Plcmnt biliary drainage cath w/img ext 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

$1,590.77

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.

$5,068.99

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.

$3,649.68 with Aetna vs $17,599.91 with Aetna — 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
Aetna Commercial|Rental $3,649.68 ↑ +129%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $3,801.75 ↑ +139%
SoundPath Medicare|All Plans $3,927.98 ↑ +147%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $3,927.98 ↑ +147%
Optum Medicare|All Plans $3,967.26 ↑ +149%
BCBS - Premera Medicare|All Plans $4,045.82 ↑ +154%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $4,045.82 ↑ +154%
BCBS - Regence Medicare|All Plans $4,045.82 ↑ +154%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $4,202.94 ↑ +164%
Molina Medicare|All Plans $4,242.22 ↑ +167%
United Medicare|All Plans $4,242.22 ↑ +167%
Amerigroup Medicare|All Plans $4,281.50 ↑ +169%
CHPW Medicare|All Plans $4,517.18 ↑ +184%
Seattle Medical Group Medicare|All Plans $4,517.18 ↑ +184%
Sound Family Medicine Commercial|All Plans $7,463.16 ↑ +369%
Molina Commercial|Marketplace Exchange $7,541.72 ↑ +374%
Coordinated Care Commercial|Ambetter Exchange $7,777.40 ↑ +389%
BCBS - Premera Commercial|LifeWise Primary Exchange $8,008.66 ↑ +403%
Uniform Medical Plan Commercial|All Plans $8,550.38 ↑ +437%
Kaiser Commercial|HMO $9,637.24 ↑ +506%
BCBS - Regence Commercial|All Plans $9,804.30 ↑ +516%
Kaiser Commercial|PPO $10,601.70 ↑ +566%
BCBS - Premera Commercial|All Other Plans $11,577.28 ↑ +628%
United Commercial|Navigate $12,621.96 ↑ +693%
United Commercial|Cascade Care $13,286.46 ↑ +735%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $13,286.46 ↑ +735%
Aetna Commercial|AWH $14,959.93 ↑ +840%
Cigna Commercial|All Plans $16,415.00 ↑ +932%
Aetna Commercial|All Other Plans $17,599.91 ↑ +1006%

Visitor-reported prices

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Plcmnt biliary drainage cath w/img ext at other Washington hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Swedish Medical Center - First Hill Campus Seattle $11,238.72 $4,146.07 – $15,142.49
Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children's Hospital Spokane $4,703.30 $3,989.80 – $10,154.04
Swedish Medical Center Cherry Hill Seattle $11,238.72 $4,146.07 – $14,582.80
Swedish Issaquah Issaquah $11,238.72 $4,157.70 – $15,142.49
Providence St Mary Medical Center Walla Walla $6,447.70 $3,065.60 – $7,381.13
Kadlec Regional Medical Center Richland $5,476.10 $508.90 – $11,535.65
Providence Holy Family Hospital Spokane $9,916.90 $3,989.80 – $13,312.00
Providence Regional Medical Center Everett - Colby Campus Everett $4,925.44 $4,077.37 – $24,031.00

All Washington hospitals for this procedure →