Mra, without dye, spinal canal 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

$898.11

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.

$1,761.00

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.

$184.31 with multiplan vs $1,408.80 with coventry - first health — 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 $184.31 ↓ -79%
regence medicare advantage $223.81 ↓ -75%
premera medicare advantage hmo/ppo $263.30 ↓ -71%
optum care network medicare advantage $263.30 ↓ -71%
humana medicare advantage $263.30 ↓ -71%
kaiser foundation hp medicare $263.30 ↓ -71%
united healthcare medicare advantage $263.30 ↓ -71%
aetna medicare advantage ppo $271.20 ↓ -70%
aetna medicare advantage hmo $276.47 ↓ -69%
regence uniform medical plan $631.46 ↓ -30%
kaiser health plan commercial $691.69 ↓ -23%
regence commercial $762.62 ↓ -15%
cigna commercial $784.77 ↓ -13%
premera commercial $833.63 ↓ -7%
united healthcare commercial $890.25 ↓ -1%
cigna local plus $891.79 ↓ -1%
aetna commercial $1,109.43 ↑ +24%
first choice commercial $1,127.92 ↑ +26%
coventry - first health commercial $1,408.80 ↑ +57%

Visitor-reported prices

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Mra, without dye, spinal canal at other Washington hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Swedish Medical Center - First Hill Campus Seattle not published $276.30 – $1,095.29
Swedish Medical Center Cherry Hill Seattle not published $276.30 – $1,060.33
St. Michael Medical Center Silverdale $1,810.67 $1,012.37 – $3,692.33
St. Anne Hospital Burien $1,252.75 $518.84 – $3,692.33
St. Anthony Hospital Gig Harbor $1,247.80 $518.84 – $3,076.94
St. Joseph Medical Center Tacoma $1,358.77 $518.84 – $3,076.94
St. Elizabeth Hospital Enumclaw $1,449.71 $518.84 – $3,692.33
St. Francis Hospital Federal Way $1,287.49 $518.84 – $3,076.94

All Washington hospitals for this procedure →