Abdominal paracentesis w/image guidance at Mercy General Hospital

4001 J St., Sacramento, CA · CommonSpirit Health · · NPI 1487694857

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

$917.78

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.

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What you pay up front if you don't use insurance.

$4,210.00

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.

$103.10 with United vs $14,393.00 with BCBS - Anthem — 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
United Medicaid|> 21 $103.10 ↓ -89%
United Medicaid|< 21 $103.10 ↓ -89%
Hill Physicians Commercial|All Plans $106.04 ↓ -88%
Hill Physicians Medicaid|All Plans $124.47 ↓ -86%
Molina Medicaid|All Plans $168.67 ↓ -82%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|All Plans $170.72 ↓ -81%
California Health & Wellness Medicaid|All Plans $262.51 ↓ -71%
Health Net Medicaid|All Plans $262.51 ↓ -71%
Hill Physicians Medicare|All Plans $335.62 ↓ -63%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|All Plans $385.80 ↓ -58%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Other Plans $1,161.82 ↑ +27%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $1,232.05 ↑ +34%
Humana Commercial|All Plans $1,232.05 ↑ +34%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $1,232.05 ↑ +34%
Molina Medicare|All Plans $1,232.05 ↑ +34%
United Medicare|All Plans $1,232.05 ↑ +34%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|PPO $1,232.05 ↑ +34%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|HMO $1,232.05 ↑ +34%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|Imperial $1,269.01 ↑ +38%
BrightHealth Commercial|All Plans $1,355.26 ↑ +48%
Western Health Advantage Commercial|All Plans $1,414.70 ↑ +54%
Kaiser Medicaid|All Plans $1,657.22 ↑ +81%
Prison Healthcare Medicaid|All Plans $1,848.08 ↑ +101%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $2,910.24 ↑ +217%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $3,031.50 ↑ +230%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $3,193.18 ↑ +248%
Sutter Health Commercial|All Plans $3,233.60 ↑ +252%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $3,233.60 ↑ +252%
Health Net Commercial|EPPO $3,902.00 ↑ +325%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $4,042.00 ↑ +340%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $7,003.00 ↑ +663%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $7,003.00 ↑ +663%
Aetna Commercial|All Other Plans $7,003.00 ↑ +663%
Health Net Commercial|FFS $7,197.00 ↑ +684%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Connection EPO $7,941.00 ↑ +765%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $9,926.00 ↑ +982%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $14,393.00 ↑ +1468%

Visitor-reported prices

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Abdominal paracentesis w/image guidance at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Methodist Hospital of Sacramento Sacramento $1,212.48 $103.10 – $3,354.86
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $635.54 $126.81 – $2,072.04
Banner Lassen Medical Center Susanville $840.39 $148.04 – $1,167.88
Petaluma Valley Hospital Petaluma $1,660.05 $1,222.26 – $4,657.00
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $1,746.67 $103.10 – $2,742.04
Mark Twain Medical Center San Andreas $1,631.70 $75.29 – $285.18
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $1,599.76 $103.10 – $2,518.60
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $680.05 $103.10 – $1,466.40

All California hospitals for this procedure →