Culture body fluid at Inova Mount Vernon Hospital

2501 Parkers Lane, Alexandria, VA · Inova · · NPI 1922139120

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

$92.50

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.

$185.00

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.

$8.62 with aetna vs $144.30 with kaiser — 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
aetna medicare advantage $8.62 ↓ -91%
united medicare advantage $8.62 ↓ -91%
united options $8.62 ↓ -91%
united nonoptions $8.62 ↓ -91%
united exchange $8.62 ↓ -91%
anthem hmo $8.62 ↓ -91%
anthem medicare advantage $8.62 ↓ -91%
anthem exchange hmo $8.62 ↓ -91%
anthem ppo $8.62 ↓ -91%
sentara health medicare advantage $8.79 ↓ -90%
kaiser medicare advantage $8.96 ↓ -90%
cigna medicare advantage $8.96 ↓ -90%
humana medicare advantage $9.48 ↓ -90%
anthem medicaid advantage $11.72 ↓ -87%
united medicaid advantage $11.95 ↓ -87%
sentara health medicaid advantage $12.07 ↓ -87%
humana medicaid advantage $12.19 ↓ -87%
aetna medicaid advantage $12.31 ↓ -87%
kaiser medicaid advantage $12.89 ↓ -86%
sentara health exchange $19.04 ↓ -79%
sentara health hmo $25.05 ↓ -73%
sentara health ppo $25.05 ↓ -73%
cigna hmo $35.00 ↓ -62%
cigna ppo $35.00 ↓ -62%
cigna exchange $35.00 ↓ -62%
carefirst hmo $54.50 ↓ -41%
carefirst ppo $60.63 ↓ -34%
aetna ppo $105.06 ↑ +14%
aetna hmo $105.06 ↑ +14%
aetna fannie-mae $110.26 ↑ +19%
innovation fully insured $116.38 ↑ +26%
innovation self insured $116.38 ↑ +26%
kaiser hmo $144.30 ↑ +56%
kaiser ppo $144.30 ↑ +56%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Culture body fluid at other Virginia hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Inova Alexandria Hospital Alexandria $92.50 $8.62 – $116.38
Inova Fairfax Hospital Falls Church $92.50 $8.62 – $116.38
Inova Fair Oaks Hospital VA 22033-1709 $92.50 $8.62 – $116.38
Inova Loudoun Hospital Leesburg $92.50 $8.62 – $116.38
LEWISGALE HOSPITAL-ALLEGHANY LOW MOOR not published $7.51 – $12.50
CJW Medical Center-Chippenham Hospital Campus CHESTERFIELD not published $7.51 – $38.54
LEWISGALE HOSPITAL-MONTGOMERY CHRISTIANSBURG not published $7.51 – $9.22
LEWISGALE HOSPITAL-PULASKI PULASKI not published $6.62 – $9.22

All Virginia hospitals for this procedure →