#flow interp 9 - 15 markers 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

$61.28

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.

$195.26

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.

$82.01 with BCBS - Premera vs $146.45 with MultiPlan — 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
BCBS - Premera Commercial|LifeWise Primary Exchange $82.01 ↑ +34%
Cigna Commercial|All Plans $97.84 ↑ +60%
BCBS - Premera Commercial|All Other Plans $117.16 ↑ +91%
First Choice Commercial|All Plans $127.37 ↑ +108%
Aetna Commercial|Rental $140.59 ↑ +129%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $146.45 ↑ +139%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
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#flow interp 9 - 15 markers at other Washington hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Providence St Luke's Rehabilitation Medical Center Spokane $104.58 $241.79 – $241.79
Providence St Joseph Hospital Chewelah $150.50 not published
Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children's Hospital Spokane $150.50 $127.12 – $398.71
Central Medical Center Seattle $364.00 $75.00 – $75.00
Providence Mount Carmel Hospital Colville $150.50 not published
Providence St Mary Medical Center Walla Walla $42.70 $436.86 – $436.86
Providence Holy Family Hospital Spokane $901.60 $127.12 – $288.70
MultiCare Valley Hospital Spokane Valley $52.00 $19.58 – $20.73

All Washington hospitals for this procedure →