Potassium hydroxide preps 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

$5.57

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.

$15.00

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.

$4.65 with LA Care vs $16.76 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
LA Care Medicaid|> 21 $4.65 ↓ -17%
Care 1st Medicaid|> 21 $4.65 ↓ -17%
Molina Medicaid|< 21 $4.65 ↓ -17%
Molina Medicaid|> 21 $4.65 ↓ -17%
Kaiser Medicaid|< 21 $4.65 ↓ -17%
Kaiser Medicaid|> 21 $4.65 ↓ -17%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|< 21 $4.65 ↓ -17%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|> 21 $4.65 ↓ -17%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $4.65 ↓ -17%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $4.65 ↓ -17%
LA Care Medicaid|< 21 $4.65 ↓ -17%
Care 1st Medicaid|< 21 $4.65 ↓ -17%
HPN Medicare|All Plans $5.83 ↑ +5%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Plans $5.83 ↑ +5%
United Medicare|All Plans $5.83 ↑ +5%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|All Plans $5.83 ↑ +5%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $5.83 ↑ +5%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $5.83 ↑ +5%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $5.83 ↑ +5%
Kern Health System Medicaid|< 21 $6.53 ↑ +17%
Kern Health System Medicaid|> 21 $6.53 ↑ +17%
United Commercial|Options PPO $7.00 ↑ +26%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $7.00 ↑ +26%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $7.00 ↑ +26%
United Commercial|HMO $7.00 ↑ +26%
Western Growers Commercial|All Plans $7.50 ↑ +35%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Exchange $9.45 ↑ +70%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|Exchange $9.60 ↑ +72%
CHN Sun View Commercial|All Plans $9.75 ↑ +75%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $10.50 ↑ +89%
Health Net Medicaid|GemCare $11.21 ↑ +101%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $11.40 ↑ +105%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $12.00 ↑ +115%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|All Other Plans $12.00 ↑ +115%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $12.90 ↑ +132%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $13.06 ↑ +134%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $15.00 ↑ +169%
Health Net Medicaid|Non-GemCare $15.00 ↑ +169%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $16.76 ↑ +201%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $16.76 ↑ +201%

Visitor-reported prices

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Potassium hydroxide preps at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $5.51 $4.65 – $16.76
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $114.71 $4.65 – $16.66
Mark Twain Medical Center San Andreas $33.97 $4.65 – $42.14
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $105.06 $4.59 – $17.66
St. Joseph's Behavioral Health Center Stockton $9.71 $1.70 – $13.60
St. Joseph's Medical Center Stockton Stockton $34.70 $3.15 – $12.30
Mercy Medical Center Mt. Shasta Mt Shasta $111.26 $4.65 – $19.60
Mercy Medical Center Merced Merced $7.73 $4.35 – $14.10

All California hospitals for this procedure →