Pet image ltd area 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

$2,981.97

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.

$5,847.00

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.

$6.90 with aetna vs $4,718.77 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
aetna medicare advantage hmo $6.90 ↓ -100%
first choice commercial $17.33 ↓ -99%
confluence health medicare advantage $59.29 ↓ -98%
aetna medicare advantage ppo $134.97 ↓ -95%
united healthcare commercial $657.84 ↓ -78%
humana medicare advantage $675.08 ↓ -77%
humana choicecare medicare advantage $675.08 ↓ -77%
united healthcare medicare advantage $675.08 ↓ -77%
kaiser foundation hp medicare $675.08 ↓ -77%
optum care network medicare advantage $675.08 ↓ -77%
multiplan medicare advantage $688.10 ↓ -77%
signal health medicare advantage $688.10 ↓ -77%
premera medicare advantage hmo/ppo $688.10 ↓ -77%
regence medicare advantage $709.77 ↓ -76%
regence uniform medical plan $1,083.82 ↓ -64%
premera commercial $1,282.59 ↓ -57%
regence commercial $1,438.39 ↓ -52%
kaiser health plan commercial $1,790.76 ↓ -40%
cigna commercial $2,172.12 ↓ -27%
aetna commercial $3,683.61 ↑ +24%
cigna local plus $4,317.42 ↑ +45%
coventry - first health commercial $4,677.60 ↑ +57%
aetna medicare advantage $4,718.77 ↑ +58%

Visitor-reported prices

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Pet image ltd area at other Washington hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Swedish Medical Center - First Hill Campus Seattle $4,732.80 $1,499.19 – $5,979.29
Swedish Medical Center Cherry Hill Seattle $4,732.80 $1,499.19 – $5,788.46
Central Medical Center Seattle $4,480.00 $1,306.00 – $1,306.00
Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children's Hospital Spokane $6,494.60 $1,442.68 – $4,579.88
Swedish Issaquah Issaquah $4,732.80 $259.56 – $5,979.29
Providence Holy Family Hospital Spokane $4,140.50 $1,442.68 – $6,441.36
Providence Regional Medical Center Everett - Colby Campus Everett $5,119.92 $1,474.35 – $5,343.20
Providence St Luke's Rehabilitation Medical Center Spokane not published $251.06 – $1,586.95

All Washington hospitals for this procedure →