLUECHOICE OPTIONS $307.84 ↓ -84%
CIGNA HEALTH PLAN [178] PH CIGNA ALTERNATIVE $359.79 ↓ -81%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] PH BCBS PPO $369.41 ↓ -80%
ALTERNATE BLUE CROSS [1402] PH BCBS PPO $369.41 ↓ -80%
AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] PH AETNA NM EMPLOYEES $413.66 ↓ -78%
CIGNA HEALTH PLAN [178] PH CIGNA BROAD $569.50 ↓ -70%
AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] PH AETNA IL PREFERRED $652.24 ↓ -65%
ALTERNATE BLUE CROSS [1402] PH BCBS HMO $752.86 ↓ -60%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] PH BCBS HMO $752.86 ↓ -60%
HEALTHLINK [125] PH SEIU HEALTHLINK $962.00 ↓ -49%
CARELON BEHAVIORAL HEALTH [159] PH VALUE OPTIONS BHO $962.00 ↓ -49%
AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] PH AETNA $1,092.83 ↓ -42%
FIRST HEALTH PLAN [6034] PH AETNA $1,092.83 ↓ -42%
MAGELLAN BEHAVIORAL HLTH [136] PH MAGELLAN BHS $1,154.40 ↓ -39%
THE ALLIANCE [1703] PH THE ALLIANCE $1,235.79 ↓ -35%
MULTIPLAN/PHCS [142] PH MULTIPLAN/PHCS $1,346.80 ↓ -29%
FIRST HEALTH PLAN [6034] PH FIRST HEALTH $1,443.00 ↓ -24%
COMPSYCH [112] PH COMPSYCH $1,443.00 ↓ -24%
CIGNA HEALTH PLAN [178] PH CIGNA BEHAVIORAL BHS $1,539.20 ↓ -19%
BEECHSTREET [176] PH BEECHSTREET $1,539.20 ↓ -19%
HEALTH'S FINEST NETWORK [126] PH HFN $1,635.40 ↓ -13%
HEALTH ALLIANCE [181] PH NON-CONTRACTED PAYORS $1,924.00 ↑ +2%
AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] PH NON-CONTRACTED PAYORS $1,924.00 ↑ +2%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] PH BCBS PAR/INDEMNITY ADP $1,924.00 ↑ +2%
CIGNA HEALTH PLAN [178] PH NON-CONTRACTED PAYORS $1,924.00 ↑ +2%
GLOBAL EXCEL [1712] PH NON-CONTRACTED PAYORS $1,924.00 ↑ +2%
HEALTHLINK [125] PH NON-CONTRACTED PAYORS $1,924.00 ↑ +2%
MULTIPLAN/PHCS [142] PH NON-CONTRACTED PAYORS $1,924.00 ↑ +2%
UNITED HEALTHCARE [158] PH NON-CONTRACTED PAYORS $1,924.00 ↑ +2%
GALAXY HEALTH NETWORK [220] PH NON-CONTRACTED PAYORS $1,924.00 ↑ +2%
GLOBAL EXCEL [1712] PH MEDICARE not published by hospital
OPTUM/UNITED BEHAVIORAL HEALTH [157] PH UBH BHS not published by hospital
ALTERNATE BLUE CROSS MEDICARE ADV [2304] PH MEDICARE not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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ER Visit (level 3) at other Illinois hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Genesis Silvis Medical Center Silvis $448.20 $142.40 – $362.68
MercyOne Genesis Aledo Medical Center Aledo $448.20 $134.00 – $312.63
Uchicago Medicine Adventhealth Hinsdale Hinsdale $387.50 $286.38 – $473.89
Advocate Christ Medical Center Oak Lawn $660.00 $418.52 – $2,071.00
Northwestern Memorial Hospital Chicago $1,751.05 not published
Advocate Condell Medical Center Libertyville $650.00 $418.52 – $1,948.00
Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital Downers Grove $580.00 $418.52 – $2,071.00
UnityPoint Health - Trinity Moline Rock Island $643.64 $21.67 – $215.41

All Illinois hospitals for this procedure →