Chromatography 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

$9.94

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.

$25.34

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.

$4.86 with MHS HSPCC vs $54.71 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
MHS HSPCC Commercial|All Plans $4.86 ↓ -51%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|Exchange $8.64 ↓ -13%
Western Growers Commercial|All Plans $9.00 ↓ -9%
Health Net Commercial|FFS $10.08 ↑ +1%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $11.16 ↑ +12%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|FFS $12.24 ↑ +23%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $15.30 ↑ +54%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $15.30 ↑ +54%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Non-MCS $16.92 ↑ +70%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $17.28 ↑ +74%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $17.64 ↑ +77%
Health Net Medicare|All Plans $18.00 ↑ +81%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $18.00 ↑ +81%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|All Plans $18.00 ↑ +81%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Plans $18.00 ↑ +81%
Alignment Medicare|All Plans $18.00 ↑ +81%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|All Plans $18.00 ↑ +81%
Humana Commercial|All Plans $18.00 ↑ +81%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $18.00 ↑ +81%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $18.00 ↑ +81%
Aetna Commercial|Gatekeeper $18.00 ↑ +81%
Aetna Commercial|Non-Gatekeeper $18.00 ↑ +81%
Molina Medicaid|< 21 $18.00 ↑ +81%
Molina Medicaid|> 21 $18.00 ↑ +81%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $18.00 ↑ +81%
United Medicare|All Plans $18.00 ↑ +81%
United Commercial|HMO $18.00 ↑ +81%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $18.00 ↑ +81%
CenCal Medicaid|> 21 $18.00 ↑ +81%
MHS Hospice Commercial|All Plans $18.00 ↑ +81%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $18.00 ↑ +81%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $18.00 ↑ +81%
CenCal Medicaid|< 21 $18.00 ↑ +81%
Health Net Medicaid|< 21 $22.14 ↑ +123%
Health Net Medicaid|> 21 $22.14 ↑ +123%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $54.71 ↑ +450%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $54.71 ↑ +450%

Visitor-reported prices

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Chromatography at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $11.10 $4.86 – $47.92
Banner Lassen Medical Center Susanville $13.77 $3.61 – $25.41
Petaluma Valley Hospital Petaluma $4.75 $17.70 – $146.79
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $10.85 $9.00 – $46.54
Mark Twain Medical Center San Andreas $111.89 $9.75 – $18.00
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $9.41 $7.98 – $51.90
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $9.30 $7.98 – $51.90
Queen of The Valley Medical Center Napa $25.50 $18.06 – $185.51

All California hospitals for this procedure →