Observation direct referral from physician office for admission 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

$273.42

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.

$745.00

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.

$25.00 with BCBS - Anthem vs $11,882.00 with United — 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
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|All Plans $25.00 ↓ -91%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|Exchange $63.00 ↓ -77%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|All Other Plans $69.00 ↓ -75%
Kern Health System Medicaid|> 21 $201.15 ↓ -26%
Kern Health System Medicaid|< 21 $201.15 ↓ -26%
Western Growers Commercial|All Plans $338.50 ↑ +24%
CHN Sun View Commercial|All Plans $440.05 ↑ +61%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $473.90 ↑ +73%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $514.52 ↑ +88%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $534.83 ↑ +96%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Exchange $534.83 ↑ +96%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $561.91 ↑ +106%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $561.91 ↑ +106%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|PremerTiered $603.45 ↑ +121%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $622.84 ↑ +128%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $677.00 ↑ +148%
United Medicare|All Plans $677.00 ↑ +148%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $677.00 ↑ +148%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $677.00 ↑ +148%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Other Plans $677.00 ↑ +148%
Scan Health Plan Medicare|All Plans $677.00 ↑ +148%
BrightHealth Commercial|All Plans $677.00 ↑ +148%
HPN Medicare|All Plans $677.00 ↑ +148%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $677.00 ↑ +148%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|Burn $744.70 ↑ +172%
HPN Commercial|All Plans $744.70 ↑ +172%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $745.00 ↑ +172%
Health Net Medicare|All Plans $779.00 ↑ +185%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|All Plans $779.00 ↑ +185%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $920.72 ↑ +237%
United Commercial|HMO $11,631.00 ↑ +4154%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $11,882.00 ↑ +4246%
United Commercial|Options PPO $11,882.00 ↑ +4246%

Visitor-reported prices

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Observation direct referral from physician office for admission at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $276.40 $63.00 – $745.00
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $321.93 $63.00 – $3,227.50
Banner Lassen Medical Center Susanville $738.37 $122.62 – $634.38
Petaluma Valley Hospital Petaluma $1,117.92 $802.54 – $818.92
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $313.30 $63.00 – $732.00
Mark Twain Medical Center San Andreas $602.73 $234.13 – $886.90
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $286.95 $63.00 – $677.00
Queen of The Valley Medical Center Napa $1,312.74 $845.57 – $845.57

All California hospitals for this procedure →