Arthrocentesis/aspiration/inj major joint/bursa without Ultrasound guidance (both sides) at Bakersfield Memorial Hospital

420 34th St., Bakersfield, CA · CommonSpirit Health · · NPI 1467538520

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Feb 28, 2026 · Ingested Sep 10, 2026

$338.75

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.

$923.00

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.

$52.54 with Molina vs $10,056.00 with BCBS - Anthem — 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
Molina Medicaid|< 21 $52.54 ↓ -84%
Kaiser Medicaid|< 21 $52.54 ↓ -84%
LA Care Medicaid|< 21 $52.54 ↓ -84%
Kaiser Medicaid|> 21 $52.54 ↓ -84%
Care 1st Medicaid|< 21 $52.54 ↓ -84%
LA Care Medicaid|> 21 $52.54 ↓ -84%
Care 1st Medicaid|> 21 $52.54 ↓ -84%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $52.54 ↓ -84%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $52.54 ↓ -84%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|All Plans $86.70 ↓ -74%
Kern Health System Medicaid|< 21 $116.39 ↓ -66%
Kern Health System Medicaid|> 21 $116.39 ↓ -66%
Health Net Medicaid|GemCare $199.64 ↓ -41%
Health Net Medicaid|Non-GemCare $270.06 ↓ -20%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Other Plans $375.07 ↑ +11%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $375.07 ↑ +11%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $375.07 ↑ +11%
United Medicare|All Plans $375.07 ↑ +11%
Health Net Medicare|All Plans $375.07 ↑ +11%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $375.07 ↑ +11%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|All Plans $375.07 ↑ +11%
Scan Health Plan Medicare|All Plans $375.07 ↑ +11%
BrightHealth Commercial|All Plans $375.07 ↑ +11%
HPN Medicare|All Plans $375.07 ↑ +11%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|Burn $412.58 ↑ +22%
HPN Commercial|All Plans $412.58 ↑ +22%
Western Growers Commercial|All Plans $507.65 ↑ +50%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $510.10 ↑ +51%
CHN Sun View Commercial|All Plans $599.95 ↑ +77%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $646.10 ↑ +91%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $701.48 ↑ +107%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $729.17 ↑ +115%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|PremerTiered $747.63 ↑ +121%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|Exchange $898.00 ↑ +165%
United Commercial|HMO $913.77 ↑ +170%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $923.00 ↑ +172%
United Commercial|Options PPO $923.00 ↑ +172%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $923.00 ↑ +172%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|All Other Plans $1,871.00 ↑ +452%
Health Net Commercial|Exchange $3,123.00 ↑ +822%
Health Net Commercial|Care Product $3,643.00 ↑ +975%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $3,842.00 ↑ +1034%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $4,056.00 ↑ +1097%
Health Net Commercial|All Other Plans $4,362.00 ↑ +1188%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Exchange $6,406.00 ↑ +1791%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $7,449.00 ↑ +2099%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $10,056.00 ↑ +2869%

Visitor-reported prices

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Arthrocentesis/aspiration/inj major joint/bursa without Ultrasound guidance (both sides) at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $348.00 $52.54 – $738.40
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $454.65 $64.62 – $682.44
Banner Lassen Medical Center Susanville $1,035.83 $96.71 – $959.33
Petaluma Valley Hospital Petaluma $1,317.84 $413.65 – $1,687.00
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $752.00 $52.54 – $994.70
Mark Twain Medical Center San Andreas $1,094.24 $31.05 – $117.60
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $605.25 $52.54 – $876.12
Queen of The Valley Medical Center Napa $2,007.36 $435.83 – $7,745.00

All California hospitals for this procedure →