Compatibility test each unit immediate spin technique at St. Francis Hospital

34515 Ninth Avenue South, Federal Way, WA · Vmfh · · NPI 1093713091

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Feb 28, 2026 · Ingested Sep 17, 2026

$91.14

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.

$290.41

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.

$51.66 with First Choice vs $854.61 with Aetna — 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
First Choice Commercial|All Plans $51.66 ↓ -43%
Cigna Commercial|All Plans $54.47 ↓ -40%
SoundPath Medicare|All Plans $190.73 ↑ +109%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $190.73 ↑ +109%
Optum Medicare|All Plans $192.64 ↑ +111%
BCBS - Premera Medicare|All Plans $196.45 ↑ +116%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $196.45 ↑ +116%
BCBS - Regence Medicare|All Plans $196.45 ↑ +116%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $204.08 ↑ +124%
Molina Medicare|All Plans $205.99 ↑ +126%
United Medicare|All Plans $205.99 ↑ +126%
Amerigroup Medicare|All Plans $207.90 ↑ +128%
Aetna Commercial|Rental $209.10 ↑ +129%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $217.81 ↑ +139%
Seattle Medical Group Medicare|All Plans $219.34 ↑ +141%
CHPW Medicare|All Plans $219.34 ↑ +141%
Sound Family Medicine Commercial|All Plans $362.39 ↑ +298%
Molina Commercial|Marketplace Exchange $366.20 ↑ +302%
Coordinated Care Commercial|Ambetter Exchange $377.65 ↑ +314%
BCBS - Premera Commercial|LifeWise Primary Exchange $395.39 ↑ +334%
Uniform Medical Plan Commercial|All Plans $422.13 ↑ +363%
Kaiser Commercial|HMO $427.86 ↑ +369%
Kaiser Commercial|PPO $470.68 ↑ +416%
BCBS - Regence Commercial|All Plans $484.04 ↑ +431%
BCBS - Premera Commercial|All Other Plans $571.57 ↑ +527%
United Commercial|Navigate $612.90 ↑ +572%
United Commercial|Cascade Care $645.17 ↑ +608%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $645.17 ↑ +608%
Aetna Commercial|AWH $726.42 ↑ +697%
Aetna Commercial|All Other Plans $854.61 ↑ +838%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Compatibility test each unit immediate spin technique at other Washington hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Providence St Luke's Rehabilitation Medical Center Spokane $149.94 $189.85 – $208.84
Providence St Joseph Hospital Chewelah $48.30 not published
Swedish Medical Center - First Hill Campus Seattle $202.08 $1.98 – $674.45
Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children's Hospital Spokane $414.40 $2.18 – $516.60
Swedish Medical Center Cherry Hill Seattle $202.08 $1.98 – $652.93
Swedish Issaquah Issaquah $202.08 $1.98 – $674.45
Central Medical Center Seattle $408.00 $172.00 – $172.00
Providence Centralia Hospital Centralia $199.16 $2.97 – $894.01

All Washington hospitals for this procedure →