Collection blood specimen using established central/peripheral catheter venous nos 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

$103.88

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.

$265.00

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.

$71.55 with MHS HSPCC vs $259.70 with MultiPlan — 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
MHS HSPCC Commercial|All Plans $71.55 ↓ -31%
MHS Hospice Commercial|All Plans $127.38 ↑ +23%
Western Growers Commercial|All Plans $132.50 ↑ +28%
Health Net Commercial|FFS $148.40 ↑ +43%
Health Net Medicare|All Plans $163.78 ↑ +58%
Humana Commercial|All Plans $163.78 ↑ +58%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $163.78 ↑ +58%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $163.78 ↑ +58%
United Medicare|All Plans $163.78 ↑ +58%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $163.78 ↑ +58%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Plans $163.78 ↑ +58%
Alignment Medicare|All Plans $163.78 ↑ +58%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|All Plans $163.78 ↑ +58%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $164.30 ↑ +58%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $225.25 ↑ +117%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $225.25 ↑ +117%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $243.80 ↑ +135%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Non-MCS $249.10 ↑ +140%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $254.40 ↑ +145%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $259.70 ↑ +150%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Collection blood specimen using established central/peripheral catheter venous nos at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Banner Lassen Medical Center Susanville $217.78 $25.78 – $302.64
Petaluma Valley Hospital Petaluma $235.11 $179.30 – $1,687.00
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $113.42 $132.50 – $244.02
Mark Twain Medical Center San Andreas $169.17 $65.71 – $248.92
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $89.04 $64.80 – $192.00
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $92.49 $64.80 – $189.60
Queen of The Valley Medical Center Napa $661.98 $188.91 – $2,747.00
Providence St Joseph Hospital Eureka Eureka $303.96 $171.12 – $2,699.00

All California hospitals for this procedure →