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Knee MRI (with contrast) at Inova Alexandria Hospital

4320 Seminary Road, Alexandria, VA · Inova · · NPI 1255684460

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published unknown · Ingested Aug 12, 2026

$887.50

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.

Full explanation →

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

$1,775.00

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.

$580.28 with anthem vs $3,666.18 with cigna — 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
anthem medicaid advantage $580.28 ↓ -35%
united medicaid advantage $591.89 ↓ -33%
sentara health medicaid advantage $597.69 ↓ -33%
humana medicaid advantage $603.49 ↓ -32%
aetna medicaid advantage $609.29 ↓ -31%
kaiser medicaid advantage $638.31 ↓ -28%
united medicare advantage $790.06 ↓ -11%
anthem medicare advantage $790.06 ↓ -11%
aetna medicare advantage $790.06 ↓ -11%
sentara health medicare advantage $805.86 ↓ -9%
kaiser medicare advantage $821.66 ↓ -7%
cigna medicare advantage $821.66 ↓ -7%
humana medicare advantage $869.07 ↓ -2%
kaiser ppo $1,384.50 ↑ +56%
kaiser hmo $1,384.50 ↑ +56%
united options $1,644.01 ↑ +85%
united exchange $1,644.01 ↑ +85%
united nonoptions $1,644.01 ↑ +85%
sentara health exchange $1,686.78 ↑ +90%
anthem exchange hmo $1,817.14 ↑ +105%
anthem hmo $2,094.55 ↑ +136%
anthem ppo $2,094.55 ↑ +136%
innovation fully insured $2,149.00 ↑ +142%
carefirst hmo $2,212.07 ↑ +149%
sentara health hmo $2,219.23 ↑ +150%
sentara health ppo $2,219.23 ↑ +150%
aetna fannie-mae $2,247.51 ↑ +153%
carefirst ppo $2,400.03 ↑ +170%
innovation self insured $2,589.00 ↑ +192%
aetna hmo $2,629.00 ↑ +196%
aetna ppo $2,629.00 ↑ +196%
cigna hmo $3,666.18 ↑ +313%
cigna exchange $3,666.18 ↑ +313%
cigna ppo $3,666.18 ↑ +313%

Visitor-reported prices

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Knee MRI (with contrast) at other Virginia hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Inova Mount Vernon Hospital Alexandria $887.50 $580.28 – $2,212.07
Inova Fairfax Hospital Falls Church $887.50 $580.28 – $2,212.07
Inova Fair Oaks Hospital VA 22033-1709 $887.50 $580.28 – $2,212.07
Inova Loudoun Hospital Leesburg $887.50 $580.28 – $2,212.07

All Virginia hospitals for this procedure →