Brain MRA (blood vessel MRI, without contrast) 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

$1,219.41

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.

$2,391.00

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.

$6.98 with first choice vs $1,637.91 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
first choice commercial $6.98 ↓ -99%
confluence health medicare advantage $38.59 ↓ -97%
aetna medicare advantage $43.37 ↓ -96%
aetna medicare advantage ppo $111.34 ↓ -91%
multiplan medicare advantage $184.31 ↓ -85%
regence medicare advantage $223.81 ↓ -82%
humana medicare advantage $251.06 ↓ -79%
humana choicecare medicare advantage $251.06 ↓ -79%
united healthcare medicare advantage $251.06 ↓ -79%
kaiser foundation hp medicare $251.06 ↓ -79%
optum care network medicare advantage $251.06 ↓ -79%
united healthcare commercial $254.83 ↓ -79%
premera medicare advantage hmo/ppo $261.89 ↓ -79%
signal health medicare advantage $261.89 ↓ -79%
aetna medicare advantage hmo $276.47 ↓ -77%
regence uniform medical plan $420.27 ↓ -66%
premera commercial $497.35 ↓ -59%
regence commercial $557.76 ↓ -54%
kaiser health plan commercial $691.69 ↓ -43%
cigna commercial $784.77 ↓ -36%
cigna local plus $891.79 ↓ -27%
aetna commercial $1,459.07 ↑ +20%
coventry - first health commercial $1,637.91 ↑ +34%

Visitor-reported prices

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Brain MRA (blood vessel MRI, without contrast) at other Washington hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Swedish Medical Center - First Hill Campus Seattle $1,038.24 $276.30 – $1,095.29
Swedish Medical Center Cherry Hill Seattle $1,038.24 $276.30 – $1,060.33
Central Medical Center Seattle $1,680.00 $242.00 – $242.00
Providence St Joseph Hospital Chewelah $1,957.20 not published
Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children's Hospital Spokane $2,523.50 $265.88 – $838.94
Swedish Issaquah Issaquah $1,038.24 $277.07 – $1,095.29
Providence Centralia Hospital Centralia $812.76 $276.30 – $1,451.84
Providence Mount Carmel Hospital Colville $1,957.20 not published

All Washington hospitals for this procedure →