Assay of corticosterone 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

$64.77

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.

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

$127.00

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.

$15.76 with multiplan vs $101.60 with coventry - first health — 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
multiplan medicare advantage $15.76 ↓ -76%
regence medicare advantage $19.14 ↓ -70%
humana medicare advantage $22.52 ↓ -65%
united healthcare medicare advantage $22.52 ↓ -65%
kaiser foundation hp medicare $22.52 ↓ -65%
optum care network medicare advantage $22.52 ↓ -65%
premera medicare advantage hmo/ppo $22.52 ↓ -65%
regence commercial $22.52 ↓ -65%
regence uniform medical plan $22.52 ↓ -65%
aetna medicare advantage ppo $23.20 ↓ -64%
aetna medicare advantage hmo $23.65 ↓ -63%
united healthcare commercial $27.02 ↓ -58%
kaiser health plan commercial $36.03 ↓ -44%
premera commercial $39.41 ↓ -39%
cigna commercial $70.39 ↑ +9%
cigna local plus $79.89 ↑ +23%
aetna commercial $80.01 ↑ +24%
first choice commercial $81.34 ↑ +26%
coventry - first health commercial $101.60 ↑ +57%

Visitor-reported prices

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Assay of corticosterone at other Washington hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Central Medical Center Seattle $100.80 $17.00 – $17.00
Swedish Medical Center - First Hill Campus Seattle not published $20.27 – $105.84
Swedish Medical Center Cherry Hill Seattle not published $20.27 – $102.47
Providence St Mary Medical Center Walla Walla $116.90 $22.52 – $41.66
MultiCare Valley Hospital Spokane Valley $36.00 $8.53 – $40.83
MultiCare Yakima Memorial Hospital Yakima $36.00 $23.31 – $40.42
St. Michael Medical Center Silverdale $69.05 $22.52 – $140.81
St. Anne Hospital Burien $47.78 $22.52 – $140.81

All Washington hospitals for this procedure →