Consultation/report referred slides prepared elsewhere 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

$62.35

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.

$286.00

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.

$40.61 with United vs $286.00 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 Commercial|HMO $40.61 ↓ -35%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $40.61 ↓ -35%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $40.61 ↓ -35%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Other Plans $48.64 ↓ -22%
Molina Medicare|All Plans $51.58 ↓ -17%
Humana Commercial|All Plans $51.58 ↓ -17%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $51.58 ↓ -17%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|PPO $51.58 ↓ -17%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $51.58 ↓ -17%
United Medicare|All Plans $51.58 ↓ -17%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|HMO $51.58 ↓ -17%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|Imperial $53.13 ↓ -15%
BrightHealth Commercial|All Plans $56.74 ↓ -9%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|All Plans $60.98 ↓ -2%
Prison Healthcare Medicaid|All Plans $77.37 ↑ +24%
Hill Physicians Commercial|All Plans $83.83 ↑ +34%
United Medicaid|< 21 $87.47 ↑ +40%
United Medicaid|> 21 $87.47 ↑ +40%
Hill Physicians Medicaid|All Plans $96.22 ↑ +54%
Western Health Advantage Commercial|All Plans $100.10 ↑ +61%
Hill Physicians Medicare|All Plans $102.97 ↑ +65%
Molina Medicaid|All Plans $114.64 ↑ +84%
Kaiser Medicaid|All Plans $117.26 ↑ +88%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|All Plans $166.88 ↑ +168%
Cigna Commercial|LocalPlus $186.23 ↑ +199%
Health Net Medicaid|All Plans $202.93 ↑ +225%
California Health & Wellness Medicaid|All Plans $202.93 ↑ +225%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $205.92 ↑ +230%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $213.67 ↑ +243%
Aetna Commercial|All Other Plans $213.67 ↑ +243%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $213.67 ↑ +243%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $214.50 ↑ +244%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $225.94 ↑ +262%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Connection EPO $228.80 ↑ +267%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $228.80 ↑ +267%
Sutter Health Commercial|All Plans $228.80 ↑ +267%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $248.32 ↑ +298%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $286.00 ↑ +359%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $286.00 ↑ +359%

Visitor-reported prices

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Consultation/report referred slides prepared elsewhere at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Methodist Hospital of Sacramento Sacramento $82.37 $40.61 – $237.38
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $63.08 $38.88 – $223.12
Petaluma Valley Hospital Petaluma $240.72 $50.33 – $319.03
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $256.33 $40.61 – $216.67
Mark Twain Medical Center San Andreas $83.92 $32.60 – $123.48
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $234.77 $32.62 – $254.72
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $55.65 $40.61 – $241.65
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $55.05 $40.61 – $241.65

All California hospitals for this procedure →