Transcath biopsy 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

$1,777.72

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.

$5,664.72

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.

$4,078.60 with Aetna vs $26,958.98 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 $4,078.60 ↑ +129%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $4,248.54 ↑ +139%
Cigna Commercial|All Plans $4,556.00 ↑ +156%
SoundPath Medicare|All Plans $6,016.76 ↑ +238%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $6,016.76 ↑ +238%
Optum Medicare|All Plans $6,076.93 ↑ +242%
BCBS - Regence Medicare|All Plans $6,197.26 ↑ +249%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $6,197.26 ↑ +249%
BCBS - Premera Medicare|All Plans $6,197.26 ↑ +249%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $6,437.93 ↑ +262%
United Medicare|All Plans $6,498.10 ↑ +266%
Molina Medicare|All Plans $6,498.10 ↑ +266%
Amerigroup Medicare|All Plans $6,558.27 ↑ +269%
Seattle Medical Group Medicare|All Plans $6,919.27 ↑ +289%
CHPW Medicare|All Plans $6,919.27 ↑ +289%
Sound Family Medicine Commercial|All Plans $11,431.84 ↑ +543%
First Choice Commercial|All Plans $11,530.44 ↑ +549%
Molina Commercial|Marketplace Exchange $11,552.18 ↑ +550%
Coordinated Care Commercial|Ambetter Exchange $11,913.18 ↑ +570%
BCBS - Premera Commercial|LifeWise Primary Exchange $12,720.99 ↑ +616%
Uniform Medical Plan Commercial|All Plans $13,581.45 ↑ +664%
Kaiser Commercial|HMO $13,984.77 ↑ +687%
Kaiser Commercial|PPO $15,384.33 ↑ +765%
BCBS - Regence Commercial|All Plans $15,573.20 ↑ +776%
BCBS - Premera Commercial|All Other Plans $18,389.42 ↑ +934%
United Commercial|Navigate $19,333.92 ↑ +988%
United Commercial|Cascade Care $20,351.78 ↑ +1045%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $20,351.78 ↑ +1045%
Aetna Commercial|AWH $22,915.13 ↑ +1189%
Aetna Commercial|All Other Plans $26,958.98 ↑ +1416%

Visitor-reported prices

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Transcath biopsy at other Washington hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Swedish Medical Center - First Hill Campus Seattle $13,631.52 $6,443.62 – $22,383.45
Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children's Hospital Spokane $4,680.90 $6,022.00 – $15,780.92
Swedish Medical Center Cherry Hill Seattle $13,631.52 $6,443.62 – $21,556.13
Swedish Issaquah Issaquah $13,631.52 $6,461.70 – $22,383.45
Kadlec Regional Medical Center Richland $5,451.60 $356.27 – $17,051.86
Providence Holy Family Hospital Spokane $4,898.60 $3,313.00 – $16,276.98
Providence Regional Medical Center Everett - Colby Campus Everett $8,184.80 $5,987.00 – $17,419.56
Providence St Peter Hospital Olympia $9,877.40 $3,870.00 – $21,602.09

All Washington hospitals for this procedure →