Frozen cell preparation 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.

$8.46 with multiplan vs $54.53 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
multiplan medicare advantage $8.46
regence medicare advantage $10.28
regence uniform medical plan $12.09
united healthcare medicare advantage $12.09
kaiser foundation hp medicare $12.09
optum care network medicare advantage $12.09
premera medicare advantage hmo/ppo $12.09
regence commercial $12.09
humana medicare advantage $12.09
aetna medicare advantage ppo $12.45
aetna medicare advantage hmo $12.69
united healthcare commercial $14.51
kaiser health plan commercial $19.34
premera commercial $21.16
cigna commercial $37.79
cigna local plus $42.89
aetna commercial $54.53

Visitor-reported prices

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Frozen cell preparation at other Washington hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Central Medical Center Seattle $53.60 $35.00 – $35.00
Swedish Medical Center - First Hill Campus Seattle not published $10.88 – $56.82
Swedish Medical Center Cherry Hill Seattle not published $10.88 – $55.01
MultiCare Valley Hospital Spokane Valley $35.20 $12.09 – $21.92
MultiCare Yakima Memorial Hospital Yakima $16.00 $12.51 – $21.70
MultiCare Auburn Medical Center Auburn $37.20 $11.85 – $23.70
MultiCare Good Samaritan Hospital Puyallup $37.20 $11.85 – $23.70
MultiCare Capital Medical Center Olympia $42.40 $11.85 – $21.92

All Washington hospitals for this procedure →