Culture screening strep group a 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

$41.31

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.

$81.00

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.

$4.64 with multiplan vs $64.80 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
multiplan medicare advantage $4.64 ↓ -89%
regence medicare advantage $5.64 ↓ -86%
humana medicare advantage $6.63 ↓ -84%
united healthcare medicare advantage $6.63 ↓ -84%
kaiser foundation hp medicare $6.63 ↓ -84%
optum care network medicare advantage $6.63 ↓ -84%
premera medicare advantage hmo/ppo $6.63 ↓ -84%
regence commercial $6.63 ↓ -84%
regence uniform medical plan $6.63 ↓ -84%
aetna medicare advantage ppo $6.83 ↓ -83%
aetna medicare advantage hmo $6.96 ↓ -83%
united healthcare commercial $7.96 ↓ -81%
kaiser health plan commercial $10.61 ↓ -74%
premera commercial $11.60 ↓ -72%
cigna commercial $20.72 ↓ -50%
cigna local plus $23.52 ↓ -43%
aetna commercial $29.90 ↓ -28%
first choice commercial $51.88 ↑ +26%
coventry - first health commercial $64.80 ↑ +57%

Visitor-reported prices

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Culture screening strep group a at other Washington hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Swedish Medical Center - First Hill Campus Seattle $42.24 $5.97 – $31.16
Swedish Medical Center Cherry Hill Seattle $42.24 $5.97 – $30.17
Central Medical Center Seattle $74.40 $6.00 – $6.00
Providence St Luke's Rehabilitation Medical Center Spokane $202.86 $6.63 – $7.29
Providence St Joseph Hospital Chewelah $110.60 not published
Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children's Hospital Spokane $250.60 $6.63 – $23.87
Swedish Issaquah Issaquah $42.24 $5.97 – $31.16
Providence Centralia Hospital Centralia $200.20 $6.63 – $41.30

All Washington hospitals for this procedure →