Close median sternotomy separation 21750 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

?

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.

not published by hospital

Gross charge

?

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.

$19.92 with first choice vs $14,500.00 with aetna — same scan, same building. Share

Negotiated rates by payer
?

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
?

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
?

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 $19.92
aetna medicare advantage hmo $56.53
confluence health medicare advantage $80.51
aetna medicare advantage ppo $125.95
aetna medicare advantage $244.59
united healthcare commercial $688.81
humana medicare advantage $704.01
humana choicecare medicare advantage $704.01
united healthcare medicare advantage $704.01
kaiser foundation hp medicare $704.01
optum care network medicare advantage $704.01
signal health medicare advantage $719.66
multiplan medicare advantage $719.66
premera medicare advantage hmo/ppo $719.66
regence medicare advantage $743.18
regence uniform medical plan $1,256.43
premera commercial $1,486.86
regence commercial $1,667.47
coventry - first health commercial $1,831.63
cigna commercial $2,274.39
kaiser health plan commercial $3,229.74
cigna local plus $9,117.06
aetna commercial $14,500.00

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Close median sternotomy separation 21750 at other Washington hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Swedish Medical Center - First Hill Campus Seattle not published $7,277.00 – $25,527.16
Swedish Medical Center Cherry Hill Seattle not published $7,277.00 – $19,662.13
Providence St Luke's Rehabilitation Medical Center Spokane not published $2,196.75 – $8,894.51
Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children's Hospital Spokane not published $5,419.00 – $20,578.67
Swedish Issaquah Issaquah not published $7,277.00 – $18,706.16
Providence Centralia Hospital Centralia not published $8,402.62 – $15,544.85
Swedish Edmonds Hospital Edmonds not published $2,836.00 – $20,989.03
Providence St Mary Medical Center Walla Walla not published $5,826.40 – $14,958.96

All Washington hospitals for this procedure →