Blood gases o2 saturation direct measurement 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

$130.75

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.

$394.76

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.

$78.77 with Kaiser vs $346.59 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
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $78.77 ↓ -40%
SoundPath Medicare|All Plans $78.77 ↓ -40%
BCBS - Regence Medicare|All Plans $78.77 ↓ -40%
Optum Medicare|All Plans $79.56 ↓ -39%
BCBS - Premera Medicare|All Plans $81.13 ↓ -38%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $81.13 ↓ -38%
BCBS - Regence Commercial|All Plans $82.71 ↓ -37%
BCBS - Premera Commercial|LifeWise Primary Exchange $83.73 ↓ -36%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $84.28 ↓ -36%
Molina Medicare|All Plans $85.07 ↓ -35%
United Medicare|All Plans $85.07 ↓ -35%
Amerigroup Medicare|All Plans $85.86 ↓ -34%
CHPW Medicare|All Plans $90.59 ↓ -31%
Seattle Medical Group Medicare|All Plans $90.59 ↓ -31%
United Commercial|Cascade Care $94.52 ↓ -28%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $94.52 ↓ -28%
United Commercial|Navigate $94.52 ↓ -28%
Cigna Commercial|All Plans $115.71 ↓ -12%
Uniform Medical Plan Commercial|All Plans $118.16 ↓ -10%
BCBS - Premera Commercial|All Other Plans $118.16 ↓ -10%
First Choice Commercial|All Plans $147.88 ↑ +13%
Molina Commercial|Marketplace Exchange $151.24 ↑ +16%
Coordinated Care Commercial|Ambetter Exchange $155.96 ↑ +19%
Sound Family Medicine Commercial|All Plans $157.54 ↑ +20%
Aetna Commercial|WEA $180.34 ↑ +38%
Aetna Commercial|Rental $284.23 ↑ +117%
Aetna Commercial|AWH $294.60 ↑ +125%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $296.07 ↑ +126%
Aetna Commercial|All Other Plans $346.59 ↑ +165%

Visitor-reported prices

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Blood gases o2 saturation direct measurement at other Washington hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MultiCare Mary Bridge Children's Hospital Tacoma $84.00 $22.59 – $90.59
MultiCare Allenmore Hospital Tacoma $84.00 $22.71 – $154.39
Providence St Luke's Rehabilitation Medical Center Spokane $155.61 $78.77 – $86.65
Providence St Joseph Hospital Chewelah $259.70 not published
Swedish Medical Center - First Hill Campus Seattle $363.84 $70.89 – $370.22
Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children's Hospital Spokane $339.50 $78.77 – $283.57
Swedish Medical Center Cherry Hill Seattle $363.84 $70.89 – $358.40
Swedish Issaquah Issaquah $363.84 $70.89 – $370.22

All Washington hospitals for this procedure →