Diffusing capacity 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

$141.27

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.

$648.00

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.

$52.90 with Hill Physicians vs $648.00 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
Hill Physicians Commercial|All Plans $52.90 ↓ -63%
United Medicaid|< 21 $55.31 ↓ -61%
United Medicaid|> 21 $55.31 ↓ -61%
Hill Physicians Medicare|All Plans $64.51 ↓ -54%
Hill Physicians Medicaid|All Plans $67.24 ↓ -52%
Molina Medicaid|All Plans $90.62 ↓ -36%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|All Plans $91.58 ↓ -35%
California Health & Wellness Medicaid|All Plans $141.82 ↑ +0%
Health Net Medicaid|All Plans $141.82 ↑ +0%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|All Plans $207.26 ↑ +47%
Western Health Advantage Commercial|All Plans $226.80 ↑ +61%
Kaiser Medicaid|All Plans $265.68 ↑ +88%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Connection EPO $448.76 ↑ +218%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $466.56 ↑ +230%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $486.00 ↑ +244%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $511.92 ↑ +262%
Sutter Health Commercial|All Plans $518.40 ↑ +267%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $518.40 ↑ +267%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $560.72 ↑ +297%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $648.00 ↑ +359%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $648.00 ↑ +359%

Visitor-reported prices

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Diffusing capacity at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Methodist Hospital of Sacramento Sacramento $186.63 $52.90 – $537.84
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $375.37 $68.03 – $668.46
Banner Lassen Medical Center Susanville $330.75 $79.53 – $589.76
Petaluma Valley Hospital Petaluma $1,177.08 $258.52 – $258.52
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $190.46 $55.31 – $436.10
Mark Twain Medical Center San Andreas $405.60 $55.31 – $495.88
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $169.35 $55.31 – $423.36
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $74.58 $55.31 – $160.80

All California hospitals for this procedure →