Lithium therapeutic drug level at Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield

2215 Truxtun Ave., Bakersfield, CA · CommonSpirit Health · · NPI 1104981661

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Feb 28, 2026 · Ingested Sep 10, 2026

$57.51

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.

$155.00

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.

$6.61 with United vs $69.00 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
United Medicare|All Plans $6.61 ↓ -89%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $6.61 ↓ -89%
HPN Medicare|All Plans $6.61 ↓ -89%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $6.61 ↓ -89%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|All Plans $6.61 ↓ -89%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Plans $6.61 ↓ -89%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $6.61 ↓ -89%
United Commercial|Options PPO $7.93 ↓ -86%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $7.93 ↓ -86%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $7.93 ↓ -86%
United Commercial|HMO $7.93 ↓ -86%
Kern Health System Medicaid|> 21 $8.26 ↓ -86%
Kern Health System Medicaid|< 21 $8.26 ↓ -86%
Care 1st Medicaid|< 21 $8.43 ↓ -85%
Care 1st Medicaid|> 21 $8.43 ↓ -85%
Molina Medicaid|< 21 $8.43 ↓ -85%
Molina Medicaid|> 21 $8.43 ↓ -85%
Kaiser Medicaid|< 21 $8.43 ↓ -85%
Kaiser Medicaid|> 21 $8.43 ↓ -85%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|< 21 $8.43 ↓ -85%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|> 21 $8.43 ↓ -85%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $8.43 ↓ -85%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $8.43 ↓ -85%
LA Care Medicaid|< 21 $8.43 ↓ -85%
LA Care Medicaid|> 21 $8.43 ↓ -85%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $14.81 ↓ -74%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $19.01 ↓ -67%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $19.01 ↓ -67%
Health Net Medicaid|GemCare $20.32 ↓ -65%
Health Net Medicaid|Non-GemCare $27.48 ↓ -52%
Western Growers Commercial|All Plans $34.50 ↓ -40%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $35.46 ↓ -38%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $37.22 ↓ -35%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Exchange $43.47 ↓ -24%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|Exchange $44.16 ↓ -23%
CHN Sun View Commercial|All Plans $44.85 ↓ -22%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $48.30 ↓ -16%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $52.44 ↓ -9%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $55.20 ↓ -4%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|All Other Plans $55.20 ↓ -4%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $59.34 ↑ +3%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $69.00 ↑ +20%

Visitor-reported prices

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Lithium therapeutic drug level at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $56.89 $6.61 – $54.51
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $139.29 $6.61 – $20.63
Banner Lassen Medical Center Susanville $12.52 $1.32 – $19.40
Petaluma Valley Hospital Petaluma $97.92 $6.48 – $53.91
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $122.41 $6.61 – $22.54
Mark Twain Medical Center San Andreas $85.92 $6.61 – $16.20
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $112.12 $6.21 – $22.54
Queen of The Valley Medical Center Napa $341.19 $6.61 – $68.13

All California hospitals for this procedure →