Abd paracentesis/w/o image guide 49082 at St. Joseph Medical Center

1717 South J Street, Tacoma, WA · Vmfh · · NPI 1952309098

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Feb 28, 2026 · Ingested Sep 17, 2026

$411.63

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.

$1,242.85

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.

$894.86 with Aetna vs $4,675.75 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 Commercial|Rental $894.86 ↑ +117%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $932.14 ↑ +126%
Seattle Medical Group Medicare|All Plans $1,034.61 ↑ +151%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $1,062.67 ↑ +158%
SoundPath Medicare|All Plans $1,062.67 ↑ +158%
Optum Medicare|All Plans $1,073.30 ↑ +161%
BCBS - Premera Medicare|All Plans $1,094.55 ↑ +166%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $1,094.55 ↑ +166%
BCBS - Regence Medicare|All Plans $1,094.55 ↑ +166%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $1,137.06 ↑ +176%
Molina Medicare|All Plans $1,147.68 ↑ +179%
United Medicare|All Plans $1,147.68 ↑ +179%
Amerigroup Medicare|All Plans $1,158.31 ↑ +181%
CHPW Medicare|All Plans $1,222.07 ↑ +197%
Molina Commercial|Marketplace Exchange $2,040.33 ↑ +396%
First Choice Commercial|All Plans $2,092.18 ↑ +408%
BCBS - Premera Commercial|LifeWise Primary Exchange $2,098.39 ↑ +410%
Coordinated Care Commercial|Ambetter Exchange $2,104.09 ↑ +411%
Sound Family Medicine Commercial|All Plans $2,125.34 ↑ +416%
Uniform Medical Plan Commercial|All Plans $2,240.33 ↑ +444%
Kaiser Commercial|HMO $2,246.13 ↑ +446%
Kaiser Commercial|PPO $2,470.92 ↑ +500%
BCBS - Regence Commercial|All Plans $2,568.87 ↑ +524%
BCBS - Premera Commercial|All Other Plans $3,033.43 ↑ +637%
United Commercial|Navigate $3,353.25 ↑ +715%
United Commercial|Cascade Care $3,529.79 ↑ +758%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $3,529.79 ↑ +758%
Aetna Commercial|AWH $3,974.39 ↑ +866%
Cigna Commercial|All Plans $4,556.00 ↑ +1007%
Aetna Commercial|All Other Plans $4,675.75 ↑ +1036%

Visitor-reported prices

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Abd paracentesis/w/o image guide 49082 at other Washington hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MultiCare Mary Bridge Children's Hospital Tacoma $551.60 $522.24 – $6,492.64
MultiCare Allenmore Hospital Tacoma $551.60 $524.85 – $4,353.73
Providence St Joseph Hospital Chewelah $1,662.50 not published
Swedish Medical Center - First Hill Campus Seattle $2,381.28 $1,050.28 – $3,693.82
Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children's Hospital Spokane $1,952.30 $1,010.69 – $2,572.22
Swedish Medical Center Cherry Hill Seattle $2,381.28 $1,050.28 – $3,575.94
Swedish Issaquah Issaquah $2,381.28 $1,053.23 – $3,693.82
Providence Centralia Hospital Centralia $1,761.76 $1,050.28 – $4,597.63

All Washington hospitals for this procedure →