Decompress spinal cord thrc 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

$8,429.28

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.

$16,528.00

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.

$36.02 with confluence health vs $12,204.28 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.

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
confluence health medicare advantage $36.02 ↓ -100%
aetna medicare advantage $43.76 ↓ -99%
first choice commercial $52.67 ↓ -99%
aetna medicare advantage hmo $81.06 ↓ -99%
aetna medicare advantage ppo $990.62 ↓ -88%
united healthcare commercial $1,835.37 ↓ -78%
humana medicare advantage $1,865.43 ↓ -78%
humana choicecare medicare advantage $1,865.43 ↓ -78%
united healthcare medicare advantage $1,865.43 ↓ -78%
kaiser foundation hp medicare $1,865.43 ↓ -78%
optum care network medicare advantage $1,865.43 ↓ -78%
signal health medicare advantage $1,920.25 ↓ -77%
multiplan medicare advantage $1,920.25 ↓ -77%
premera medicare advantage hmo/ppo $1,920.25 ↓ -77%
regence medicare advantage $1,980.26 ↓ -77%
regence uniform medical plan $3,356.52 ↓ -60%
premera commercial $3,972.12 ↓ -53%
coventry - first health commercial $4,403.74 ↓ -48%
regence commercial $4,454.61 ↓ -47%
cigna commercial $6,060.25 ↓ -28%
kaiser health plan commercial $8,321.80 ↓ -1%
aetna commercial $10,412.64 ↑ +24%
cigna local plus $12,204.28 ↑ +45%

Visitor-reported prices

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Decompress spinal cord thrc at other Washington hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Swedish Medical Center - First Hill Campus Seattle not published $7,277.00 – $29,132.10
Swedish Medical Center Cherry Hill Seattle not published $7,277.00 – $28,055.35
Central Medical Center Seattle not published not published
Providence St Luke's Rehabilitation Medical Center Spokane not published $8,085.92 – $8,894.51
Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children's Hospital Spokane not published $8,085.92 – $20,578.67
Swedish Issaquah Issaquah not published $7,277.00 – $29,132.10
Providence Centralia Hospital Centralia not published $8,402.62 – $34,994.41
Swedish Edmonds Hospital Edmonds not published $4,912.00 – $28,952.64

All Washington hospitals for this procedure →