Abdominal paracentesis w/image guidance at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center

501 S Buena Vista, Burbank, CA · Providence · · NPI 1336173269

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Apr 1, 2026 · Ingested Sep 11, 2026

$2,059.75

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.

$5,885.00

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.

$1,142.00 with Blue Shield vs $5,149.00 with Blue Cross — 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
Blue Shield Medicare Managed Care Plan $1,142.00 ↓ -45%
Aetna Medicare Managed Care Plan $1,166.53 ↓ -43%
Humana Medicare Managed Care Plan $1,189.87 ↓ -42%
Blue Cross Anthem Vivity City Of La Other Commercial Plan $1,222.15 ↓ -41%
Central Health Plan Medicare Managed Care Plan $1,283.19 ↓ -38%
Blue Cross Anthem Vivity Non City Of La Other Commercial Plan $1,376.49 ↓ -33%
La Care Health Plan Exchange $1,516.49 ↓ -26%
Healthnet Ambetter Hmo $2,158.09 ↑ +5%
Healthnet Ambetter Ppo $2,496.38 ↑ +21%
Cigna Ppo $2,581.00 ↑ +25%
Cigna Oap Hmo/Pos $2,581.00 ↑ +25%
Blue Shield Epn/Ifp Benefit Exchange $2,624.00 ↑ +27%
Unitedhealthcare Select/Navigate Hmo $2,654.00 ↑ +29%
Healthnet Blue And Gold Other Commercial Plan $2,719.00 ↑ +32%
Blue Shield Tandem Ppo/Blue High Performance Ppo/Epo $2,812.00 ↑ +37%
Unitedhealthcare All Commercial Plans $3,006.00 ↑ +46%
Blue Shield Hmo/Ppo/Epo $3,126.00 ↑ +52%
Healthnet Hmo/Pos $4,385.00 ↑ +113%
Healthnet Ppo/Epo $4,385.00 ↑ +113%
Blue Cross All Commercial Plans $5,149.00 ↑ +150%

Visitor-reported prices

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Abdominal paracentesis w/image guidance at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $635.54 $126.81 – $2,072.04
Banner Lassen Medical Center Susanville $840.39 $148.04 – $1,167.88
Petaluma Valley Hospital Petaluma $1,660.05 $1,222.26 – $4,657.00
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $1,746.67 $103.10 – $2,742.04
Mark Twain Medical Center San Andreas $1,631.70 $75.29 – $285.18
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $1,599.76 $103.10 – $2,518.60
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $680.05 $103.10 – $1,466.40
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $672.72 $103.10 – $1,448.07

All California hospitals for this procedure →