Sputum specimen collection at California Hospital Medical Center

1401 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA · CommonSpirit Health · · NPI 1114081056

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

$113.01

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.

$233.00

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.

$9.30 with Noble IPA vs $272.16 with LA Care — 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
Noble IPA Medicaid|< 21 $9.30 ↓ -92%
Noble IPA Medicaid|> 21 $9.30 ↓ -92%
Gold Coast Health Plan Medicaid|All Plans $10.33 ↓ -91%
Inland Empire Health Plan Medicaid|All Plans $10.33 ↓ -91%
Preferred IPA Medicaid|Risk $10.33 ↓ -91%
HCLA Medicaid|Preferred IPA > 21 $10.33 ↓ -91%
HCLA Medicaid|Preferred IPA < 21 $10.33 ↓ -91%
Angeles IPA Medicare|All Plans $10.33 ↓ -91%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|All Plans $12.91 ↓ -89%
Health Net Medicaid|< 21 $14.01 ↓ -88%
Health Net Medicaid|> 21 $14.01 ↓ -88%
Molina Medicaid|< 21 $14.46 ↓ -87%
Molina Medicaid|> 21 $14.46 ↓ -87%
Kaiser Medicaid|< 21 $15.50 ↓ -86%
Kaiser Medicaid|> 21 $15.50 ↓ -86%
LA Care Medicaid|All Plans $36.36 ↓ -68%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $37.75 ↓ -67%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $37.75 ↓ -67%
Blue Shield CA Medicaid|All Plans $51.65 ↓ -54%
Care 1st Medicaid|All Plans $51.65 ↓ -54%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|Exchange $55.92 ↓ -51%
DHR Medicaid|> 21 $58.25 ↓ -48%
DHR Medicaid|< 21 $58.25 ↓ -48%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $67.75 ↓ -40%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $67.75 ↓ -40%
Aetna Commercial|All Other Plans $67.75 ↓ -40%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Exchange $86.40 ↓ -24%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $130.81 ↑ +16%
HPN Commercial|All Plans $144.46 ↑ +28%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $160.77 ↑ +42%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $161.06 ↑ +43%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $163.10 ↑ +44%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|Promise $174.75 ↑ +55%
United Commercial|HMO $178.99 ↑ +58%
United Commercial|PPO $178.99 ↑ +58%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $179.41 ↑ +59%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $184.07 ↑ +63%
LA Care Medicare|All Plans $217.73 ↑ +93%
Central Health Plan Medicare|All Plans $217.73 ↑ +93%
Health Net Medicare|Senior $217.73 ↑ +93%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Plans $217.73 ↑ +93%
HCLA Medicare|Preferred IPA $217.73 ↑ +93%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $217.73 ↑ +93%
Preferred IPA Medicare|All Plans $217.73 ↑ +93%
Scan Health Plan Medicare|All Plans $217.73 ↑ +93%
Health Net Medicare|All Other Plans $217.73 ↑ +93%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|All Other Plans $217.73 ↑ +93%
United Medicare|All Plans $217.73 ↑ +93%
EasyChoice Medicare|All Plans $217.73 ↑ +93%
GlobalCare Commercial|All Plans $217.73 ↑ +93%
Molina Medicare|All Plans $217.73 ↑ +93%
Noble IPA Medicare|All Plans $228.62 ↑ +102%
HPN Medicare|Senior $239.50 ↑ +112%
Central California Alliance for Health Medicaid|All Plans $242.56 ↑ +115%
HCLA Commercial|Preferred IPA $272.16 ↑ +141%
LA Care Commercial|All Plans $272.16 ↑ +141%

Visitor-reported prices

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Sputum specimen collection at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Banner Lassen Medical Center Susanville $252.58 $17.04 – $354.05
Petaluma Valley Hospital Petaluma not published $84.47 – $287.00
Queen of The Valley Medical Center Napa not published $111.75 – $287.00
Providence St Joseph Hospital Eureka Eureka not published $126.72 – $287.00
Healdsburg Hospital Healdsburg not published $48.50 – $229.55
Redwood Memorial Hospital Fortuna not published $127.02 – $127.02
Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital Santa Rosa not published $94.91 – $287.00
Providence Mission Hospital - Mission Viejo Mission Viejo not published $117.22 – $405.38

All California hospitals for this procedure →