Compre oph exam new pt 1/> 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

$72.42

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.

$142.00

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.

$4.37 with first choice vs $1,031.68 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 $4.37 ↓ -94%
confluence health medicare advantage $20.31 ↓ -72%
premera commercial $85.20 ↑ +18%
kaiser health plan commercial $85.63 ↑ +18%
aetna commercial $89.46 ↑ +24%
united healthcare commercial $97.75 ↑ +35%
humana medicare advantage $98.02 ↑ +35%
humana choicecare medicare advantage $98.02 ↑ +35%
united healthcare medicare advantage $98.02 ↑ +35%
kaiser foundation hp medicare $98.02 ↑ +35%
optum care network medicare advantage $98.02 ↑ +35%
multiplan medicare advantage $98.26 ↑ +36%
regence commercial $99.40 ↑ +37%
regence uniform medical plan $99.40 ↑ +37%
signal health medicare advantage $101.16 ↑ +40%
premera medicare advantage hmo/ppo $101.16 ↑ +40%
cigna commercial $104.85 ↑ +45%
cigna local plus $104.85 ↑ +45%
regence medicare advantage $105.47 ↑ +46%
coventry - first health commercial $113.60 ↑ +57%
aetna medicare advantage ppo $116.14 ↑ +60%
aetna medicare advantage hmo $142.63 ↑ +97%
aetna medicare advantage $1,031.68 ↑ +1325%

Visitor-reported prices

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Compre oph exam new pt 1/> at other Washington hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Swedish Medical Center - First Hill Campus Seattle not published $154.17 – $544.87
Swedish Medical Center Cherry Hill Seattle not published $154.17 – $486.91
Providence St Luke's Rehabilitation Medical Center Spokane not published $148.36 – $163.20
Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children's Hospital Spokane not published $148.36 – $417.35
Swedish Issaquah Issaquah not published $154.60 – $544.87
Providence Centralia Hospital Centralia not published $154.17 – $722.24
Swedish Edmonds Hospital Edmonds not published $151.62 – $475.31
Providence St Mary Medical Center Walla Walla not published $117.13 – $274.47

All Washington hospitals for this procedure →