Injection of sinus tract 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

$1,901.90

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.

$3,693.00

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.

$121.76 with California Health & Wellness vs $11,054.00 with Health Net — 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
California Health & Wellness Medicaid|< 21 $121.76 ↓ -94%
Kern Health System Medicaid|> 21 $121.76 ↓ -94%
Kern Health System Medicaid|< 21 $121.76 ↓ -94%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $121.76 ↓ -94%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $121.76 ↓ -94%
Molina Medicaid|< 21 $121.76 ↓ -94%
Molina Medicaid|> 21 $121.76 ↓ -94%
Health Plan of San Joaquin Medicaid|< 21 $121.76 ↓ -94%
Inland Empire Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $121.76 ↓ -94%
Inland Empire Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $121.76 ↓ -94%
California Health & Wellness Medicaid|> 21 $121.76 ↓ -94%
Health Plan of San Joaquin Medicaid|> 21 $121.76 ↓ -94%
Kaiser Medicaid|< 21 $121.76 ↓ -94%
Kaiser Medicaid|> 21 $121.76 ↓ -94%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|< 21 $175.03 ↓ -91%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|> 21 $175.03 ↓ -91%
Central California Alliance for Health Medicaid|All Plans $191.94 ↓ -90%
Health Net Medicaid|All Plans $414.59 ↓ -78%
Western Growers Commercial|All Plans $795.00 ↓ -58%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $1,017.60 ↓ -46%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $1,033.50 ↓ -46%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $1,033.50 ↓ -46%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $1,097.10 ↓ -42%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $1,272.00 ↓ -33%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $1,494.60 ↓ -21%
United Commercial|HMO $1,574.10 ↓ -17%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $1,590.00 ↓ -16%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $1,590.00 ↓ -16%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $1,590.00 ↓ -16%
United Commercial|Options PPO $1,590.00 ↓ -16%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $1,590.00 ↓ -16%
Health Net Medicare|All Plans $1,590.00 ↓ -16%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $1,590.00 ↓ -16%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Plans $1,590.00 ↓ -16%
Scan Health Plan Medicare|All Plans $1,590.00 ↓ -16%
LA Care Medicare|All Plans $1,590.00 ↓ -16%
United Medicare|All Plans $1,882.11 ↓ -1%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|All Plans $1,882.11 ↓ -1%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Exchange $4,116.00 ↑ +116%
Aetna Commercial|All Other Plans $5,322.00 ↑ +180%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $5,322.00 ↑ +180%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $5,322.00 ↑ +180%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $5,416.00 ↑ +185%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $8,557.00 ↑ +350%
Health Net Commercial|Care Product $9,710.00 ↑ +411%
Health Net Commercial|FFS $11,054.00 ↑ +481%

Visitor-reported prices

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Injection of sinus tract at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $764.31 $149.76 – $3,484.24
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $2,446.45 $121.76 – $5,601.68
Mark Twain Medical Center San Andreas $1,995.34 $121.76 – $1,286.74
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $2,240.68 $121.76 – $5,601.68
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $1,350.07 $121.76 – $2,911.20
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $1,335.52 $121.76 – $2,874.81
St. Joseph's Medical Center Stockton Stockton $1,294.19 $121.76 – $2,101.64
Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital Santa Rosa $2,178.72 $691.00 – $4,737.00

All California hospitals for this procedure →