Below knee total contact 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

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.

$250.12 with multiplan vs $1,267.54 with cigna — 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
multiplan medicare advantage $250.12
regence medicare advantage $303.72
regence uniform medical plan $348.95
regence commercial $348.95
kaiser foundation hp medicare $357.32
united healthcare medicare advantage $357.32
humana medicare advantage $357.32
optum care network medicare advantage $357.32
premera medicare advantage hmo/ppo $357.32
aetna medicare advantage ppo $368.04
aetna medicare advantage hmo $375.19
united healthcare commercial $428.78
premera commercial $928.21
kaiser health plan commercial $1,007.41
cigna commercial $1,116.88
cigna local plus $1,267.54

Visitor-reported prices

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Below knee total contact at other Washington hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Swedish Medical Center - First Hill Campus Seattle $483.36 $364.47 – $1,107.26
Swedish Medical Center Cherry Hill Seattle $483.36 $364.47 – $891.36
Swedish Issaquah Issaquah $483.36 $364.47 – $809.12
MultiCare Valley Hospital Spokane Valley $186.00 $348.95 – $1,513.49
MultiCare Auburn Medical Center Auburn $186.00 $305.33 – $1,574.71
MultiCare Good Samaritan Hospital Puyallup $186.00 $305.33 – $1,574.71
MultiCare Capital Medical Center Olympia $186.00 $314.06 – $660.78
MultiCare Covington Medical Center Covington $186.00 $305.33 – $1,574.71

All Washington hospitals for this procedure →