ER Visit (level 4) 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

$4,134.37

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.

$5,906.24

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.

$44.00 with COUNTYCARE IL COOK CO [1607] vs $3,607.00 with MULTIPLAN/PHCS [142] — 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
COUNTYCARE IL COOK CO [1607] VWH ILLINOIS MEDICAID $44.00 ↓ -99%
MERIDIAN HEALTH PLAN HMO [1604] VWH ILLINOIS MEDICAID $44.00 ↓ -99%
FAMILY HEALTH NETWORK HMO [1610] VWH ILLINOIS MEDICAID $44.00 ↓ -99%
CIGNA HEALTHSPRING SPECIALCARE OF IL [1608] VWH ILLINOIS MEDICAID $44.00 ↓ -99%
HEALTH ALLIANCE MEDICAID [1310] VWH ILLINOIS MEDICAID $44.00 ↓ -99%
BLUE CROSS MEDICAID [1612] VWH ILLINOIS MEDICAID $44.00 ↓ -99%
GLOBAL EXCEL [1712] VWH MEDICARE $685.33 ↓ -83%
ALTERNATE HUMANA MEDICARE ADV [2409] VWH MEDICARE $685.33 ↓ -83%
ALTERNATE BLUE CROSS MEDICARE ADV [2304] VWH BLUE CROSS MEDICARE ADVT $685.33 ↓ -83%
AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] VWH AETNA NM EMPLOYEES $916.18 ↓ -78%
AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] VWH AETNA IL PREFERRED $1,255.24 ↓ -70%
HEALTH'S FINEST NETWORK [126] VWH HFN NMH TIER ONE $1,623.15 ↓ -61%
CIGNA HEALTH PLAN [178] VWH CIGNA ALTERNATIVE $1,633.97 ↓ -60%
CIGNA HEALTH PLAN [178] VWH CIGNA BROAD $1,742.18 ↓ -58%
THE ALLIANCE [1703] VWH THE ALLIANCE $1,960.40 ↓ -53%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] VWH BCBS PAR/INDEMNITY ADP $2,016.31 ↓ -51%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] VWH BCBS BLUECHOICE SELECT $2,178.63 ↓ -47%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] VWH BCBS BLUECHOICE OPTIONS $2,178.63 ↓ -47%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] VWH BCBS BLUECHOICE PREFERRED $2,272.41 ↓ -45%
ALTERNATE BLUE CROSS [1402] VWH BCBS HMO $2,349.96 ↓ -43%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] VWH BCBS HMO $2,349.96 ↓ -43%
AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] VWH AETNA $2,358.98 ↓ -43%
CHOICECARE [177] VWH CHOICE CARE $2,431.12 ↓ -41%
AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] VWH AETNA ASA $2,499.65 ↓ -40%
HEALTHLINK [125] VWH SEIU HEALTHLINK $2,705.25 ↓ -35%
MULTIPLAN/PHCS [142] VWH PHCS $2,885.60 ↓ -30%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] VWH BCBS PPO $2,946.92 ↓ -29%
ALTERNATE BLUE CROSS [1402] VWH BCBS PPO $2,946.92 ↓ -29%
HEALTH'S FINEST NETWORK [126] VWH HFN $3,065.95 ↓ -26%
MULTIPLAN/PHCS [142] VWH MULTIPLAN $3,156.13 ↓ -24%
FIRST HEALTH PLAN [6034] VWH NON-CONTRACTED PAYORS $3,607.00 ↓ -13%
MULTIPLAN/PHCS [142] VWH NON-CONTRACTED PAYORS $3,607.00 ↓ -13%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

ER Visit (level 4) at other Illinois hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Genesis Silvis Medical Center Silvis $4,782.60 $346.84 – $977.19
MercyOne Genesis Aledo Medical Center Aledo $719.40 $209.00 – $563.53
Uchicago Medicine Adventhealth Hinsdale Hinsdale $715.00 $437.76 – $724.38
Advocate Christ Medical Center Oak Lawn $1,110.00 $643.63 – $3,426.00
Northwestern Memorial Hospital Chicago $4,049.15 not published
Advocate Condell Medical Center Libertyville $1,020.00 $643.63 – $3,263.00
Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital Downers Grove $1,255.00 $643.63 – $3,426.00
UnityPoint Health - Trinity Moline Rock Island $1,036.96 $21.67 – $331.27

All Illinois hospitals for this procedure →