Tc-99m sulfur colloid 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

$130.29

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.

$355.00

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.

$42.56 with LA Care vs $153.00 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
LA Care Medicaid|> 21 $42.56 ↓ -67%
Care 1st Medicaid|> 21 $42.56 ↓ -67%
Molina Medicaid|< 21 $42.56 ↓ -67%
Kaiser Medicaid|< 21 $42.56 ↓ -67%
Kaiser Medicaid|> 21 $42.56 ↓ -67%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $42.56 ↓ -67%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $42.56 ↓ -67%
LA Care Medicaid|< 21 $42.56 ↓ -67%
Care 1st Medicaid|< 21 $42.56 ↓ -67%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|All Plans $56.18 ↓ -57%
Kern Health System Medicaid|> 21 $59.80 ↓ -54%
Kern Health System Medicaid|< 21 $59.80 ↓ -54%
Western Growers Commercial|All Plans $76.50 ↓ -41%
CHN Sun View Commercial|All Plans $99.45 ↓ -24%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|PremerTiered $100.98 ↓ -22%
Health Net Medicaid|GemCare $102.57 ↓ -21%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Exchange $104.67 ↓ -20%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $107.10 ↓ -18%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $116.28 ↓ -11%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $120.87 ↓ -7%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $121.71 ↓ -7%
Health Net Medicaid|Non-GemCare $138.75 ↑ +6%
United Commercial|Options PPO $153.00 ↑ +17%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $153.00 ↑ +17%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $153.00 ↑ +17%
United Commercial|HMO $153.00 ↑ +17%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $153.00 ↑ +17%

Visitor-reported prices

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Tc-99m sulfur colloid at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $131.71 $42.56 – $153.00
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $139.73 $64.39 – $248.82
Banner Lassen Medical Center Susanville $204.92 $70.22 – $285.18
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $212.29 $42.56 – $486.08
Mark Twain Medical Center San Andreas $513.49 $42.56 – $643.86
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $153.67 $42.56 – $376.00
St. Joseph's Medical Center Stockton Stockton $245.20 $32.13 – $900.49
Mercy Medical Center Mt. Shasta Mt Shasta $231.85 $42.56 – $292.04

All California hospitals for this procedure →