Contrast x-ray of brain 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

$538.75

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.

$1,931.00

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.

$118.38 with BCBS - Anthem vs $2,379.96 with Cigna — 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
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|> 21 $118.38 ↓ -78%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|< 21 $118.38 ↓ -78%
HCLA Medicaid|Preferred IPA < 21 $127.68 ↓ -76%
Kaiser Medicaid|< 21 $127.68 ↓ -76%
Kaiser Medicaid|> 21 $127.68 ↓ -76%
Gold Coast Health Plan Medicaid|All Plans $127.68 ↓ -76%
HCLA Medicaid|Preferred IPA > 21 $127.68 ↓ -76%
Health Net Medicaid|< 21 $171.22 ↓ -68%
Health Net Medicaid|> 21 $171.22 ↓ -68%
Molina Medicaid|< 21 $178.75 ↓ -67%
Molina Medicaid|> 21 $178.75 ↓ -67%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $315.63 ↓ -41%
Aetna Commercial|All Other Plans $315.63 ↓ -41%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $315.63 ↓ -41%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Vivity $431.84 ↓ -20%
DHR Medicaid|> 21 $482.75 ↓ -10%
DHR Medicaid|< 21 $482.75 ↓ -10%
LA Care Medicaid|All Plans $586.05 ↑ +9%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $618.93 ↑ +15%
Blue Shield CA Medicaid|All Plans $638.40 ↑ +18%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $847.78 ↑ +57%
Central Health Plan Medicare|All Plans $1,003.85 ↑ +86%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Plans $1,003.85 ↑ +86%
Health Net Medicare|All Plans $1,003.85 ↑ +86%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $1,003.85 ↑ +86%
United Medicare|All Plans $1,003.85 ↑ +86%
Central Health Plan Commercial|All Plans $1,003.85 ↑ +86%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $1,003.85 ↑ +86%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $1,003.85 ↑ +86%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|All Other Plans $1,003.85 ↑ +86%
Scan Health Plan Medicare|All Plans $1,003.85 ↑ +86%
LA Care Medicare|All Plans $1,003.85 ↑ +86%
Humana Commercial|All Plans $1,003.85 ↑ +86%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $1,003.85 ↑ +86%
HCLA Medicare|Preferred IPA $1,003.85 ↑ +86%
MHN Commercial|All Plans $1,003.85 ↑ +86%
Molina Medicare|All Plans $1,003.85 ↑ +86%
LA Care Commercial|All Plans $1,254.81 ↑ +133%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|BlueShield Promise $1,255.15 ↑ +133%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $1,544.80 ↑ +187%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $1,609.16 ↑ +199%
United Commercial|HMO $1,609.16 ↑ +199%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $1,679.97 ↑ +212%
US Behavioral Health Commercial|All Plans $1,931.00 ↑ +258%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $2,379.96 ↑ +342%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $2,379.96 ↑ +342%

Visitor-reported prices

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Contrast x-ray of brain at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Mark Twain Medical Center San Andreas $1,464.54 $127.68 – $639.94
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $1,362.69 $127.68 – $3,751.09
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $1,348.00 $117.49 – $3,751.09
St. Joseph's Medical Center Stockton Stockton $1,409.44 $127.68 – $1,036.00
Mercy Medical Center Merced Merced $772.50 $102.36 – $756.80
St Jude Medical Center Fullerton $1,833.60 $481.18 – $1,865.27
Providence St Joseph Hospital Orange Orange $956.16 $470.88 – $1,865.27
Providence Saint John's Health Center Santa Monica $773.50 $222.16 – $3,834.71

All California hospitals for this procedure →