Contrast x-ray of brain at MultiCare Good Samaritan Hospital

401 15th Avenue Southeast, Puyallup, WA · Multicare · · NPI 1841231461

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Aug 27, 2026 · Ingested Sep 17, 2026

not published by hospital

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.

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What you pay up front if you don't use insurance.

not published by hospital

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.

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The hospital's undiscounted list price — almost no one pays this.

$316.75 with Molina vs $4,330.02 with First Choice — 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.

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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
Molina Apple Health $316.75
United Healthcare Apple Health $342.09
Coordinated Care Apple Health $342.09
Community Health Plan of Washington Apple Health $342.09
WellPoint Apple Health $342.09
SCAN MedAdvantage $896.59
Aetna MedAdvantage $923.48
Regence MedAdvantage $923.48
United Healthcare MedAdvantage $932.45
Molina MedAdvantage $941.42
WellCare MedAdvantage $941.42
Community Health Plan of Washington MedAdvantage $986.25
Premera HMO $1,387.67
Community Health Plan of Washington Cascade Care $1,511.64
Ambetter Coordinated Care Exchange $1,793.17
First Choice MHS Employee MCC/PPO $2,294.91
Premera Signature $2,925.47
Premera Prime $2,991.30
First Choice MCC Wellfound Employee $3,204.21
Kaiser PPO $3,429.67
Premera Other Commercial Plans $3,676.37
Aetna All Commercial Plans $3,685.84
Cigna All Commercial Plans $3,762.98
First Choice PPO $4,330.02

Visitor-reported prices

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Contrast x-ray of brain at other Washington hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children's Hospital Spokane $1,642.20 $873.56 – $2,450.95
Central Medical Center Seattle $2,720.00 $791.00 – $791.00
Providence St Mary Medical Center Walla Walla $2,843.40 $650.02 – $1,616.08
Providence Holy Family Hospital Spokane $3,889.20 $567.37 – $2,742.27
Virginia Mason Medical Center Seattle $1,332.12 $0.81 – $628.02
Providence St Luke's Rehabilitation Medical Center Spokane not published $202.51 – $960.91
Swedish Medical Center - First Hill Campus Seattle not published $907.77 – $3,199.85
Swedish Medical Center Cherry Hill Seattle not published $907.77 – $3,097.73

All Washington hospitals for this procedure →