Urine Culture Test 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

$46.92

Cash price

?

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.

$92.00

Gross charge

?

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.

$5.65 with multiplan vs $73.60 with coventry - first health — same scan, same building. Share

Negotiated rates by payer
?

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
?

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
?

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
multiplan medicare advantage $5.65 ↓ -88%
regence medicare advantage $6.86 ↓ -85%
humana medicare advantage $8.07 ↓ -83%
united healthcare medicare advantage $8.07 ↓ -83%
kaiser foundation hp medicare $8.07 ↓ -83%
optum care network medicare advantage $8.07 ↓ -83%
premera medicare advantage hmo/ppo $8.07 ↓ -83%
regence commercial $8.07 ↓ -83%
regence uniform medical plan $8.07 ↓ -83%
aetna medicare advantage ppo $8.31 ↓ -82%
aetna medicare advantage hmo $8.47 ↓ -82%
united healthcare commercial $9.68 ↓ -79%
kaiser health plan commercial $12.91 ↓ -72%
premera commercial $14.12 ↓ -70%
cigna commercial $25.22 ↓ -46%
cigna local plus $28.63 ↓ -39%
aetna commercial $36.40 ↓ -22%
first choice commercial $58.93 ↑ +26%
coventry - first health commercial $73.60 ↑ +57%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Urine Culture Test at other Washington hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Swedish Medical Center - First Hill Campus Seattle $50.88 $7.26 – $37.93
Swedish Medical Center Cherry Hill Seattle $50.88 $7.26 – $36.72
Central Medical Center Seattle $92.80 $6.00 – $6.00
Navos Multi-Treatment Center Seattle $16.40 not published
Providence St Luke's Rehabilitation Medical Center Spokane $81.27 $8.07 – $8.88
Providence St Joseph Hospital Chewelah $91.70 not published
Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children's Hospital Spokane $182.00 $8.07 – $29.05
Swedish Issaquah Issaquah $50.88 $7.26 – $37.93

All Washington hospitals for this procedure →