Itemized  ·  Compare  ·  Northwestern Memorial Hospital vs Advocate Lutheran General Hospital

Northwestern Memorial Hospital vs Advocate Lutheran General Hospital.

Side-by-side prices for 37 procedures both hospitals publish, plus CMS quality ratings and metro context. Pulled from each hospital's federally-mandated price transparency file. Advocate Lutheran General Hospital is cheaper on more procedures (23 vs 3).

Northwestern Memorial Hospital
Chicago, IL
Northwestern Medicine
5/5 CMS
Cheaper on 3 of 37 procedures
vs.
Advocate Lutheran General Hospital
Park Ridge, IL
Advocate Aurora
4/5 CMS
Cheaper on 23 of 37 procedures

Head-to-head, by procedure.

Procedure Northwestern Advocate Cheaper
Brain MRI without contrast $3,887 $1,700 Advocate ↓
Brain MRI with and without contrast $5,385 $2,650 Advocate ↓
Lumbar spine MRI without contrast $3,837 $1,700 Advocate ↓
Knee/lower-extremity MRI without contrast $3,835 $1,700 Advocate ↓
CT abdomen and pelvis with contrast $6,049 $2,705 Advocate ↓
Abdominal ultrasound, complete $1,772 $735 Advocate ↓
Mammogram, screening $524 $238 Advocate ↓
DXA bone density scan $637 $395 Advocate ↓
Chest X-ray, single view $538 $223 Advocate ↓
Comprehensive metabolic panel $307 $108 Advocate ↓
Lipid panel $184 $83 Advocate ↓
CBC with differential $78 $35 Advocate ↓
TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) $162 $25 Advocate ↓
Hemoglobin A1c $117 $53 Advocate ↓
Urinalysis $22 $25 Northwestern ↓
Knee arthroscopy with meniscectomy $4,871 — tie
Total knee replacement $34,606 — tie
Total hip replacement $34,606 — tie
Laparoscopic cholecystectomy $15,823 — tie
Inguinal hernia repair, open $4,658 — tie
Cataract surgery, one eye $6,722 — tie
Colonoscopy, diagnostic $2,525 — tie
Colonoscopy with polyp removal $4,094 — tie
Upper endoscopy (EGD) with biopsy $3,218 — tie
Echocardiogram, complete with Doppler $3,278 $1,075 Advocate ↓
Office visit, established patient, level 3 $151 $148 Advocate ↓
Office visit, established patient, level 4 $165 $178 Northwestern ↓
Lumbar epidural steroid injection $2,570 $1,025 Advocate ↓
Polysomnography (sleep study) $3,990 $2,105 Advocate ↓
Septoplasty (deviated septum repair) $4,229 — tie
Thyroid ultrasound $1,343 $550 Advocate ↓
New patient office visit, level 3 $380 $148 Advocate ↓
New patient office visit, level 4 $438 $178 Advocate ↓
Ureteroscopy with lithotripsy (kidney stone) $35,981 — tie
Prostate biopsy $5,029 $2,600 Advocate ↓
Carotid duplex ultrasound $2,337 $905 Advocate ↓
Psychotherapy, 45 minutes $134 $250 Northwestern ↓

Patient experience.

CMS HCAHPS patient survey, period ending 03/31/2025. Bold = higher score.

Measure Northwestern Advocate
HCAHPS overall star rating 4/5 3/5
Would definitely recommend 82% 73%
Hospital rating 9 or 10 of 10 80% 71%
Nurses always communicated well 81% 80%
Doctors always communicated well 81% 78%
Given clear info about recovery 88% 88%
Room and bathroom always clean 67% 67%
Staff always explained meds 61% 59%
Quiet at night, always 65% 49%

Add your insurance.

Cash-pay is one number. With your insurance plan, the actual price differs. Pick your insurer in the comparison tool to see plan-specific rates at both hospitals.

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How to read this comparison.

The cash-pay price is what an uninsured patient would be charged at each hospital. It's the cleanest apples-to-apples comparison because it doesn't depend on your insurance plan.

The CMS rating is the federal quality composite, built from ~50 measures spanning safety, mortality, readmission, patient experience, and timeliness. A 5-star hospital may not be the best at every procedure, and a 3-star hospital can have a strong specific service line. Treat the rating as one input, not the answer.

For your specific insurance plan, prices can shift dramatically. Some hospitals negotiate steep discounts with one insurer and not another. Always check the plan-specific rate before you book.