Consultation pathology during surgery frozen section first tissue block 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

$153.01

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.

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What you pay up front if you don't use insurance.

$461.97

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.

$48.66 with Cigna vs $854.61 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 $48.66 ↓ -68%
First Choice Commercial|All Plans $127.37 ↓ -17%
SoundPath Medicare|All Plans $194.23 ↑ +27%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $194.23 ↑ +27%
Optum Medicare|All Plans $196.17 ↑ +28%
Seattle Medical Group Medicare|All Plans $197.08 ↑ +29%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $200.06 ↑ +31%
BCBS - Regence Medicare|All Plans $200.06 ↑ +31%
BCBS - Premera Medicare|All Plans $200.06 ↑ +31%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $207.83 ↑ +36%
United Medicare|All Plans $209.77 ↑ +37%
Molina Medicare|All Plans $209.77 ↑ +37%
Amerigroup Medicare|All Plans $211.71 ↑ +38%
CHPW Medicare|All Plans $223.36 ↑ +46%
Aetna Commercial|Rental $332.62 ↑ +117%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $346.48 ↑ +126%
Molina Commercial|Marketplace Exchange $372.92 ↑ +144%
Coordinated Care Commercial|Ambetter Exchange $384.58 ↑ +151%
Sound Family Medicine Commercial|All Plans $388.46 ↑ +154%
BCBS - Premera Commercial|LifeWise Primary Exchange $395.39 ↑ +158%
Uniform Medical Plan Commercial|All Plans $422.13 ↑ +176%
Kaiser Commercial|HMO $427.86 ↑ +180%
Kaiser Commercial|PPO $470.68 ↑ +208%
BCBS - Regence Commercial|All Plans $484.04 ↑ +216%
BCBS - Premera Commercial|All Other Plans $571.57 ↑ +274%
United Commercial|Navigate $612.90 ↑ +301%
United Commercial|Cascade Care $645.17 ↑ +322%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $645.17 ↑ +322%
Aetna Commercial|AWH $726.42 ↑ +375%
Aetna Commercial|All Other Plans $854.61 ↑ +459%

Visitor-reported prices

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Consultation pathology during surgery frozen section first tissue block at other Washington hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MultiCare Mary Bridge Children's Hospital Tacoma $149.60 $26.02 – $1,236.77
MultiCare Allenmore Hospital Tacoma $149.60 $26.15 – $817.83
Providence St Joseph Hospital Chewelah $88.20 not published
Swedish Medical Center - First Hill Campus Seattle $120.48 $79.17 – $674.45
Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children's Hospital Spokane $357.70 $87.09 – $516.60
Swedish Medical Center Cherry Hill Seattle $120.48 $79.17 – $652.93
Swedish Issaquah Issaquah $120.48 $79.17 – $674.45
Central Medical Center Seattle $408.00 $425.00 – $425.00

All Washington hospitals for this procedure →