Consultation pathology during surgery frozen section first tissue block at Sequoia Hospital

170 Alameda de las Pulgas, Redwood City, CA · CommonSpirit Health · · NPI 1568646735

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

$118.92

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.

$326.69

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.

$63.86 with Kaiser vs $786.57 with Sutter Health — 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
Kaiser Medicaid|< 21 $63.86 ↓ -46%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $63.86 ↓ -46%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $63.86 ↓ -46%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|> 21 $63.86 ↓ -46%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|< 21 $63.86 ↓ -46%
Kaiser Medicaid|> 21 $63.86 ↓ -46%
Health Plan San Mateo Medicaid|> 21 $78.55 ↓ -34%
Health Net Medicaid|< 21 $78.55 ↓ -34%
Health Net Medicaid|> 21 $78.55 ↓ -34%
Health Plan San Mateo Medicaid|< 21 $78.55 ↓ -34%
Brown Toland Medicare|All Plans $127.74 ↑ +7%
Aetna Commercial|All Plans $139.27 ↑ +17%
Connected Care Commercial|Intel $140.48 ↑ +18%
Cigna Commercial|All Plans $144.56 ↑ +22%
United Commercial|Options PPO $178.99 ↑ +51%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $178.99 ↑ +51%
United Commercial|HMO $178.99 ↑ +51%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $213.09 ↑ +79%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $222.15 ↑ +87%
Health Net Medicare|All Plans $251.30 ↑ +111%
Health Plan San Mateo Medicare|All Plans $251.30 ↑ +111%
Humana Commercial|All Plans $251.30 ↑ +111%
Health Net Commercial|Canopy Health $251.30 ↑ +111%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $251.30 ↑ +111%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Plans $251.30 ↑ +111%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $251.30 ↑ +111%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|All Plans $251.30 ↑ +111%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $251.30 ↑ +111%
Chinese Community Medicare|All Plans $251.30 ↑ +111%
United Medicare|All Plans $251.30 ↑ +111%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $251.56 ↑ +112%
Multiplan Commercial|All Plans $267.89 ↑ +125%
Brown Toland Commercial|All Plans $276.43 ↑ +132%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $326.69 ↑ +175%
Sutter Health Commercial|All Plans $786.57 ↑ +561%

Visitor-reported prices

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Consultation pathology during surgery frozen section first tissue block at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $143.23 $88.29 – $394.70
Petaluma Valley Hospital Petaluma $548.25 $129.97 – $287.00
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $13.10 $15.30 – $106.99
Mark Twain Medical Center San Andreas $93.24 $11.12 – $42.96
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $12.00 $8.26 – $125.77
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $113.53 $29.21 – $119.32
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $112.31 $29.21 – $119.32
Queen of The Valley Medical Center Napa $364.14 $164.25 – $287.00

All California hospitals for this procedure →