Biospy of bladder 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

$145.44

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.

$371.00

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.

$100.17 with MHS HSPCC vs $6,120.00 with Blue Shield CA — 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
MHS HSPCC Commercial|All Plans $100.17 ↓ -31%
Western Growers Commercial|All Plans $204.05 ↑ +40%
Health Net Commercial|FFS $207.76 ↑ +43%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $230.02 ↑ +58%
MHS Hospice Commercial|All Plans $274.43 ↑ +89%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $309.02 ↑ +112%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $309.02 ↑ +112%
United Medicare|All Plans $309.02 ↑ +112%
Health Net Medicare|All Plans $309.02 ↑ +112%
Humana Commercial|All Plans $309.02 ↑ +112%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $309.02 ↑ +112%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Plans $309.02 ↑ +112%
Alignment Medicare|All Plans $309.02 ↑ +112%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|All Plans $309.02 ↑ +112%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $315.35 ↑ +117%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $315.35 ↑ +117%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $341.32 ↑ +135%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $363.58 ↑ +150%
Aetna Commercial|Gatekeeper $4,063.00 ↑ +2694%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|Exchange $4,152.00 ↑ +2755%
Aetna Commercial|Non-Gatekeeper $4,363.00 ↑ +2900%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|FFS $6,120.00 ↑ +4108%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
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Biospy of bladder at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $141.92 $87.48 – $539.32
Petaluma Valley Hospital Petaluma $3,798.99 $336.70 – $1,921.00
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $159.65 $205.15 – $365.54
Mark Twain Medical Center San Andreas $408.26 $158.59 – $600.74
Queen of The Valley Medical Center Napa $3,900.48 $354.75 – $5,592.00
Providence St Joseph Hospital Eureka Eureka $4,430.88 $321.35 – $5,835.00
Healdsburg Hospital Healdsburg $219.30 $336.63 – $3,982.87
Redwood Memorial Hospital Fortuna $8,587.38 $1,333.00 – $20,799.00

All California hospitals for this procedure →