Sedimentation rate erythrocyte automated 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

$16.26

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.

$49.08

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.

$2.70 with Kaiser vs $36.81 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 $2.70 ↓ -83%
SoundPath Medicare|All Plans $2.70 ↓ -83%
BCBS - Regence Medicare|All Plans $2.70 ↓ -83%
Optum Medicare|All Plans $2.73 ↓ -83%
BCBS - Premera Medicare|All Plans $2.78 ↓ -83%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $2.78 ↓ -83%
BCBS - Regence Commercial|All Plans $2.84 ↓ -83%
BCBS - Premera Commercial|LifeWise Primary Exchange $2.87 ↓ -82%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $2.89 ↓ -82%
Molina Medicare|All Plans $2.92 ↓ -82%
United Medicare|All Plans $2.92 ↓ -82%
Amerigroup Medicare|All Plans $2.94 ↓ -82%
CHPW Medicare|All Plans $3.10 ↓ -81%
Seattle Medical Group Medicare|All Plans $3.10 ↓ -81%
United Commercial|Cascade Care $3.24 ↓ -80%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $3.24 ↓ -80%
United Commercial|Navigate $3.24 ↓ -80%
Uniform Medical Plan Commercial|All Plans $4.05 ↓ -75%
BCBS - Premera Commercial|All Other Plans $4.05 ↓ -75%
Cigna Commercial|All Plans $4.88 ↓ -70%
Molina Commercial|Marketplace Exchange $5.18 ↓ -68%
Coordinated Care Commercial|Ambetter Exchange $5.35 ↓ -67%
Sound Family Medicine Commercial|All Plans $5.40 ↓ -67%
Aetna Commercial|AWH $10.10 ↓ -38%
Aetna Commercial|All Other Plans $11.88 ↓ -27%
First Choice Commercial|All Plans $16.44 ↑ +1%
Aetna Commercial|WEA $20.07 ↑ +23%
Aetna Commercial|Rental $35.34 ↑ +117%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $36.81 ↑ +126%

Visitor-reported prices

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Sedimentation rate erythrocyte automated at other Washington hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MultiCare Mary Bridge Children's Hospital Tacoma $11.60 $2.70 – $14.16
MultiCare Allenmore Hospital Tacoma $11.60 $2.65 – $5.29
Providence St Luke's Rehabilitation Medical Center Spokane $5.67 $2.70 – $2.97
Providence St Joseph Hospital Chewelah $53.90 not published
Swedish Medical Center - First Hill Campus Seattle $15.36 $2.43 – $12.69
Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children's Hospital Spokane $44.10 $2.70 – $9.72
Swedish Medical Center Cherry Hill Seattle $15.36 $2.43 – $12.29
Swedish Issaquah Issaquah $15.36 $2.43 – $12.69

All Washington hospitals for this procedure →