Biliary endoscopy thru skin 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

$3,621.73

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.

$10,935.25

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.

$6,532.36 with Seattle Medical Group vs $51,922.16 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
Seattle Medical Group Medicare|All Plans $6,532.36 ↑ +80%
Cigna Commercial|All Plans $6,630.00 ↑ +83%
Aetna Commercial|Rental $7,873.38 ↑ +117%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $8,201.44 ↑ +126%
First Choice Commercial|All Plans $11,080.19 ↑ +206%
SoundPath Medicare|All Plans $11,800.49 ↑ +226%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $11,800.49 ↑ +226%
Optum Medicare|All Plans $11,918.49 ↑ +229%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $12,154.50 ↑ +236%
BCBS - Regence Medicare|All Plans $12,154.50 ↑ +236%
BCBS - Premera Medicare|All Plans $12,154.50 ↑ +236%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $12,626.52 ↑ +249%
United Medicare|All Plans $12,744.53 ↑ +252%
Molina Medicare|All Plans $12,744.53 ↑ +252%
Amerigroup Medicare|All Plans $12,862.53 ↑ +255%
CHPW Medicare|All Plans $13,570.56 ↑ +275%
Kaiser Commercial|HMO $14,181.74 ↑ +292%
Kaiser Commercial|PPO $15,601.01 ↑ +331%
Molina Commercial|Marketplace Exchange $22,656.94 ↑ +526%
Coordinated Care Commercial|Ambetter Exchange $23,364.97 ↑ +545%
Sound Family Medicine Commercial|All Plans $23,600.98 ↑ +552%
BCBS - Premera Commercial|LifeWise Primary Exchange $23,828.57 ↑ +558%
Uniform Medical Plan Commercial|All Plans $25,440.35 ↑ +602%
BCBS - Regence Commercial|All Plans $29,171.22 ↑ +705%
BCBS - Premera Commercial|All Other Plans $34,446.49 ↑ +851%
United Commercial|Navigate $37,236.56 ↑ +928%
United Commercial|Cascade Care $39,196.93 ↑ +982%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $39,196.93 ↑ +982%
Aetna Commercial|AWH $44,133.83 ↑ +1119%
Aetna Commercial|All Other Plans $51,922.16 ↑ +1334%

Visitor-reported prices

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Biliary endoscopy thru skin at other Washington hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MultiCare Mary Bridge Children's Hospital Tacoma $10,156.40 $3,035.95 – $60,464.84
MultiCare Allenmore Hospital Tacoma $10,156.40 $3,051.15 – $51,025.66
Swedish Medical Center - First Hill Campus Seattle $12,201.60 $7,277.00 – $37,395.46
Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children's Hospital Spokane $11,128.60 $9,231.00 – $30,146.28
Swedish Medical Center Cherry Hill Seattle $12,201.60 $7,277.00 – $28,803.62
Swedish Issaquah Issaquah $12,201.60 $7,277.00 – $27,403.18
Kadlec Regional Medical Center Richland $11,217.50 $1,014.49 – $21,913.80
Providence Regional Medical Center Everett - Colby Campus Everett $10,575.76 $9,161.00 – $28,084.26

All Washington hospitals for this procedure →