Insertion of catheter vein 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

$1,581.51

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.

$3,101.00

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.

$4.31 with aetna vs $2,289.78 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
aetna medicare advantage hmo $4.31 ↓ -100%
aetna medicare advantage ppo $30.05 ↓ -98%
confluence health medicare advantage $33.99 ↓ -98%
first choice commercial $56.44 ↓ -96%
aetna medicare advantage $122.22 ↓ -92%
united healthcare commercial $326.37 ↓ -79%
humana medicare advantage $328.73 ↓ -79%
humana choicecare medicare advantage $328.73 ↓ -79%
united healthcare medicare advantage $328.73 ↓ -79%
kaiser foundation hp medicare $328.73 ↓ -79%
optum care network medicare advantage $328.73 ↓ -79%
signal health medicare advantage $335.89 ↓ -79%
multiplan medicare advantage $335.89 ↓ -79%
premera medicare advantage hmo/ppo $335.89 ↓ -79%
regence medicare advantage $352.14 ↓ -78%
regence uniform medical plan $596.01 ↓ -62%
premera commercial $705.32 ↓ -55%
cigna commercial $1,077.65 ↓ -32%
kaiser health plan commercial $1,647.21 ↑ +4%
aetna commercial $1,953.63 ↑ +24%
regence commercial $2,170.70 ↑ +37%
coventry - first health commercial $2,205.77 ↑ +39%
cigna local plus $2,289.78 ↑ +45%

Visitor-reported prices

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Insertion of catheter vein at other Washington hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Swedish Medical Center - First Hill Campus Seattle $4,301.76 not published
Swedish Medical Center Cherry Hill Seattle $4,301.76 not published
Providence St Joseph Hospital Chewelah $646.80 not published
Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children's Hospital Spokane $1,762.60 $13,212.00 – $13,212.00
Swedish Issaquah Issaquah $4,301.76 $9,339.00 – $9,339.00
Providence Centralia Hospital Centralia $1,706.12 $7,984.74 – $7,984.74
Providence Mount Carmel Hospital Colville $740.60 not published
Providence St Mary Medical Center Walla Walla $2,844.80 $6,522.00 – $6,522.00

All Washington hospitals for this procedure →