X-ray head for orthodontia 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

$138.72

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.

$272.00

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.

$0.48 with first choice vs $200.84 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 $0.48 ↓ -100%
aetna medicare advantage hmo $1.62 ↓ -99%
united healthcare commercial $17.95 ↓ -87%
signal health medicare advantage $19.06 ↓ -86%
multiplan medicare advantage $19.06 ↓ -86%
premera medicare advantage hmo/ppo $19.06 ↓ -86%
regence medicare advantage $19.37 ↓ -86%
humana medicare advantage $19.70 ↓ -86%
humana choicecare medicare advantage $19.70 ↓ -86%
united healthcare medicare advantage $19.70 ↓ -86%
kaiser foundation hp medicare $19.70 ↓ -86%
optum care network medicare advantage $19.70 ↓ -86%
aetna medicare advantage ppo $19.75 ↓ -86%
confluence health medicare advantage $26.72 ↓ -81%
regence uniform medical plan $30.64 ↓ -78%
premera commercial $36.26 ↓ -74%
regence commercial $40.67 ↓ -71%
coventry - first health commercial $55.86 ↓ -60%
cigna commercial $59.28 ↓ -57%
aetna medicare advantage $62.58 ↓ -55%
aetna commercial $69.14 ↓ -50%
kaiser health plan commercial $73.30 ↓ -47%
cigna local plus $200.84 ↑ +45%

Visitor-reported prices

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X-ray head for orthodontia at other Washington hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Central Medical Center Seattle $304.00 $89.00 – $89.00
Swedish Medical Center - First Hill Campus Seattle not published $100.77 – $375.11
Swedish Medical Center Cherry Hill Seattle not published $100.77 – $363.14
Providence St Luke's Rehabilitation Medical Center Spokane not published $31.23 – $106.67
Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children's Hospital Spokane not published $84.07 – $287.32
Swedish Issaquah Issaquah not published $37.10 – $375.11
Providence Centralia Hospital Centralia not published $96.20 – $497.22
Swedish Edmonds Hospital Edmonds not published $27.93 – $359.15

All Washington hospitals for this procedure →