Sinus 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

$1,026.12

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.

$2,012.00

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.

$3.65 with aetna vs $907.06 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 $3.65 ↓ -100%
first choice commercial $4.81 ↓ -100%
aetna medicare advantage ppo $19.50 ↓ -98%
aetna medicare advantage $79.62 ↓ -92%
multiplan medicare advantage $135.74 ↓ -87%
regence medicare advantage $164.82 ↓ -84%
humana medicare advantage $175.41 ↓ -83%
optum care network medicare advantage $175.41 ↓ -83%
united healthcare medicare advantage $175.41 ↓ -83%
humana choicecare medicare advantage $175.41 ↓ -83%
kaiser foundation hp medicare $175.41 ↓ -83%
united healthcare commercial $177.25 ↓ -83%
signal health medicare advantage $182.42 ↓ -82%
premera medicare advantage hmo/ppo $182.42 ↓ -82%
regence uniform medical plan $295.19 ↓ -71%
confluence health medicare advantage $319.77 ↓ -69%
premera commercial $349.33 ↓ -66%
regence commercial $391.76 ↓ -62%
kaiser health plan commercial $534.17 ↓ -48%
cigna commercial $577.95 ↓ -44%
cigna local plus $656.77 ↓ -36%
coventry - first health commercial $860.73 ↓ -16%
aetna commercial $907.06 ↓ -12%

Visitor-reported prices

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Sinus CT scan (with contrast) at other Washington hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Swedish Medical Center - First Hill Campus Seattle $720.96 $203.11 – $856.43
Swedish Medical Center Cherry Hill Seattle $720.96 $203.11 – $829.10
Central Medical Center Seattle $1,760.00 $179.00 – $179.00
Providence St Luke's Rehabilitation Medical Center Spokane $1,178.10 $184.54 – $215.00
Providence St Joseph Hospital Chewelah $1,311.80 not published
Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children's Hospital Spokane $1,397.20 $195.46 – $655.99
Swedish Issaquah Issaquah $720.96 $203.68 – $856.43
Providence Centralia Hospital Centralia $1,218.36 $203.11 – $1,135.23

All Washington hospitals for this procedure →