Corneal smear at ADVENTIST HEALTH MENDOCINO COAST

700 River Dr, Fort Bragg, CA · Adventisthealth · · NPI 1538113725

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Aug 2, 2026 · Ingested Sep 16, 2026

$232.98

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.

$353.00

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.

$30.00 with MEDI-CAL vs $353.00 with BEECH STREET - ALL PLANS — 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
MEDI-CAL MEDI-CAL $30.00 ↓ -87%
PARTNERSHIP HP MCAL-ALL PLANS PARTNERSHIP HP MCAL-ALL PLANS $43.50 ↓ -81%
CIGNA - ALL PLANS CIGNA - ALL PLANS $87.88 ↓ -62%
UHC MCR ADV UHC MCR ADV $87.88 ↓ -62%
TRICARE BLUE SHIELD TRICARE BLUE SHIELD $87.88 ↓ -62%
AH EMPLOYEE HEALTH PLAN - ALL PLANS AH EMPLOYEE HEALTH PLAN - ALL PLANS $96.67 ↓ -59%
BLUE CROSS - ALL OTHER PLANS BLUE CROSS - ALL OTHER PLANS $112.70 ↓ -52%
HEALTHNET - ALL PLANS HEALTHNET - ALL PLANS $128.04 ↓ -45%
UHC ALL PAYER - ALL OTHER PLANS UHC ALL PAYER - ALL OTHER PLANS $134.51 ↓ -42%
UHC JLL CSP UHC JLL CSP $134.51 ↓ -42%
BLUE SHIELD EPN BLUE SHIELD EPN $165.29 ↓ -29%
BLUE SHIELD - ALL OTHER PLANS BLUE SHIELD - ALL OTHER PLANS $174.68 ↓ -25%
AHCC - ALL PLANS AHCC - ALL PLANS $353.00 ↑ +52%
GREAT WEST HMO/POS/EPO/OA GREAT WEST HMO/POS/EPO/OA $353.00 ↑ +52%
MULTIPLAN - ALL PLANS MULTIPLAN - ALL PLANS $353.00 ↑ +52%
GREAT WEST PPO - ALL OTHER PLANS GREAT WEST PPO - ALL OTHER PLANS $353.00 ↑ +52%
BEECH STREET - ALL PLANS BEECH STREET - ALL PLANS $353.00 ↑ +52%

Visitor-reported prices

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Corneal smear at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Fresno Medical Center FRESNO $728.00 not published
Antioch Medical Center ANTIOCH $728.00 not published
Redwood City Medical Center Redwood City $728.00 not published
Santa Clara Medical Center SANTA CLARA $728.00 not published
Baldwin Park Medical Center BALDWIN PARK $561.60 not published
Riverside Medical Center RIVERSIDE $561.60 not published
Fremont Medical Center FREMONT $728.00 not published
Panorama Medical Center PANORAMA CITY $561.60 not published

All California hospitals for this procedure →