Ultrasound encephalogram 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

$313.14

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.

$614.00

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.

$2.03 with aetna vs $392.34 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
aetna medicare advantage ppo $2.03 ↓ -99%
first choice commercial $3.44 ↓ -99%
aetna medicare advantage $4.87 ↓ -98%
confluence health medicare advantage $57.64 ↓ -82%
multiplan medicare advantage $81.09 ↓ -74%
regence medicare advantage $98.46 ↓ -69%
aetna medicare advantage hmo $103.48 ↓ -67%
humana medicare advantage $115.84 ↓ -63%
united healthcare medicare advantage $115.84 ↓ -63%
kaiser foundation hp medicare $115.84 ↓ -63%
optum care network medicare advantage $115.84 ↓ -63%
premera medicare advantage hmo/ppo $115.84 ↓ -63%
humana choicecare medicare advantage $125.24 ↓ -60%
united healthcare commercial $129.08 ↓ -59%
signal health medicare advantage $133.10 ↓ -57%
regence uniform medical plan $213.26 ↓ -32%
premera commercial $252.37 ↓ -19%
regence commercial $283.03 ↓ -10%
kaiser health plan commercial $316.58 ↑ +1%
coventry - first health commercial $320.03 ↑ +2%
cigna commercial $345.25 ↑ +10%
aetna commercial $386.82 ↑ +24%
cigna local plus $392.34 ↑ +25%

Visitor-reported prices

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Ultrasound encephalogram at other Washington hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Swedish Medical Center - First Hill Campus Seattle $617.28 $121.06 – $526.78
Swedish Medical Center Cherry Hill Seattle $617.28 $121.06 – $509.96
Central Medical Center Seattle $393.60 $107.00 – $107.00
Providence St Joseph Hospital Chewelah $989.80 not published
Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children's Hospital Spokane $1,055.60 $116.50 – $403.49
Swedish Issaquah Issaquah $617.28 $121.40 – $526.78
Providence Centralia Hospital Centralia $543.40 $121.06 – $698.26
Providence Mount Carmel Hospital Colville $1,491.70 not published

All Washington hospitals for this procedure →