Homovanillic acid (hva) 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

$5.45

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.

$14.85

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.

$7.35 with Western Growers vs $64.41 with Cigna — 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 $7.35 ↑ +35%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|Exchange $9.56 ↑ +75%
CHN Sun View Commercial|All Plans $9.56 ↑ +75%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|PremerTiered $9.71 ↑ +78%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $10.29 ↑ +89%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Exchange $10.74 ↑ +97%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $11.18 ↑ +105%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $11.62 ↑ +113%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $12.50 ↑ +129%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|All Other Plans $13.23 ↑ +143%
United Commercial|Options PPO $14.70 ↑ +170%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $14.70 ↑ +170%
Health Net Medicare|All Plans $14.70 ↑ +170%
Health Net Medicaid|GemCare $14.70 ↑ +170%
Health Net Medicaid|Non-GemCare $14.70 ↑ +170%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $14.70 ↑ +170%
Kaiser Medicaid|< 21 $14.70 ↑ +170%
Kaiser Medicaid|> 21 $14.70 ↑ +170%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|All Plans $14.70 ↑ +170%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Other Plans $14.70 ↑ +170%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $14.70 ↑ +170%
LA Care Medicaid|> 21 $14.70 ↑ +170%
Care 1st Medicaid|> 21 $14.70 ↑ +170%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $14.70 ↑ +170%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $14.70 ↑ +170%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $14.70 ↑ +170%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $14.70 ↑ +170%
Molina Medicaid|< 21 $14.70 ↑ +170%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $14.70 ↑ +170%
United Medicare|All Plans $14.70 ↑ +170%
United Commercial|HMO $14.70 ↑ +170%
HPN Medicare|All Plans $14.70 ↑ +170%
Kern Health System Medicaid|< 21 $14.70 ↑ +170%
Kern Health System Medicaid|> 21 $14.70 ↑ +170%
LA Care Medicaid|< 21 $14.70 ↑ +170%
Care 1st Medicaid|< 21 $14.70 ↑ +170%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|All Plans $14.70 ↑ +170%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $14.70 ↑ +170%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $14.70 ↑ +170%
Scan Health Plan Medicare|All Plans $14.70 ↑ +170%
BrightHealth Commercial|All Plans $15.59 ↑ +186%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|Burn $16.17 ↑ +197%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $20.00 ↑ +267%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $64.41 ↑ +1082%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $64.41 ↑ +1082%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
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Homovanillic acid (hva) at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $5.51 $7.35 – $64.41
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $6.44 $3.97 – $59.47
Banner Lassen Medical Center Susanville $10.64 $4.48 – $18.81
Petaluma Valley Hospital Petaluma $6.63 $21.96 – $134.04
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $6.36 $7.35 – $57.76
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $5.83 $3.97 – $67.90
Queen of The Valley Medical Center Napa $6.63 $22.41 – $169.39
Providence St Joseph Hospital Eureka Eureka $6.63 $22.41 – $192.09

All California hospitals for this procedure →