Brace knee hing pat open med 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

$40.02

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.

$120.82

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.

$60.41 with Cigna vs $803.60 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
Cigna Commercial|All Plans $60.41 ↑ +51%
Aetna Commercial|Rental $87.00 ↑ +117%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $90.62 ↑ +126%
BCBS - Premera Commercial|All Other Plans $120.82 ↑ +202%
BCBS - Premera Commercial|LifeWise Primary Exchange $120.82 ↑ +202%
Uniform Medical Plan Commercial|All Plans $158.71 ↑ +297%
BCBS - Regence Commercial|All Plans $158.71 ↑ +297%
Kaiser Commercial|HMO $420.90 ↑ +952%
Kaiser Commercial|PPO $463.02 ↑ +1057%
First Choice Commercial|All Plans $536.00 ↑ +1239%
Aetna Commercial|WEA $803.60 ↑ +1908%

Visitor-reported prices

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Brace knee hing pat open med at other Washington hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MultiCare Mary Bridge Children's Hospital Tacoma $82.40 $138.87 – $1,216.64
MultiCare Allenmore Hospital Tacoma $82.40 $138.87 – $716.21
Swedish Medical Center - First Hill Campus Seattle $62.63 $165.77 – $503.61
Swedish Medical Center Cherry Hill Seattle $62.63 $165.77 – $405.39
Swedish Issaquah Issaquah $62.63 $165.77 – $368.01
Swedish Edmonds Hospital Edmonds $62.63 $165.77 – $540.52
MultiCare Valley Hospital Spokane Valley $82.40 $158.71 – $688.37
St. Michael Medical Center Silverdale $53.33 $76.12 – $729.05

All Washington hospitals for this procedure →