Myelogphy 2/> spine regions 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

$2,045.07

Cash price

?

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.

$3,971.00

Gross charge

?

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.

$161.97 with Kaiser vs $1,818.00 with BCBS - Anthem — same scan, same building. Share

Negotiated rates by payer
?

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
?

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
?

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
Kaiser Medicaid|< 21 $161.97 ↓ -92%
Central California Alliance for Health Medicaid|All Plans $161.97 ↓ -92%
California Health & Wellness Medicaid|> 21 $161.97 ↓ -92%
California Health & Wellness Medicaid|< 21 $161.97 ↓ -92%
Kern Health System Medicaid|> 21 $161.97 ↓ -92%
Kern Health System Medicaid|< 21 $161.97 ↓ -92%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $161.97 ↓ -92%
Kaiser Medicaid|> 21 $161.97 ↓ -92%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $161.97 ↓ -92%
Inland Empire Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $161.97 ↓ -92%
Health Plan of San Joaquin Medicaid|> 21 $161.97 ↓ -92%
Molina Medicaid|< 21 $161.97 ↓ -92%
Molina Medicaid|> 21 $161.97 ↓ -92%
Health Plan of San Joaquin Medicaid|< 21 $161.97 ↓ -92%
Inland Empire Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $161.97 ↓ -92%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|> 21 $233.77 ↓ -89%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|< 21 $233.77 ↓ -89%
Health Net Medicaid|All Plans $349.86 ↓ -83%
Aetna Commercial|All Other Plans $876.94 ↓ -57%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $876.94 ↓ -57%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $876.94 ↓ -57%
Allcare Commercial|All Plans $894.53 ↓ -56%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $1,003.85 ↓ -51%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $1,003.85 ↓ -51%
United Medicare|All Plans $1,003.85 ↓ -51%
Health Net Medicare|All Plans $1,003.85 ↓ -51%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $1,003.85 ↓ -51%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Plans $1,003.85 ↓ -51%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|All Plans $1,003.85 ↓ -51%
Scan Health Plan Medicare|All Plans $1,003.85 ↓ -51%
LA Care Medicare|All Plans $1,003.85 ↓ -51%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $1,163.52 ↓ -43%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $1,181.70 ↓ -42%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $1,181.70 ↓ -42%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Exchange $1,236.24 ↓ -40%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $1,254.42 ↓ -39%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $1,454.40 ↓ -29%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $1,609.16 ↓ -21%
United Commercial|Options PPO $1,609.16 ↓ -21%
United Commercial|HMO $1,609.16 ↓ -21%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $1,609.16 ↓ -21%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $1,618.02 ↓ -21%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $1,708.92 ↓ -16%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $1,818.00 ↓ -11%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Myelogphy 2/> spine regions at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $752.05 $245.04 – $3,463.45
Banner Lassen Medical Center Susanville $1,491.09 $158.01 – $2,204.81
Mark Twain Medical Center San Andreas $2,516.15 $161.97 – $931.00
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $1,362.69 $161.97 – $3,751.09
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $1,348.00 $161.97 – $3,751.09
St. Joseph's Medical Center Stockton Stockton $1,016.95 $161.97 – $1,609.16
Providence Mission Hospital - Mission Viejo Mission Viejo $1,656.48 $853.64 – $1,865.27
Mercy Medical Center Mt. Shasta Mt Shasta $1,094.65 $276.46 – $1,378.86

All California hospitals for this procedure →