Itemized  ·  Compare  ·  Northwestern Memorial Hospital vs John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital

Northwestern Memorial Hospital vs John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital.

Side-by-side prices for 38 procedures both hospitals publish, plus CMS quality ratings and metro context. Pulled from each hospital's federally-mandated price transparency file. John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital is cheaper on more procedures (36 vs 1).

Northwestern Memorial Hospital
Chicago, IL
Northwestern Medicine
5/5 CMS
Cheaper on 1 of 38 procedures
vs.
John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital
Chicago, IL
Cook County Health
3/5 CMS
Cheaper on 36 of 38 procedures

Head-to-head, by procedure.

Procedure Northwestern John Cheaper
Brain MRI without contrast $3,887 $126 John ↓
Brain MRI with and without contrast $5,385 $195 John ↓
Lumbar spine MRI without contrast $3,837 $127 John ↓
Knee/lower-extremity MRI without contrast $3,835 $116 John ↓
CT abdomen and pelvis with contrast $6,049 $156 John ↓
Abdominal ultrasound, complete $1,772 $69 John ↓
Mammogram, screening $524 $65 John ↓
DXA bone density scan $637 $18 John ↓
Chest X-ray, single view $538 $16 John ↓
Comprehensive metabolic panel $307 $19 John ↓
Lipid panel $184 $24 John ↓
CBC with differential $78 $14 John ↓
TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) $162 $29 John ↓
Hemoglobin A1c $117 $18 John ↓
Urinalysis $22 — tie
Knee arthroscopy with meniscectomy $4,871 $1,014 John ↓
Total knee replacement $34,606 $2,345 John ↓
Total hip replacement $34,606 $2,352 John ↓
Laparoscopic cholecystectomy $15,823 $1,315 John ↓
Inguinal hernia repair, open $4,658 $1,049 John ↓
Cataract surgery, one eye $6,722 $855 John ↓
Colonoscopy, diagnostic $2,525 $321 John ↓
Colonoscopy with polyp removal $4,094 $433 John ↓
Upper endoscopy (EGD) with biopsy $3,218 $238 John ↓
Echocardiogram, complete with Doppler $3,278 $123 John ↓
Office visit, established patient, level 3 $151 $109 John ↓
Office visit, established patient, level 4 $165 $160 John ↓
Carpal tunnel release $12,723 $946 John ↓
Lumbar epidural steroid injection $2,570 $188 John ↓
Polysomnography (sleep study) $3,990 $219 John ↓
Septoplasty (deviated septum repair) $4,229 $1,156 John ↓
Total abdominal hysterectomy $48,384 $1,901 John ↓
Thyroid ultrasound $1,343 $49 John ↓
New patient office visit, level 3 $380 $139 John ↓
New patient office visit, level 4 $438 $224 John ↓
Ureteroscopy with lithotripsy (kidney stone) $35,981 $676 John ↓
Carotid duplex ultrasound $2,337 $71 John ↓
Psychotherapy, 45 minutes $134 $164 Northwestern ↓

Patient experience.

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

Measure Northwestern John
HCAHPS overall star rating 4/5 2/5
Would definitely recommend 82% 68%
Hospital rating 9 or 10 of 10 80% 65%
Nurses always communicated well 81% 69%
Doctors always communicated well 81% 79%
Given clear info about recovery 88% 80%
Room and bathroom always clean 67% 58%
Staff always explained meds 61% 50%
Quiet at night, always 65% 48%

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.