Consultation pathology during surgery 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

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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.

not published by hospital

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.

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The hospital's undiscounted list price — almost no one pays this.

$45.29 with multiplan vs $219.13 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.

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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
multiplan medicare advantage $45.29
regence medicare advantage $54.99
humana medicare advantage $64.70
united healthcare medicare advantage $64.70
kaiser foundation hp medicare $64.70
optum care network medicare advantage $64.70
premera medicare advantage hmo/ppo $64.70
aetna medicare advantage ppo $66.64
aetna medicare advantage hmo $67.93
kaiser health plan commercial $100.59
regence uniform medical plan $157.62
regence commercial $190.36
cigna commercial $192.83
premera commercial $208.08
united healthcare commercial $218.75
cigna local plus $219.13

Visitor-reported prices

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Consultation pathology during surgery at other Washington hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Central Medical Center Seattle $147.20 $153.00 – $153.00
Swedish Medical Center - First Hill Campus Seattle not published $65.76 – $207.53
Swedish Medical Center Cherry Hill Seattle not published $65.76 – $159.85
Kadlec Regional Medical Center Richland $179.20 $59.10 – $130.71
St. Michael Medical Center Silverdale $151.02 $99.20 – $307.96
St. Anne Hospital Burien $104.49 $56.05 – $307.96
St. Anthony Hospital Gig Harbor $104.08 $56.05 – $256.63
St. Joseph Medical Center Tacoma $113.33 $56.05 – $256.63

All Washington hospitals for this procedure →