Neck (Cervical Spine) CT scan (with contrast) 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

$1,143.42

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.

$2,242.00

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.

$5.34 with first choice vs $1,317.58 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 $5.34 ↓ -100%
aetna medicare advantage $28.33 ↓ -98%
aetna medicare advantage hmo $60.94 ↓ -95%
confluence health medicare advantage $63.72 ↓ -94%
aetna medicare advantage ppo $74.48 ↓ -93%
humana medicare advantage $194.63 ↓ -83%
humana choicecare medicare advantage $194.63 ↓ -83%
united healthcare medicare advantage $194.63 ↓ -83%
kaiser foundation hp medicare $194.63 ↓ -83%
optum care network medicare advantage $194.63 ↓ -83%
united healthcare commercial $196.94 ↓ -83%
signal health medicare advantage $202.60 ↓ -82%
multiplan medicare advantage $202.60 ↓ -82%
premera medicare advantage hmo/ppo $202.60 ↓ -82%
regence medicare advantage $212.48 ↓ -81%
regence uniform medical plan $327.71 ↓ -71%
premera commercial $387.81 ↓ -66%
regence commercial $434.92 ↓ -62%
cigna commercial $650.27 ↓ -43%
kaiser health plan commercial $767.37 ↓ -33%
coventry - first health commercial $854.05 ↓ -25%
aetna commercial $1,022.68 ↓ -11%
cigna local plus $1,317.58 ↑ +15%

Visitor-reported prices

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Neck (Cervical Spine) CT scan (with contrast) at other Washington hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Swedish Medical Center - First Hill Campus Seattle $1,207.68 $403.99 – $1,794.70
Swedish Medical Center Cherry Hill Seattle $1,207.68 $403.99 – $1,737.42
Central Medical Center Seattle $1,600.00 $358.00 – $358.00
Providence St Joseph Hospital Chewelah $1,297.80 not published
Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children's Hospital Spokane $1,598.10 $388.77 – $1,374.66
Swedish Issaquah Issaquah $1,207.68 $405.13 – $1,794.70
Providence Centralia Hospital Centralia $1,215.76 $403.99 – $2,378.93
Providence Mount Carmel Hospital Colville $1,149.40 not published

All Washington hospitals for this procedure →