Consultation pathology during surgery cytological exam initial site 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

$315.99

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.

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What you pay up front if you don't use insurance.

$861.00

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.

$22.59 with Western Growers vs $1,037.95 with Health Net — 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
Western Growers Commercial|All Plans $22.59 ↓ -93%
CHN Sun View Commercial|All Plans $29.37 ↓ -91%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|PremerTiered $29.82 ↓ -91%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $31.63 ↓ -90%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Exchange $32.99 ↓ -90%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $34.34 ↓ -89%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $35.70 ↓ -89%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $38.41 ↓ -88%
United Medicare|All Plans $45.18 ↓ -86%
United Commercial|HMO $45.18 ↓ -86%
United Commercial|Options PPO $45.18 ↓ -86%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $45.18 ↓ -86%
Health Net Medicaid|GemCare $45.18 ↓ -86%
Health Net Medicaid|Non-GemCare $45.18 ↓ -86%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $45.18 ↓ -86%
Kaiser Medicaid|< 21 $45.18 ↓ -86%
Kaiser Medicaid|> 21 $45.18 ↓ -86%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|All Plans $45.18 ↓ -86%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $45.18 ↓ -86%
Care 1st Medicaid|> 21 $45.18 ↓ -86%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $45.18 ↓ -86%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $45.18 ↓ -86%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $45.18 ↓ -86%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $45.18 ↓ -86%
Molina Medicaid|< 21 $45.18 ↓ -86%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $45.18 ↓ -86%
Scan Health Plan Medicare|All Plans $45.18 ↓ -86%
BrightHealth Commercial|All Plans $45.18 ↓ -86%
HPN Medicare|All Plans $45.18 ↓ -86%
Kern Health System Medicaid|< 21 $45.18 ↓ -86%
Kern Health System Medicaid|> 21 $45.18 ↓ -86%
LA Care Medicaid|< 21 $45.18 ↓ -86%
LA Care Medicaid|> 21 $45.18 ↓ -86%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Other Plans $45.18 ↓ -86%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $45.18 ↓ -86%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $45.18 ↓ -86%
Care 1st Medicaid|< 21 $45.18 ↓ -86%
HPN Commercial|All Plans $49.70 ↓ -84%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|Burn $49.70 ↓ -84%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $61.45 ↓ -81%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $94.48 ↓ -70%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $94.48 ↓ -70%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|All Plans $1,037.95 ↑ +228%
Health Net Medicare|All Plans $1,037.95 ↑ +228%

Visitor-reported prices

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Consultation pathology during surgery cytological exam initial site at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $319.44 $22.59 – $94.48
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $351.28 $87.23 – $1,604.00
Petaluma Valley Hospital Petaluma $1,900.26 $133.99 – $1,256.40
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $3,134.25 $79.42 – $2,511.74
Mark Twain Medical Center San Andreas $26.64 $8.56 – $33.06
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $2,870.62 $79.42 – $2,511.74
Queen of The Valley Medical Center Napa $1,407.60 $169.32 – $1,256.40
Providence St Joseph Hospital Eureka Eureka $797.64 $192.01 – $1,256.40

All California hospitals for this procedure →