Myelography neck spine at Inova Alexandria Hospital

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

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

$784.50

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.

$1,569.00

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.

$699.46 with cigna vs $2,094.55 with anthem — 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
cigna exchange $699.46 ↓ -11%
united medicare advantage $790.06 ↑ +1%
anthem medicare advantage $790.06 ↑ +1%
aetna medicare advantage $790.06 ↑ +1%
anthem medicaid advantage $801.76 ↑ +2%
sentara health medicare advantage $805.86 ↑ +3%
united medicaid advantage $817.80 ↑ +4%
kaiser medicare advantage $821.66 ↑ +5%
cigna medicare advantage $821.66 ↑ +5%
sentara health medicaid advantage $825.81 ↑ +5%
humana medicaid advantage $833.83 ↑ +6%
aetna medicaid advantage $841.85 ↑ +7%
carefirst hmo $847.90 ↑ +8%
humana medicare advantage $869.07 ↑ +11%
kaiser medicaid advantage $881.94 ↑ +12%
sentara health exchange $885.06 ↑ +13%
aetna ppo $891.04 ↑ +14%
aetna hmo $891.04 ↑ +14%
carefirst ppo $919.94 ↑ +17%
aetna fannie-mae $935.12 ↑ +19%
cigna hmo $1,013.26 ↑ +29%
cigna ppo $1,013.26 ↑ +29%
innovation self insured $1,033.97 ↑ +32%
innovation fully insured $1,033.97 ↑ +32%
sentara health ppo $1,164.43 ↑ +48%
sentara health hmo $1,164.43 ↑ +48%
kaiser hmo $1,223.82 ↑ +56%
kaiser ppo $1,223.82 ↑ +56%
united options $1,644.01 ↑ +110%
united exchange $1,644.01 ↑ +110%
united nonoptions $1,644.01 ↑ +110%
anthem exchange hmo $1,817.14 ↑ +132%
anthem hmo $2,094.55 ↑ +167%
anthem ppo $2,094.55 ↑ +167%

Visitor-reported prices

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Myelography neck spine at other Virginia hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Inova Mount Vernon Hospital Alexandria $784.50 $699.46 – $1,033.97
Inova Fairfax Hospital Falls Church $784.50 $699.46 – $1,033.97
Inova Fair Oaks Hospital VA 22033-1709 $784.50 $699.46 – $1,033.97
Inova Loudoun Hospital Leesburg $784.50 $699.46 – $1,033.97
LEWISGALE HOSPITAL-MONTGOMERY CHRISTIANSBURG $2,673.00 $181.74 – $1,609.16
LEWISGALE MEDICAL CENTER ROANOKE $4,231.00 $196.48 – $1,609.16
LEWISGALE HOSPITAL-ALLEGHANY LOW MOOR not published $222.10 – $1,609.16
CJW Medical Center-Chippenham Hospital Campus CHESTERFIELD not published $132.28 – $1,609.16

All Virginia hospitals for this procedure →