Upper Back (Thoracic Spine) MRI (with and without contrast) at Methodist Hospital of Sacramento

7500 Hospital Dr., Sacramento, CA · CommonSpirit Health · · NPI 1467560599

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

$2,412.87

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.

$8,378.00

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.

$242.85 with Hill Physicians vs $7,195.00 with Cigna — 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 $242.85 ↓ -90%
Hill Physicians Medicare|All Plans $390.08 ↓ -84%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Other Plans $442.55 ↓ -82%
United Medicaid|> 21 $449.80 ↓ -81%
United Medicaid|< 21 $449.80 ↓ -81%
Connected Care Commercial|Intel $469.30 ↓ -81%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $469.30 ↓ -81%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $469.30 ↓ -81%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $469.30 ↓ -81%
Humana Commercial|All Plans $469.30 ↓ -81%
Health Net Medicare|All Plans $469.30 ↓ -81%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|All Plans $469.30 ↓ -81%
United Medicare|All Plans $478.69 ↓ -80%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|Imperial $483.38 ↓ -80%
Hill Physicians Medicaid|All Plans $494.78 ↓ -79%
Molina Medicaid|All Plans $589.53 ↓ -76%
United Commercial|Options PPO $828.27 ↓ -66%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $828.27 ↓ -66%
United Commercial|HMO $828.27 ↓ -66%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $828.27 ↓ -66%
Health Net Medicaid|All Plans $1,034.54 ↓ -57%
California Health & Wellness Medicaid|All Plans $1,034.54 ↓ -57%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $1,361.78 ↓ -44%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $1,361.78 ↓ -44%
Aetna Commercial|All Other Plans $1,361.78 ↓ -44%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|All Plans $1,934.14 ↓ -20%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|All Plans $2,646.99 ↑ +10%
Western Health Advantage Commercial|All Plans $2,932.30 ↑ +22%
Kaiser Medicaid|All Plans $3,434.98 ↑ +42%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Connection EPO $4,021.00 ↑ +67%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $5,026.00 ↑ +108%
Cigna Commercial|LocalPlus $5,397.00 ↑ +124%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|BRMS $6,283.50 ↑ +160%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $6,283.50 ↑ +160%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $6,618.62 ↑ +174%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $6,685.00 ↑ +177%
Sutter Health Commercial|All Plans $6,702.40 ↑ +178%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $6,786.18 ↑ +181%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $6,953.74 ↑ +188%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $7,195.00 ↑ +198%

Visitor-reported prices

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Upper Back (Thoracic Spine) MRI (with and without contrast) at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Sacramento Medical Center SACRAMENTO $6,837.60 $476.00 – $476.00
South Sacramento Medical Center SACRAMENTO $6,837.60 $476.00 – $476.00
Mercy General Hospital Sacramento $1,826.41 $242.85 – $6,702.40
Fresno Medical Center FRESNO $6,837.60 $476.00 – $476.00
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $3,060.31 $453.77 – $5,449.86
Antioch Medical Center ANTIOCH $6,837.60 $476.00 – $476.00
Redwood City Medical Center Redwood City $6,837.60 $476.00 – $476.00
Santa Clara Medical Center SANTA CLARA $6,837.60 $476.00 – $476.00

All California hospitals for this procedure →