Microalbumin urine screen 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.

Full explanation →

The hospital's undiscounted list price — almost no one pays this.

$4.36 with multiplan vs $28.10 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 $4.36
regence medicare advantage $5.30
regence uniform medical plan $6.23
united healthcare medicare advantage $6.23
kaiser foundation hp medicare $6.23
optum care network medicare advantage $6.23
premera medicare advantage hmo/ppo $6.23
regence commercial $6.23
humana medicare advantage $6.23
aetna medicare advantage ppo $6.42
aetna medicare advantage hmo $6.54
united healthcare commercial $7.48
kaiser health plan commercial $9.97
premera commercial $10.90
cigna commercial $19.47
cigna local plus $22.10
aetna commercial $28.10

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
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Microalbumin urine screen at other Washington hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Central Medical Center Seattle $23.20 $5.00 – $5.00
Swedish Medical Center - First Hill Campus Seattle not published $5.61 – $29.28
Swedish Medical Center Cherry Hill Seattle not published $5.61 – $28.35
MultiCare Auburn Medical Center Auburn $12.40 $1.91 – $12.21
MultiCare Good Samaritan Hospital Puyallup $12.40 $1.95 – $12.21
MultiCare Capital Medical Center Olympia $10.00 $2.06 – $11.29
MultiCare Covington Medical Center Covington $12.40 $1.91 – $12.21
MultiCare Mary Bridge Children's Hospital Tacoma $12.40 $1.95 – $7.16

All Washington hospitals for this procedure →