Inj cntr knee arthro incl ct/mri 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

$461.96

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.

$897.00

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.

$130.68 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 $130.68 ↓ -72%
Molina Medicaid|< 21 $130.68 ↓ -72%
Molina Medicaid|> 21 $130.68 ↓ -72%
Kaiser Medicaid|< 21 $130.68 ↓ -72%
Kaiser Medicaid|> 21 $130.68 ↓ -72%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $130.68 ↓ -72%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $130.68 ↓ -72%
Kern Health System Medicaid|< 21 $130.68 ↓ -72%
Kern Health System Medicaid|> 21 $130.68 ↓ -72%
California Health & Wellness Medicaid|< 21 $130.68 ↓ -72%
California Health & Wellness Medicaid|> 21 $130.68 ↓ -72%
Central California Alliance for Health Medicaid|All Plans $130.68 ↓ -72%
Health Plan of San Joaquin Medicaid|< 21 $130.68 ↓ -72%
Health Plan of San Joaquin Medicaid|> 21 $130.68 ↓ -72%
Inland Empire Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $130.68 ↓ -72%
Western Growers Commercial|All Plans $192.50 ↓ -58%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $246.40 ↓ -47%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $250.25 ↓ -46%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $250.25 ↓ -46%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $265.65 ↓ -42%
Health Net Medicaid|All Plans $282.27 ↓ -39%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $308.00 ↓ -33%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|< 21 $332.87 ↓ -28%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|> 21 $332.87 ↓ -28%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $361.90 ↓ -22%
United Commercial|HMO $381.15 ↓ -17%
United Commercial|Options PPO $385.00 ↓ -17%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $385.00 ↓ -17%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $385.00 ↓ -17%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Exchange $4,116.00 ↑ +791%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $5,322.00 ↑ +1052%
Aetna Commercial|All Other Plans $5,322.00 ↑ +1052%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $5,322.00 ↑ +1052%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $5,416.00 ↑ +1072%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $8,557.00 ↑ +1752%

Visitor-reported prices

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Inj cntr knee arthro incl ct/mri at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $179.58 $110.70 – $319.80
Banner Lassen Medical Center Susanville $210.89 $110.29 – $260.93
Petaluma Valley Hospital Petaluma $278.46 $1,687.00 – $10,997.00
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $467.81 $130.68 – $975.10
Mark Twain Medical Center San Andreas $1,269.40 $130.68 – $859.46
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $390.04 $91.80 – $333.20
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $329.45 $130.68 – $790.32
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $325.90 $130.68 – $879.12

All California hospitals for this procedure →