Bone Density Scan (DEXA) 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

$273.36

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.

$536.00

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.

$1.11 with first choice vs $435.97 with aetna — 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 $1.11 ↓ -100%
confluence health medicare advantage $2.84 ↓ -99%
aetna medicare advantage hmo $17.71 ↓ -94%
united healthcare commercial $43.17 ↓ -84%
humana medicare advantage $45.18 ↓ -83%
humana choicecare medicare advantage $45.18 ↓ -83%
united healthcare medicare advantage $45.18 ↓ -83%
kaiser foundation hp medicare $45.18 ↓ -83%
optum care network medicare advantage $45.18 ↓ -83%
signal health medicare advantage $46.09 ↓ -83%
multiplan medicare advantage $46.09 ↓ -83%
premera medicare advantage hmo/ppo $46.09 ↓ -83%
regence medicare advantage $46.58 ↓ -83%
regence uniform medical plan $71.30 ↓ -74%
premera commercial $84.37 ↓ -69%
regence commercial $94.62 ↓ -65%
aetna medicare advantage ppo $119.31 ↓ -56%
kaiser health plan commercial $139.74 ↓ -49%
cigna commercial $142.54 ↓ -48%
coventry - first health commercial $174.19 ↓ -36%
aetna commercial $249.46 ↓ -9%
cigna local plus $392.34 ↑ +44%
aetna medicare advantage $435.97 ↑ +59%

Visitor-reported prices

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Bone Density Scan (DEXA) at other Washington hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Swedish Medical Center - First Hill Campus Seattle $264.48 $121.06 – $526.78
Swedish Medical Center Cherry Hill Seattle $264.48 $121.06 – $509.96
Central Medical Center Seattle $368.00 $107.00 – $107.00
Swedish Issaquah Issaquah $264.48 $121.40 – $526.78
Providence Centralia Hospital Centralia $397.28 $121.06 – $698.26
Providence Mount Carmel Hospital Colville $404.60 not published
Swedish Edmonds Hospital Edmonds $203.04 $93.81 – $504.36
Providence St Mary Medical Center Walla Walla $581.70 $97.42 – $215.52

All Washington hospitals for this procedure →