Carotene at Northridge Hospital Medical Center

18300 Roscoe Blvd, Northridge, CA · CommonSpirit Health · · NPI 1417089350

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Feb 28, 2026 · Ingested Sep 10, 2026

$3.74

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.

$13.38

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.

$1.88 with Blue Shield CA vs $58.80 with Blue Shield CA — 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
Blue Shield CA Commercial|Exchange $1.88 ↓ -50%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|All Other Plans $2.28 ↓ -39%
DHR Medicaid|< 21 $3.35 ↓ -10%
DHR Medicaid|> 21 $3.35 ↓ -10%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|BlueShield Promise $8.70 ↑ +133%
LA Care Medicare|All Plans $9.22 ↑ +147%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $9.22 ↑ +147%
Molina Medicare|All Plans $9.22 ↑ +147%
Central Health Plan Medicare|All Plans $9.22 ↑ +147%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Plans $9.22 ↑ +147%
Humana Commercial|All Plans $9.22 ↑ +147%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $9.22 ↑ +147%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $9.22 ↑ +147%
Health Net Medicare|All Plans $9.22 ↑ +147%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|All Other Plans $9.22 ↑ +147%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $9.22 ↑ +147%
MHN Commercial|All Plans $9.22 ↑ +147%
HCLA Medicare|Preferred IPA $9.22 ↑ +147%
Central Health Plan Commercial|All Plans $9.22 ↑ +147%
Scan Health Plan Medicare|All Plans $9.22 ↑ +147%
United Medicare|All Plans $9.22 ↑ +147%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Vivity $10.58 ↑ +183%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $10.71 ↑ +186%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $11.06 ↑ +196%
United Commercial|HMO $11.06 ↑ +196%
LA Care Commercial|All Plans $11.53 ↑ +208%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $11.65 ↑ +211%
HCLA Medicaid|Preferred IPA > 21 $11.76 ↑ +214%
Kaiser Medicaid|< 21 $11.76 ↑ +214%
Kaiser Medicaid|> 21 $11.76 ↑ +214%
Gold Coast Health Plan Medicaid|All Plans $11.76 ↑ +214%
HCLA Medicaid|Preferred IPA < 21 $11.76 ↑ +214%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $12.31 ↑ +229%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|< 21 $13.38 ↑ +258%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $13.38 ↑ +258%
Aetna Commercial|All Other Plans $13.38 ↑ +258%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $13.38 ↑ +258%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|> 21 $13.38 ↑ +258%
Health Net Medicaid|> 21 $13.38 ↑ +258%
Health Net Medicaid|< 21 $13.38 ↑ +258%
Molina Medicaid|> 21 $13.38 ↑ +258%
US Behavioral Health Commercial|All Plans $13.38 ↑ +258%
Molina Medicaid|< 21 $13.38 ↑ +258%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $13.38 ↑ +258%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $16.80 ↑ +349%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $16.80 ↑ +349%
LA Care Medicaid|All Plans $37.64 ↑ +906%
Blue Shield CA Medicaid|All Plans $58.80 ↑ +1472%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Carotene at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Banner Lassen Medical Center Susanville $10.02 $1.84 – $15.52
Petaluma Valley Hospital Petaluma $33.89 $9.04 – $75.35
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $5.73 $6.69 – $23.74
Mark Twain Medical Center San Andreas $8.92 $7.25 – $13.12
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $5.25 $3.62 – $27.91
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $4.97 $6.00 – $26.48
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $4.92 $6.00 – $26.48
Queen of The Valley Medical Center Napa $33.89 $9.22 – $95.22

All California hospitals for this procedure →