Arthrocentesis/aspiration/injection intermediate joint/bursa w/ultrasound guidance (both sides) at French Hospital

1911 Johnson Ave, San Luis Obispo, CA · CommonSpirit Health · · NPI 1881760452

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

$1,022.73

Cash price

?

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.

$2,609.00

Gross charge

?

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.

$51.70 with Partnership Health Plan vs $7,439.00 with BCBS - Anthem — same scan, same building. Share

Negotiated rates by payer
?

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
?

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
?

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|> 21 $51.70 ↓ -95%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|All Plans $51.70 ↓ -95%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $51.70 ↓ -95%
Molina Medicaid|< 21 $51.70 ↓ -95%
Molina Medicaid|> 21 $51.70 ↓ -95%
CenCal Medicaid|< 21 $56.81 ↓ -94%
CenCal Medicaid|> 21 $56.81 ↓ -94%
Health Net Medicaid|< 21 $63.59 ↓ -94%
Health Net Medicaid|> 21 $63.59 ↓ -94%
MHS HSPCC Commercial|All Plans $528.93 ↓ -48%
MHS Hospice Commercial|All Plans $730.25 ↓ -29%
Humana Commercial|All Plans $879.92 ↓ -14%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $879.92 ↓ -14%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $879.92 ↓ -14%
United Medicare|All Plans $879.92 ↓ -14%
Health Net Medicare|All Plans $879.92 ↓ -14%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $879.92 ↓ -14%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Plans $879.92 ↓ -14%
Alignment Medicare|All Plans $879.92 ↓ -14%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|All Plans $879.92 ↓ -14%
Western Growers Commercial|All Plans $1,077.45 ↑ +5%
Health Net Commercial|FFS $1,097.04 ↑ +7%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $1,214.58 ↑ +19%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|Exchange $1,282.00 ↑ +25%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $1,665.15 ↑ +63%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $1,665.15 ↑ +63%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $1,802.28 ↑ +76%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|FFS $1,890.00 ↑ +85%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $1,919.82 ↑ +88%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Non-MCS $1,919.82 ↑ +88%
Aetna Commercial|Gatekeeper $4,063.00 ↑ +297%
Aetna Commercial|Non-Gatekeeper $4,363.00 ↑ +327%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $7,439.00 ↑ +627%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Arthrocentesis/aspiration/injection intermediate joint/bursa w/ultrasound guidance (both sides) at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $1,106.83 $63.59 – $1,617.30
Petaluma Valley Hospital Petaluma $1,305.09 $593.00 – $2,695.00
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $1,242.92 $51.70 – $2,656.78
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $264.90 $51.70 – $714.00
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $262.04 $51.70 – $714.00
Queen of The Valley Medical Center Napa $2,007.36 $1,002.25 – $6,200.00
Providence St Joseph Hospital Eureka Eureka $8,347.17 $907.88 – $8,018.00
Healdsburg Hospital Healdsburg $792.03 $721.00 – $3,982.87

All California hospitals for this procedure →