Artery x-rays chest 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

$3,824.49

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.

$7,499.00

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.

$4.72 with first choice vs $5,537.26 with cigna — 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
first choice commercial $4.72 ↓ -100%
aetna medicare advantage $85.69 ↓ -98%
confluence health medicare advantage $113.89 ↓ -97%
aetna medicare advantage ppo $120.21 ↓ -97%
united healthcare commercial $180.74 ↓ -95%
humana medicare advantage $183.88 ↓ -95%
humana choicecare medicare advantage $183.88 ↓ -95%
united healthcare medicare advantage $183.88 ↓ -95%
kaiser foundation hp medicare $183.88 ↓ -95%
optum care network medicare advantage $183.88 ↓ -95%
multiplan medicare advantage $192.60 ↓ -95%
signal health medicare advantage $192.60 ↓ -95%
premera medicare advantage hmo/ppo $192.60 ↓ -95%
regence medicare advantage $195.01 ↓ -95%
aetna medicare advantage hmo $243.09 ↓ -94%
regence uniform medical plan $302.69 ↓ -92%
premera commercial $358.21 ↓ -91%
regence commercial $401.72 ↓ -89%
cigna commercial $596.79 ↓ -84%
kaiser health plan commercial $609.16 ↓ -84%
coventry - first health commercial $707.04 ↓ -82%
aetna commercial $931.05 ↓ -76%
cigna local plus $5,537.26 ↑ +45%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Artery x-rays chest at other Washington hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Swedish Medical Center - First Hill Campus Seattle $7,908.48 $3,656.33 – $13,496.13
Swedish Medical Center Cherry Hill Seattle $7,908.48 $3,656.33 – $12,997.30
Central Medical Center Seattle $10,880.00 $3,148.00 – $3,148.00
Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children's Hospital Spokane $2,342.90 $1,158.56 – $8,954.64
Swedish Issaquah Issaquah $7,908.48 $448.80 – $13,496.13
Kadlec Regional Medical Center Richland $1,061.90 $270.22 – $10,281.45
Providence Holy Family Hospital Spokane $4,883.20 $537.47 – $10,916.90
MultiCare Valley Hospital Spokane Valley $4,999.20 $1,238.74 – $13,256.42

All Washington hospitals for this procedure →