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

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

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

Head-to-head, by procedure.

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

Patient experience.

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

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

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.

Open comparison →

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.