Lipoprotein direct measurement ldl 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

$81.57

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.

$246.28

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.

$10.50 with Kaiser vs $184.71 with MultiPlan — 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 $10.50 ↓ -87%
SoundPath Medicare|All Plans $10.50 ↓ -87%
BCBS - Regence Medicare|All Plans $10.50 ↓ -87%
Optum Medicare|All Plans $10.61 ↓ -87%
BCBS - Premera Medicare|All Plans $10.81 ↓ -87%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $10.81 ↓ -87%
BCBS - Regence Commercial|All Plans $11.03 ↓ -86%
BCBS - Premera Commercial|LifeWise Primary Exchange $11.16 ↓ -86%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $11.23 ↓ -86%
Molina Medicare|All Plans $11.34 ↓ -86%
United Medicare|All Plans $11.34 ↓ -86%
Amerigroup Medicare|All Plans $11.45 ↓ -86%
CHPW Medicare|All Plans $12.07 ↓ -85%
Seattle Medical Group Medicare|All Plans $12.07 ↓ -85%
United Commercial|Cascade Care $12.60 ↓ -85%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $12.60 ↓ -85%
United Commercial|Navigate $12.60 ↓ -85%
Uniform Medical Plan Commercial|All Plans $15.75 ↓ -81%
BCBS - Premera Commercial|All Other Plans $15.75 ↓ -81%
Cigna Commercial|All Plans $17.31 ↓ -79%
Molina Commercial|Marketplace Exchange $20.16 ↓ -75%
Coordinated Care Commercial|Ambetter Exchange $20.79 ↓ -75%
Sound Family Medicine Commercial|All Plans $21.00 ↓ -74%
Aetna Commercial|AWH $39.27 ↓ -52%
Aetna Commercial|All Other Plans $46.20 ↓ -43%
First Choice Commercial|All Plans $57.96 ↓ -29%
Aetna Commercial|WEA $70.72 ↓ -13%
Aetna Commercial|Rental $177.33 ↑ +117%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $184.71 ↑ +126%

Visitor-reported prices

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Lipoprotein direct measurement ldl at other Washington hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MultiCare Mary Bridge Children's Hospital Tacoma $24.00 $8.59 – $30.49
MultiCare Allenmore Hospital Tacoma $24.00 $8.63 – $20.58
Providence St Luke's Rehabilitation Medical Center Spokane $108.36 $10.50 – $11.55
Providence St Joseph Hospital Chewelah $167.30 not published
Swedish Medical Center - First Hill Campus Seattle $68.64 $9.45 – $49.35
Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children's Hospital Spokane $144.90 $10.50 – $37.80
Swedish Medical Center Cherry Hill Seattle $68.64 $9.45 – $47.78
Swedish Issaquah Issaquah $68.64 $9.45 – $49.35

All Washington hospitals for this procedure →