CT thoracic spine 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

$768.57

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.

$1,507.00

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.

$4.09 with first choice vs $761.60 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 $4.09 ↓ -99%
aetna medicare advantage ppo $17.75 ↓ -98%
confluence health medicare advantage $22.61 ↓ -97%
multiplan medicare advantage $81.09 ↓ -89%
aetna medicare advantage $85.74 ↓ -89%
regence medicare advantage $98.46 ↓ -87%
aetna medicare advantage hmo $114.90 ↓ -85%
humana medicare advantage $115.84 ↓ -85%
united healthcare medicare advantage $115.84 ↓ -85%
kaiser foundation hp medicare $115.84 ↓ -85%
optum care network medicare advantage $115.84 ↓ -85%
premera medicare advantage hmo/ppo $115.84 ↓ -85%
humana choicecare medicare advantage $149.56 ↓ -81%
united healthcare commercial $150.88 ↓ -80%
signal health medicare advantage $155.41 ↓ -80%
regence uniform medical plan $251.41 ↓ -67%
premera commercial $297.52 ↓ -61%
kaiser health plan commercial $316.58 ↓ -59%
regence commercial $333.66 ↓ -57%
cigna commercial $345.25 ↓ -55%
cigna local plus $392.34 ↓ -49%
coventry - first health commercial $712.57 ↓ -7%
aetna commercial $761.60 ↓ -1%

Visitor-reported prices

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CT thoracic spine without contrast at other Washington hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Swedish Medical Center - First Hill Campus Seattle $444.00 $121.06 – $526.78
Swedish Medical Center Cherry Hill Seattle $444.00 $121.06 – $509.96
Central Medical Center Seattle $1,600.00 $107.00 – $107.00
Providence St Luke's Rehabilitation Medical Center Spokane $582.75 $116.50 – $128.15
Providence St Joseph Hospital Chewelah $1,337.00 not published
Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children's Hospital Spokane $1,594.60 $116.50 – $403.49
Swedish Issaquah Issaquah $444.00 $121.40 – $526.78
Providence Centralia Hospital Centralia $1,215.76 $121.06 – $698.26

All Washington hospitals for this procedure →