MRI upper extremity other than joint without & w/contrast (both sides) 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

$1,901.28

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.

$3,728.00

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.

$13.72 with first choice vs $2,348.64 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
first choice commercial $13.72 ↓ -99%
aetna medicare advantage ppo $46.99 ↓ -98%
confluence health medicare advantage $110.23 ↓ -94%
multiplan medicare advantage $272.31 ↓ -86%
aetna medicare advantage $295.78 ↓ -84%
regence medicare advantage $330.66 ↓ -83%
aetna medicare advantage hmo $384.25 ↓ -80%
humana medicare advantage $389.02 ↓ -80%
united healthcare medicare advantage $389.02 ↓ -80%
kaiser foundation hp medicare $389.02 ↓ -80%
optum care network medicare advantage $389.02 ↓ -80%
premera medicare advantage hmo/ppo $389.02 ↓ -80%
humana choicecare medicare advantage $476.31 ↓ -75%
united healthcare commercial $489.67 ↓ -74%
signal health medicare advantage $499.35 ↓ -74%
regence uniform medical plan $806.14 ↓ -58%
premera commercial $953.99 ↓ -50%
regence commercial $1,069.87 ↓ -44%
kaiser health plan commercial $1,091.29 ↓ -43%
cigna commercial $1,159.46 ↓ -39%
cigna local plus $1,317.58 ↓ -31%
coventry - first health commercial $2,092.51 ↑ +10%
aetna commercial $2,348.64 ↑ +24%

Visitor-reported prices

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MRI upper extremity other than joint without & w/contrast (both sides) at other Washington hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Swedish Medical Center - First Hill Campus Seattle $2,495.04 $403.99 – $1,794.70
Swedish Medical Center Cherry Hill Seattle $2,495.04 $403.99 – $1,737.42
Central Medical Center Seattle $4,400.00 $358.00 – $358.00
Providence St Luke's Rehabilitation Medical Center Spokane $836.01 $351.65 – $427.64
Providence St Joseph Hospital Chewelah $2,834.30 not published
Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children's Hospital Spokane $4,084.50 $388.77 – $1,374.66
Swedish Issaquah Issaquah $2,495.04 $405.13 – $1,794.70
Providence Centralia Hospital Centralia $2,159.04 $403.99 – $2,378.93

All Washington hospitals for this procedure →