Biopsy of prostate 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

$2,549.49

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.

Full explanation →

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

$4,999.00

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.

$7.74 with first choice vs $3,691.26 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.

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
first choice commercial $7.74 ↓ -100%
confluence health medicare advantage $20.81 ↓ -99%
aetna medicare advantage ppo $65.44 ↓ -97%
aetna medicare advantage $78.73 ↓ -97%
aetna medicare advantage hmo $117.69 ↓ -95%
united healthcare commercial $273.68 ↓ -89%
kaiser foundation hp medicare $281.87 ↓ -89%
united healthcare medicare advantage $281.87 ↓ -89%
humana medicare advantage $281.87 ↓ -89%
humana choicecare medicare advantage $281.87 ↓ -89%
optum care network medicare advantage $281.87 ↓ -89%
signal health medicare advantage $287.63 ↓ -89%
multiplan medicare advantage $287.63 ↓ -89%
premera medicare advantage hmo/ppo $287.63 ↓ -89%
regence medicare advantage $295.28 ↓ -88%
regence uniform medical plan $489.69 ↓ -81%
premera commercial $579.50 ↓ -77%
regence commercial $649.89 ↓ -75%
coventry - first health commercial $748.64 ↓ -71%
cigna commercial $903.65 ↓ -65%
kaiser health plan commercial $1,236.10 ↓ -52%
aetna commercial $3,149.37 ↑ +24%
cigna local plus $3,691.26 ↑ +45%

Visitor-reported prices

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Biopsy of prostate at other Washington hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Swedish Medical Center - First Hill Campus Seattle $5,869.44 $4,081.89 – $12,400.79
Swedish Medical Center Cherry Hill Seattle $5,869.44 $4,081.89 – $9,551.63
Central Medical Center Seattle not published not published
Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children's Hospital Spokane $1,144.50 $3,928.04 – $9,996.87
Swedish Issaquah Issaquah $5,869.44 $4,093.34 – $9,087.22
Kadlec Regional Medical Center Richland $2,400.30 $445.77 – $7,266.88
Providence Holy Family Hospital Spokane $5,133.80 $3,928.04 – $10,311.11
MultiCare Yakima Memorial Hospital Yakima $1,525.60 $2,939.36 – $10,850.20

All Washington hospitals for this procedure →