X-ray thoracolumbar spine including skull cervical & sacral spine 2-3 views 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

$241.23

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.

$473.00

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.

$2.04 with first choice vs $378.40 with coventry - first health — 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 $2.04 ↓ -99%
confluence health medicare advantage $19.16 ↓ -92%
aetna medicare advantage $24.13 ↓ -90%
aetna medicare advantage ppo $37.37 ↓ -85%
aetna medicare advantage hmo $67.94 ↓ -72%
united healthcare commercial $80.31 ↓ -67%
multiplan medicare advantage $81.09 ↓ -66%
humana medicare advantage $81.14 ↓ -66%
humana choicecare medicare advantage $81.14 ↓ -66%
united healthcare medicare advantage $81.14 ↓ -66%
kaiser foundation hp medicare $81.14 ↓ -66%
optum care network medicare advantage $81.14 ↓ -66%
premera medicare advantage hmo/ppo $83.50 ↓ -65%
signal health medicare advantage $83.50 ↓ -65%
regence medicare advantage $86.65 ↓ -64%
regence uniform medical plan $131.96 ↓ -45%
premera commercial $156.16 ↓ -35%
regence commercial $175.13 ↓ -27%
kaiser health plan commercial $207.99 ↓ -14%
cigna commercial $265.19 ↑ +10%
aetna commercial $297.99 ↑ +24%
cigna local plus $349.26 ↑ +45%
coventry - first health commercial $378.40 ↑ +57%

Visitor-reported prices

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X-ray thoracolumbar spine including skull cervical & sacral spine 2-3 views at other Washington hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Swedish Medical Center - First Hill Campus Seattle $488.16 $121.06 – $526.78
Swedish Medical Center Cherry Hill Seattle $488.16 $121.06 – $509.96
Central Medical Center Seattle $368.00 $107.00 – $107.00
Providence St Joseph Hospital Chewelah $560.70 not published
Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children's Hospital Spokane $710.50 $116.50 – $403.49
Swedish Issaquah Issaquah $488.16 $121.40 – $526.78
Providence Centralia Hospital Centralia $397.28 $121.06 – $698.26
Providence Mount Carmel Hospital Colville $868.70 not published

All Washington hospitals for this procedure →