Chromogenic substrate assay 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

$55.28

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.

$141.00

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.

$11.89 with Kaiser vs $141.00 with Aetna — 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
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $11.89 ↓ -78%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Plans $11.89 ↓ -78%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $11.89 ↓ -78%
MHS Hospice Commercial|All Plans $11.89 ↓ -78%
United Medicare|All Plans $11.89 ↓ -78%
Health Net Medicare|All Plans $11.89 ↓ -78%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|All Plans $11.89 ↓ -78%
Humana Commercial|All Plans $11.89 ↓ -78%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $11.89 ↓ -78%
Alignment Medicare|All Plans $11.89 ↓ -78%
CenCal Medicaid|< 21 $13.64 ↓ -75%
CenCal Medicaid|> 21 $13.64 ↓ -75%
United Commercial|HMO $14.27 ↓ -74%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $14.27 ↓ -74%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $14.27 ↓ -74%
Molina Medicaid|> 21 $15.16 ↓ -73%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $15.16 ↓ -73%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $15.16 ↓ -73%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|All Plans $15.16 ↓ -73%
Molina Medicaid|< 21 $15.16 ↓ -73%
Health Net Medicaid|< 21 $18.65 ↓ -66%
Health Net Medicaid|> 21 $18.65 ↓ -66%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $36.02 ↓ -35%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $36.02 ↓ -35%
MHS HSPCC Commercial|All Plans $38.07 ↓ -31%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|Exchange $67.68 ↑ +22%
Western Growers Commercial|All Plans $70.50 ↑ +28%
Health Net Commercial|FFS $78.96 ↑ +43%
Aetna Commercial|Gatekeeper $80.56 ↑ +46%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $87.42 ↑ +58%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|FFS $95.88 ↑ +73%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $119.85 ↑ +117%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $119.85 ↑ +117%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Non-MCS $132.54 ↑ +140%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $135.36 ↑ +145%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $138.18 ↑ +150%
Aetna Commercial|Non-Gatekeeper $141.00 ↑ +155%

Visitor-reported prices

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Chromogenic substrate assay at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Banner Lassen Medical Center Susanville $56.62 $2.38 – $60.14
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $60.35 $11.89 – $138.18
Northridge Hospital Medical Center Northridge $39.90 $11.89 – $143.00
Petaluma Valley Hospital Petaluma not published $11.65 – $96.34
Queen of The Valley Medical Center Napa not published $11.89 – $121.75
Providence St Joseph Hospital Eureka Eureka not published $11.89 – $138.06
Healdsburg Hospital Healdsburg not published $11.89 – $55.08
Redwood Memorial Hospital Fortuna not published $138.39 – $138.39

All California hospitals for this procedure →