Assess cyst contrast inject at Mercy Medical Center Merced

333 Mercy Ave., Merced, CA · CommonSpirit Health · · NPI 1518018191

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

$280.16

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.

$544.00

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.

$41.01 with Inland Empire Health Plan vs $8,557.00 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
Inland Empire Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $41.01 ↓ -85%
Molina Medicaid|< 21 $41.01 ↓ -85%
Molina Medicaid|> 21 $41.01 ↓ -85%
Kaiser Medicaid|< 21 $41.01 ↓ -85%
Kaiser Medicaid|> 21 $41.01 ↓ -85%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $41.01 ↓ -85%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $41.01 ↓ -85%
Kern Health System Medicaid|< 21 $41.01 ↓ -85%
Kern Health System Medicaid|> 21 $41.01 ↓ -85%
California Health & Wellness Medicaid|< 21 $41.01 ↓ -85%
California Health & Wellness Medicaid|> 21 $41.01 ↓ -85%
Health Plan of San Joaquin Medicaid|< 21 $41.01 ↓ -85%
Health Plan of San Joaquin Medicaid|> 21 $41.01 ↓ -85%
Inland Empire Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $41.01 ↓ -85%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|< 21 $58.96 ↓ -79%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|> 21 $58.96 ↓ -79%
Central California Alliance for Health Medicaid|All Plans $64.65 ↓ -77%
Western Growers Commercial|All Plans $116.50 ↓ -58%
Health Net Medicaid|All Plans $139.64 ↓ -50%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $149.12 ↓ -47%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $151.45 ↓ -46%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $151.45 ↓ -46%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $160.77 ↓ -43%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $186.40 ↓ -33%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $219.02 ↓ -22%
United Commercial|HMO $230.67 ↓ -18%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $233.00 ↓ -17%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $233.00 ↓ -17%
United Commercial|Options PPO $233.00 ↓ -17%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Exchange $4,116.00 ↑ +1369%
Aetna Commercial|All Other Plans $5,322.00 ↑ +1800%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $5,322.00 ↑ +1800%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $5,322.00 ↑ +1800%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $5,416.00 ↑ +1833%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $8,557.00 ↑ +2954%

Visitor-reported prices

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Assess cyst contrast inject at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $180.02 $50.44 – $320.58
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $140.39 $41.01 – $299.88
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $128.58 $41.01 – $298.90
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $198.12 $41.01 – $455.68
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $195.98 $41.01 – $528.66
Queen of The Valley Medical Center Napa $499.29 $300.44 – $6,200.00
St. Joseph's Medical Center Stockton Stockton $590.36 $41.01 – $409.92
Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital Santa Rosa $262.65 $290.27 – $4,042.00

All California hospitals for this procedure →