Abdominal MRI (with and without contrast) at Virginia Mason Medical Center

1100 9th Ave., Seattle, WA · Vmfh · · NPI 1801851258

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Jan 1, 2026 · Ingested Sep 17, 2026

$1,902.81

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.

$3,731.00

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.

$0.41 with aetna vs $2,182.13 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
aetna medicare advantage $0.41 ↓ -100%
aetna medicare advantage ppo $5.28 ↓ -100%
first choice commercial $11.17 ↓ -99%
aetna medicare advantage hmo $116.63 ↓ -94%
confluence health medicare advantage $198.64 ↓ -90%
multiplan medicare advantage $272.31 ↓ -86%
regence medicare advantage $330.66 ↓ -83%
humana medicare advantage $389.02 ↓ -80%
united healthcare medicare advantage $389.02 ↓ -80%
kaiser foundation hp medicare $389.02 ↓ -80%
optum care network medicare advantage $389.02 ↓ -80%
premera medicare advantage hmo/ppo $389.02 ↓ -80%
humana choicecare medicare advantage $391.30 ↓ -79%
united healthcare commercial $400.38 ↓ -79%
signal health medicare advantage $408.90 ↓ -79%
regence uniform medical plan $663.55 ↓ -65%
premera commercial $785.25 ↓ -59%
regence commercial $880.63 ↓ -54%
kaiser health plan commercial $1,091.29 ↓ -43%
cigna commercial $1,159.46 ↓ -39%
cigna local plus $1,317.58 ↓ -31%
coventry - first health commercial $2,101.05 ↑ +10%
aetna commercial $2,182.13 ↑ +15%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Abdominal MRI (with and without contrast) at other Washington hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Swedish Medical Center - First Hill Campus Seattle $2,259.36 $403.99 – $1,794.70
Swedish Medical Center Cherry Hill Seattle $2,259.36 $403.99 – $1,737.42
Central Medical Center Seattle $3,280.00 $358.00 – $358.00
Providence St Joseph Hospital Chewelah $3,926.30 not published
Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children's Hospital Spokane $6,256.60 $388.77 – $1,374.66
Swedish Issaquah Issaquah $2,259.36 $405.13 – $1,794.70
Providence Centralia Hospital Centralia $2,016.56 $403.99 – $2,378.93
Providence Mount Carmel Hospital Colville $5,022.50 not published

All Washington hospitals for this procedure →