Tc-99m pertechnetate per mci 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

$98.37

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.

$191.00

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.

$2.45 with BCBS - Anthem vs $179.54 with MultiPlan — 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
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Exchange $2.45 ↓ -98%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $3.22 ↓ -97%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $5.09 ↓ -95%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|> 21 $12.44 ↓ -87%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|< 21 $12.44 ↓ -87%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $19.42 ↓ -80%
United Commercial|Options PPO $20.28 ↓ -79%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $20.28 ↓ -79%
United Commercial|HMO $20.28 ↓ -79%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $114.60 ↑ +16%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $124.15 ↑ +26%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $124.15 ↑ +26%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $131.79 ↑ +34%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $152.80 ↑ +55%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $179.54 ↑ +83%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Tc-99m pertechnetate per mci at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $191.85 $2.28 – $341.64
Banner Lassen Medical Center Susanville $85.73 $50.43 – $119.31
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $215.72 $3.78 – $493.92
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $201.10 $14.12 – $502.74
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $5.94 $8.00 – $16.00
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $5.88 $3.40 – $16.00
St. Joseph's Medical Center Stockton Stockton $125.54 $5.71 – $350.14
Mercy Medical Center Mt. Shasta Mt Shasta $59.13 $14.72 – $74.48

All California hospitals for this procedure →