Myelography thoracic spine 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

$1,424.94

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.

$2,794.00

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.

$3.45 with first choice vs $2,063.09 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
first choice commercial $3.45 ↓ -100%
confluence health medicare advantage $70.30 ↓ -95%
aetna medicare advantage $88.66 ↓ -94%
aetna medicare advantage hmo $118.99 ↓ -92%
humana medicare advantage $119.69 ↓ -92%
humana choicecare medicare advantage $119.69 ↓ -92%
united healthcare medicare advantage $119.69 ↓ -92%
kaiser foundation hp medicare $119.69 ↓ -92%
optum care network medicare advantage $119.69 ↓ -92%
signal health medicare advantage $125.08 ↓ -91%
multiplan medicare advantage $125.08 ↓ -91%
premera medicare advantage hmo/ppo $125.08 ↓ -91%
united healthcare commercial $134.60 ↓ -91%
regence medicare advantage $145.23 ↓ -90%
aetna medicare advantage ppo $152.92 ↓ -89%
regence uniform medical plan $225.77 ↓ -84%
premera commercial $267.18 ↓ -81%
regence commercial $299.63 ↓ -79%
kaiser health plan commercial $368.38 ↓ -74%
coventry - first health commercial $373.44 ↓ -74%
cigna commercial $444.45 ↓ -69%
aetna commercial $645.14 ↓ -55%
cigna local plus $2,063.09 ↑ +45%

Visitor-reported prices

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Myelography thoracic spine at other Washington hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Swedish Medical Center - First Hill Campus Seattle $1,490.40 $907.77 – $3,199.85
Swedish Medical Center Cherry Hill Seattle $1,490.40 $907.77 – $3,097.73
Central Medical Center Seattle $2,720.00 $791.00 – $791.00
Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children's Hospital Spokane $1,286.60 $770.34 – $2,450.95
Swedish Issaquah Issaquah $1,490.40 $263.51 – $3,199.85
Providence St Mary Medical Center Walla Walla $2,793.00 $409.43 – $1,616.08
Kadlec Regional Medical Center Richland $1,558.20 $202.53 – $2,662.01
Providence Holy Family Hospital Spokane $2,549.40 $357.37 – $2,742.27

All Washington hospitals for this procedure →