Ghs cricothyroidotomy 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

$992.97

Cash price

?

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.

$1,947.00

Gross charge

?

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.

$9.73 with first choice vs $1,226.61 with aetna — same scan, same building. Share

Negotiated rates by payer
?

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
?

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
?

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 $9.73 ↓ -99%
confluence health medicare advantage $61.12 ↓ -94%
aetna medicare advantage $106.28 ↓ -89%
aetna medicare advantage ppo $125.37 ↓ -87%
multiplan medicare advantage $177.07 ↓ -82%
regence medicare advantage $215.01 ↓ -78%
humana medicare advantage $252.96 ↓ -75%
united healthcare medicare advantage $252.96 ↓ -75%
kaiser foundation hp medicare $252.96 ↓ -75%
optum care network medicare advantage $252.96 ↓ -75%
premera medicare advantage hmo/ppo $252.96 ↓ -75%
aetna medicare advantage hmo $265.60 ↓ -73%
united healthcare commercial $333.29 ↓ -66%
humana choicecare medicare advantage $337.49 ↓ -66%
signal health medicare advantage $344.18 ↓ -65%
coventry - first health commercial $478.19 ↓ -52%
kaiser health plan commercial $615.59 ↓ -38%
regence uniform medical plan $616.02 ↓ -38%
premera commercial $729.00 ↓ -27%
cigna commercial $753.94 ↓ -24%
regence commercial $760.22 ↓ -23%
cigna local plus $856.75 ↓ -14%
aetna commercial $1,226.61 ↑ +24%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Ghs cricothyroidotomy at other Washington hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Swedish Medical Center - First Hill Campus Seattle $1,569.60 $274.27 – $957.11
Swedish Medical Center Cherry Hill Seattle $1,569.60 $274.27 – $926.56
Central Medical Center Seattle not published not published
Providence St Joseph Hospital Chewelah $1,071.00 not published
Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children's Hospital Spokane $1,614.90 $263.93 – $671.71
Swedish Issaquah Issaquah $1,569.60 $275.04 – $957.11
Providence Centralia Hospital Centralia $954.20 $274.27 – $1,191.29
Providence Mount Carmel Hospital Colville $1,481.90 not published

All Washington hospitals for this procedure →