Dch validity tests 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

$9.81

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.

$45.00

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.

$2.15 with Partnership Health Plan vs $45.00 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
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|All Plans $2.15 ↓ -78%
United Medicaid|< 21 $3.08 ↓ -69%
United Medicaid|> 21 $3.08 ↓ -69%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Other Plans $3.28 ↓ -67%
Hill Physicians Medicaid|All Plans $3.39 ↓ -65%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|HMO $3.48 ↓ -65%
Hill Physicians Medicare|All Plans $3.48 ↓ -65%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $3.48 ↓ -65%
Molina Medicare|All Plans $3.48 ↓ -65%
United Medicare|All Plans $3.48 ↓ -65%
Humana Commercial|All Plans $3.48 ↓ -65%
Hill Physicians Commercial|All Plans $3.48 ↓ -65%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $3.48 ↓ -65%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|PPO $3.48 ↓ -65%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|Imperial $3.58 ↓ -64%
BrightHealth Commercial|All Plans $3.83 ↓ -61%
Molina Medicaid|All Plans $4.04 ↓ -59%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $4.18 ↓ -57%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $4.18 ↓ -57%
United Commercial|HMO $4.18 ↓ -57%
Prison Healthcare Medicaid|All Plans $5.22 ↓ -47%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|All Plans $6.71 ↓ -32%
California Health & Wellness Medicaid|All Plans $7.15 ↓ -27%
Health Net Medicaid|All Plans $7.15 ↓ -27%
Cigna Commercial|LocalPlus $7.70 ↓ -22%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $9.35 ↓ -5%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $9.35 ↓ -5%
Aetna Commercial|All Other Plans $9.35 ↓ -5%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $10.27 ↑ +5%
Western Health Advantage Commercial|All Plans $15.75 ↑ +61%
Kaiser Medicaid|All Plans $18.45 ↑ +88%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|ACO Trio CalPers $21.15 ↑ +116%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|Exchange $22.50 ↑ +129%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|HMO $30.60 ↑ +212%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $32.40 ↑ +230%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|CalPers $32.85 ↑ +235%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|All Other Plans $32.85 ↑ +235%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Connection EPO $33.68 ↑ +243%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $33.75 ↑ +244%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $35.55 ↑ +262%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $36.00 ↑ +267%
Sutter Health Commercial|All Plans $36.00 ↑ +267%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $42.08 ↑ +329%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $45.00 ↑ +359%

Visitor-reported prices

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Dch validity tests at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Methodist Hospital of Sacramento Sacramento $12.96 $2.15 – $37.35
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $42.05 $3.48 – $10.86
Banner Lassen Medical Center Susanville $21.79 $0.70 – $35.89
Petaluma Valley Hospital Petaluma $49.47 $3.41 – $19.40
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $62.49 $3.08 – $9.80
Mark Twain Medical Center San Andreas $9.33 $3.08 – $13.72
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $58.41 $2.70 – $10.53
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $27.09 $3.02 – $24.00

All California hospitals for this procedure →