Consultation pathology during surgery 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

$162.68

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.

$415.00

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.

$35.64 with MHS HSPCC vs $132.00 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
MHS HSPCC Commercial|All Plans $35.64 ↓ -78%
MHS Hospice Commercial|All Plans $39.06 ↓ -76%
United Commercial|HMO $40.61 ↓ -75%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $40.61 ↓ -75%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $40.61 ↓ -75%
CenCal Medicaid|> 21 $46.59 ↓ -71%
CenCal Medicaid|< 21 $46.59 ↓ -71%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|All Plans $46.59 ↓ -71%
Molina Medicaid|< 21 $46.59 ↓ -71%
Molina Medicaid|> 21 $46.59 ↓ -71%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $46.59 ↓ -71%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $46.59 ↓ -71%
Health Net Medicaid|> 21 $57.31 ↓ -65%
Health Net Medicaid|< 21 $57.31 ↓ -65%
Western Growers Commercial|All Plans $66.00 ↓ -59%
Health Net Commercial|FFS $73.92 ↓ -55%
Humana Commercial|All Plans $75.47 ↓ -54%
Health Net Medicare|All Plans $75.47 ↓ -54%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $75.47 ↓ -54%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $75.47 ↓ -54%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Plans $75.47 ↓ -54%
Alignment Medicare|All Plans $75.47 ↓ -54%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|All Plans $75.47 ↓ -54%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $75.47 ↓ -54%
United Medicare|All Plans $75.47 ↓ -54%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $81.84 ↓ -50%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $107.97 ↓ -34%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $107.97 ↓ -34%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $112.20 ↓ -31%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $112.20 ↓ -31%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Non-MCS $124.08 ↓ -24%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $126.72 ↓ -22%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $129.36 ↓ -20%
Aetna Commercial|Gatekeeper $132.00 ↓ -19%
Aetna Commercial|Non-Gatekeeper $132.00 ↓ -19%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
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Consultation pathology during surgery at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Petaluma Valley Hospital Petaluma $351.90 $66.86 – $236.26
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $177.62 $40.61 – $129.36
Mark Twain Medical Center San Andreas $162.51 $46.59 – $239.12
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $79.77 $34.50 – $102.43
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $78.91 $34.50 – $102.43
Queen of The Valley Medical Center Napa $286.11 $66.86 – $298.57
Providence St Joseph Hospital Eureka Eureka $591.09 $66.86 – $338.58
Redwood Memorial Hospital Fortuna $318.24 $339.38 – $339.38

All California hospitals for this procedure →