Compatibility test each unit electronic 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

$8.76

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.

$17.00

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.

$4.93 with Blue Shield CA vs $217.73 with Blue Shield CA — 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 CA Commercial|Exchange $4.93 ↓ -44%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|> 21 $5.89 ↓ -33%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|< 21 $5.89 ↓ -33%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|All Other Plans $6.63 ↓ -24%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $10.20 ↑ +16%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $11.05 ↑ +26%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $11.05 ↑ +26%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Exchange $11.56 ↑ +32%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $11.73 ↑ +34%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $13.60 ↑ +55%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $15.13 ↑ +73%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $15.98 ↑ +82%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $17.00 ↑ +94%
LA Care Medicare|All Plans $17.00 ↑ +94%
Aetna Commercial|All Other Plans $17.00 ↑ +94%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $17.00 ↑ +94%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $17.00 ↑ +94%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $17.00 ↑ +94%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $17.00 ↑ +94%
United Commercial|HMO $17.00 ↑ +94%
United Commercial|Options PPO $17.00 ↑ +94%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $17.00 ↑ +94%
Health Net Medicare|All Plans $17.00 ↑ +94%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $17.00 ↑ +94%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Plans $17.00 ↑ +94%
Scan Health Plan Medicare|All Plans $17.00 ↑ +94%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $17.00 ↑ +94%
Allcare Commercial|All Plans $18.70 ↑ +113%
United Medicare|All Plans $217.73 ↑ +2386%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|All Plans $217.73 ↑ +2386%

Visitor-reported prices

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Compatibility test each unit electronic at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Banner Lassen Medical Center Susanville $252.58 $34.27 – $354.05
Petaluma Valley Hospital Petaluma $432.99 $69.25 – $287.00
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $80.51 $76.75 – $210.00
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $79.64 $6.76 – $210.00
Queen of The Valley Medical Center Napa $446.76 $87.51 – $287.00
Providence St Joseph Hospital Eureka Eureka $236.13 $99.24 – $287.00
St. Joseph's Behavioral Health Center Stockton $9.71 $1.70 – $13.60
Redwood Memorial Hospital Fortuna $351.39 $99.47 – $99.47

All California hospitals for this procedure →