Arthrocentesis/aspiration/injection intermediate joint/bursa w/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

$262.04

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.

$714.00

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.

$51.70 with Care 1st vs $7,821.00 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
Care 1st Medicaid|> 21 $51.70 ↓ -80%
LA Care Medicaid|< 21 $51.70 ↓ -80%
Kaiser Medicaid|< 21 $51.70 ↓ -80%
Kaiser Medicaid|> 21 $51.70 ↓ -80%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $51.70 ↓ -80%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $51.70 ↓ -80%
Care 1st Medicaid|< 21 $51.70 ↓ -80%
Molina Medicaid|< 21 $51.70 ↓ -80%
LA Care Medicaid|> 21 $51.70 ↓ -80%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|All Plans $59.47 ↓ -77%
Kern Health System Medicaid|> 21 $79.82 ↓ -70%
Kern Health System Medicaid|< 21 $79.82 ↓ -70%
Health Net Medicaid|GemCare $136.91 ↓ -48%
Health Net Medicaid|Non-GemCare $185.20 ↓ -29%
Western Growers Commercial|All Plans $392.70 ↑ +50%
CHN Sun View Commercial|All Plans $464.10 ↑ +77%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $499.80 ↑ +91%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $542.64 ↑ +107%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $564.06 ↑ +115%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|PremerTiered $578.34 ↑ +121%
United Commercial|HMO $706.86 ↑ +170%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Other Plans $714.00 ↑ +172%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $714.00 ↑ +172%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $714.00 ↑ +172%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $714.00 ↑ +172%
United Medicare|All Plans $714.00 ↑ +172%
United Commercial|Options PPO $714.00 ↑ +172%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $714.00 ↑ +172%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $714.00 ↑ +172%
Scan Health Plan Medicare|All Plans $714.00 ↑ +172%
BrightHealth Commercial|All Plans $714.00 ↑ +172%
HPN Medicare|All Plans $714.00 ↑ +172%
HPN Commercial|All Plans $785.40 ↑ +200%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|Burn $785.40 ↑ +200%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|All Plans $879.92 ↑ +236%
Health Net Medicare|All Plans $879.92 ↑ +236%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|Exchange $898.00 ↑ +243%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $971.04 ↑ +271%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|All Other Plans $1,871.00 ↑ +614%
Health Net Commercial|Exchange $3,753.00 ↑ +1332%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $3,842.00 ↑ +1366%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $4,056.00 ↑ +1448%
Health Net Commercial|Care Product $4,377.00 ↑ +1570%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Exchange $4,982.00 ↑ +1801%
Health Net Commercial|All Other Plans $5,242.00 ↑ +1900%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $5,793.00 ↑ +2111%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $7,821.00 ↑ +2885%

Visitor-reported prices

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Arthrocentesis/aspiration/injection intermediate joint/bursa w/ultrasound guidance (both sides) at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $264.90 $51.70 – $714.00
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $1,106.83 $63.59 – $1,617.30
Petaluma Valley Hospital Petaluma $1,305.09 $593.00 – $2,695.00
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $1,242.92 $51.70 – $2,656.78
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $1,022.73 $51.70 – $1,919.82
Queen of The Valley Medical Center Napa $2,007.36 $1,002.25 – $6,200.00
Providence St Joseph Hospital Eureka Eureka $8,347.17 $907.88 – $8,018.00
Healdsburg Hospital Healdsburg $792.03 $721.00 – $3,982.87

All California hospitals for this procedure →