Dilate tear duct opening 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

$496.23

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.

$973.00

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.

$2.78 with first choice vs $718.46 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
first choice commercial $2.78 ↓ -99%
aetna medicare advantage hmo $17.06 ↓ -97%
confluence health medicare advantage $39.19 ↓ -92%
united healthcare commercial $86.01 ↓ -83%
humana medicare advantage $88.36 ↓ -82%
humana choicecare medicare advantage $88.36 ↓ -82%
united healthcare medicare advantage $88.36 ↓ -82%
kaiser foundation hp medicare $88.36 ↓ -82%
optum care network medicare advantage $88.36 ↓ -82%
premera medicare advantage hmo/ppo $91.21 ↓ -82%
multiplan medicare advantage $91.21 ↓ -82%
signal health medicare advantage $91.21 ↓ -82%
regence medicare advantage $92.79 ↓ -81%
regence uniform medical plan $145.72 ↓ -71%
aetna medicare advantage $157.67 ↓ -68%
premera commercial $172.44 ↓ -65%
aetna medicare advantage ppo $221.20 ↓ -55%
regence commercial $237.38 ↓ -52%
cigna commercial $283.98 ↓ -43%
coventry - first health commercial $302.28 ↓ -39%
kaiser health plan commercial $304.14 ↓ -39%
aetna commercial $612.99 ↑ +24%
cigna local plus $718.46 ↑ +45%

Visitor-reported prices

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Dilate tear duct opening at other Washington hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Swedish Medical Center - First Hill Campus Seattle not published $517.30 – $1,708.87
Swedish Medical Center Cherry Hill Seattle not published $517.30 – $1,654.33
Central Medical Center Seattle not published not published
Providence St Luke's Rehabilitation Medical Center Spokane not published $497.80 – $547.59
Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children's Hospital Spokane not published $497.80 – $1,308.92
Swedish Issaquah Issaquah not published $518.75 – $1,708.87
Providence Centralia Hospital Centralia not published $517.30 – $2,265.17
Swedish Edmonds Hospital Edmonds not published $508.73 – $1,636.16

All Washington hospitals for this procedure →