Pq vrtbrplst 1 bdy inj crv-thr/lmb-scr w/img addl 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

$5,041.85

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.

$9,790.00

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.

$181.68 with Inland Empire Health Plan vs $9,790.00 with United — 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 $181.68 ↓ -96%
Molina Medicaid|< 21 $181.68 ↓ -96%
Molina Medicaid|> 21 $181.68 ↓ -96%
Kaiser Medicaid|< 21 $181.68 ↓ -96%
Kaiser Medicaid|> 21 $181.68 ↓ -96%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $181.68 ↓ -96%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $181.68 ↓ -96%
Kern Health System Medicaid|< 21 $181.68 ↓ -96%
Kern Health System Medicaid|> 21 $181.68 ↓ -96%
California Health & Wellness Medicaid|< 21 $181.68 ↓ -96%
California Health & Wellness Medicaid|> 21 $181.68 ↓ -96%
Central California Alliance for Health Medicaid|All Plans $181.68 ↓ -96%
Health Plan of San Joaquin Medicaid|< 21 $181.68 ↓ -96%
Health Plan of San Joaquin Medicaid|> 21 $181.68 ↓ -96%
Inland Empire Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $181.68 ↓ -96%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|> 21 $208.93 ↓ -96%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|< 21 $208.93 ↓ -96%
Health Net Medicaid|All Plans $392.43 ↓ -92%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Exchange $4,116.00 ↓ -18%
Western Growers Commercial|All Plans $4,895.00 ↓ -3%
Aetna Commercial|All Other Plans $5,322.00 ↑ +6%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $5,322.00 ↑ +6%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $5,322.00 ↑ +6%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $5,416.00 ↑ +7%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $5,874.00 ↑ +17%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $6,363.50 ↑ +26%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $6,363.50 ↑ +26%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $6,755.10 ↑ +34%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $7,832.00 ↑ +55%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $8,557.00 ↑ +70%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $9,202.60 ↑ +83%
United Commercial|HMO $9,692.10 ↑ +92%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $9,790.00 ↑ +94%
United Commercial|Options PPO $9,790.00 ↑ +94%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $9,790.00 ↑ +94%

Visitor-reported prices

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Pq vrtbrplst 1 bdy inj crv-thr/lmb-scr w/img addl at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $1,937.28 $274.87 – $3,449.94
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $5,105.19 $181.68 – $11,239.62
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $4,675.78 $181.68 – $9,787.26
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $3,917.39 $181.68 – $8,948.95
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $3,690.19 $181.68 – $9,954.45
St. Joseph's Medical Center Stockton Stockton $4,343.85 $0.80 – $3,222.24
Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital Santa Rosa $6,837.06 $1,716.00 – $12,908.00
Providence Mission Hospital - Mission Viejo Mission Viejo $2,346.72 $1,200.00 – $15,436.00

All California hospitals for this procedure →