Collection of venous blood by venipuncture at Northwestern Medicine Valley West Hospital

1302 N. Main Street, Sandwich, IL · Nm · · NPI 1184705931

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

$675.50

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.

$965.00

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.

$3.00 with UNITED HEALTHCARE [158] vs $46.46 with CIGNA HEALTH PLAN [178] — 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
UNITED HEALTHCARE [158] VWH UHC CORE $3.00 ↓ -100%
UNITED HEALTHCARE [158] VWH UHC HMO/PPO $3.00 ↓ -100%
BLUE CROSS MEDICAID [1612] VWH ILLINOIS MEDICAID $4.10 ↓ -99%
CIGNA HEALTHSPRING SPECIALCARE OF IL [1608] VWH ILLINOIS MEDICAID $4.10 ↓ -99%
MERIDIAN HEALTH PLAN HMO [1604] VWH ILLINOIS MEDICAID $4.10 ↓ -99%
COUNTYCARE IL COOK CO [1607] VWH ILLINOIS MEDICAID $4.10 ↓ -99%
FAMILY HEALTH NETWORK HMO [1610] VWH ILLINOIS MEDICAID $4.10 ↓ -99%
HEALTH ALLIANCE MEDICAID [1310] VWH ILLINOIS MEDICAID $4.10 ↓ -99%
GLOBAL EXCEL [1712] VWH MEDICARE $8.36 ↓ -99%
ALTERNATE BLUE CROSS MEDICARE ADV [2304] VWH BLUE CROSS MEDICARE ADVT $8.36 ↓ -99%
ALTERNATE HUMANA MEDICARE ADV [2409] VWH MEDICARE $8.36 ↓ -99%
HEALTH'S FINEST NETWORK [126] VWH HFN NMH TIER ONE $19.80 ↓ -97%
THE ALLIANCE [1703] VWH THE ALLIANCE $23.91 ↓ -96%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] VWH BCBS PAR/INDEMNITY ADP $24.60 ↓ -96%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] VWH BCBS BLUECHOICE SELECT $26.58 ↓ -96%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] VWH BCBS BLUECHOICE OPTIONS $26.58 ↓ -96%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] VWH BCBS BLUECHOICE PREFERRED $27.72 ↓ -96%
AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] VWH AETNA $28.15 ↓ -96%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] VWH BCBS HMO $28.67 ↓ -96%
ALTERNATE BLUE CROSS [1402] VWH BCBS HMO $28.67 ↓ -96%
CHOICECARE [177] VWH CHOICE CARE $29.66 ↓ -96%
CIGNA HEALTH PLAN [178] VWH CIGNA ALTERNATIVE $30.71 ↓ -95%
HEALTHLINK [125] VWH SEIU HEALTHLINK $33.00 ↓ -95%
MULTIPLAN/PHCS [142] VWH PHCS $35.20 ↓ -95%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] VWH BCBS PPO $35.95 ↓ -95%
ALTERNATE BLUE CROSS [1402] VWH BCBS PPO $35.95 ↓ -95%
HEALTH'S FINEST NETWORK [126] VWH HFN $37.40 ↓ -94%
MULTIPLAN/PHCS [142] VWH MULTIPLAN $38.50 ↓ -94%
MULTIPLAN/PHCS [142] VWH NON-CONTRACTED PAYORS $44.00 ↓ -93%
UNITED HEALTHCARE [158] VWH UHC NON-CONTRACTED OON - ED ONLY $44.00 ↓ -93%
FIRST HEALTH PLAN [6034] VWH NON-CONTRACTED PAYORS $44.00 ↓ -93%
CIGNA HEALTH PLAN [178] VWH CIGNA BROAD $46.46 ↓ -93%
AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] VWH AETNA NM EMPLOYEES not published by hospital
AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] VWH AETNA IL PREFERRED not published by hospital
AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] VWH AETNA ASA not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Collection of venous blood by venipuncture at other Illinois hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Genesis Silvis Medical Center Silvis $46.80 $2.51 – $21.16
MercyOne Genesis Aledo Medical Center Aledo $27.60 $5.06 – $10.15
Uchicago Medicine Adventhealth Hinsdale Hinsdale $10.00 $2.48 – $15.13
Advocate Christ Medical Center Oak Lawn $22.50 $3.00 – $36.00
Advocate Condell Medical Center Libertyville $22.50 $3.00 – $36.00
Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital Downers Grove $22.50 $3.00 – $36.00
UnityPoint Health - Trinity Moline Rock Island $19.76 $3.00 – $14.54
Uchicago Medicine Adventhealth La Grange La Grange $10.00 $2.38 – $15.13

All Illinois hospitals for this procedure →