Upper Back (Thoracic Spine) CT Scan (with contrast) at French Hospital
1911 Johnson Ave, San Luis Obispo, CA · CommonSpirit Health · · NPI 1881760452
$2,509.20
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.
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What you pay up front if you don't use insurance.
$6,401.00
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.
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The hospital's undiscounted list price — almost no one pays this.
$212.89 with MHS Hospice vs $1,793.00 with BCBS - Anthem — 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 →
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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 ?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 Hospice | Commercial|All Plans | $212.89 | ↓ -92% |
| United | Medicare|All Plans | $226.19 | ↓ -91% |
| Aetna | Medicare|All Plans | $226.19 | ↓ -91% |
| Alignment | Medicare|All Plans | $226.19 | ↓ -91% |
| Kaiser | Medicare|All Plans | $226.19 | ↓ -91% |
| BCBS - Anthem | Medicare|All Plans | $226.19 | ↓ -91% |
| Blue Shield CA | Medicare|All Plans | $226.19 | ↓ -91% |
| Health Net | Medicare|All Plans | $226.19 | ↓ -91% |
| Humana | Commercial|All Plans | $226.19 | ↓ -91% |
| Humana | Medicare|All Plans | $226.19 | ↓ -91% |
| BCBS - Anthem | Medicaid|All Plans | $235.73 | ↓ -91% |
| Molina | Medicaid|< 21 | $235.73 | ↓ -91% |
| Partnership Health Plan | Medicaid|> 21 | $235.73 | ↓ -91% |
| Partnership Health Plan | Medicaid|< 21 | $235.73 | ↓ -91% |
| Molina | Medicaid|> 21 | $235.73 | ↓ -91% |
| CenCal | Medicaid|> 21 | $241.42 | ↓ -90% |
| CenCal | Medicaid|< 21 | $241.42 | ↓ -90% |
| MHS HSPCC | Commercial|All Plans | $284.85 | ↓ -89% |
| Health Net | Medicaid|< 21 | $289.95 | ↓ -88% |
| Health Net | Medicaid|> 21 | $289.95 | ↓ -88% |
| United | Commercial|Non-Options PPO | $401.74 | ↓ -84% |
| United | Commercial|HMO | $401.74 | ↓ -84% |
| United | Commercial|All Other Plans | $401.74 | ↓ -84% |
| Western Growers | Commercial|All Plans | $527.50 | ↓ -79% |
| Health Net | Commercial|FFS | $590.80 | ↓ -76% |
| Kaiser | Commercial|All Plans | $654.10 | ↓ -74% |
| Healthsmart | Commercial|All Plans | $896.75 | ↓ -64% |
| First Health | Commercial|All Plans | $896.75 | ↓ -64% |
| MultiPlan | Commercial|All Plans | $1,033.90 | ↓ -59% |
| Aetna | Commercial|Gatekeeper | $1,055.00 | ↓ -58% |
| Aetna | Commercial|Non-Gatekeeper | $1,055.00 | ↓ -58% |
| BCBS - Anthem | Commercial|MCS | $1,756.00 | ↓ -30% |
| Cigna | Commercial|PPO | $1,768.00 | ↓ -30% |
| Cigna | Commercial|All Other Plans | $1,768.00 | ↓ -30% |
| BCBS - Anthem | Commercial|Non-MCS | $1,793.00 | ↓ -29% |
Visitor-reported prices
Comments
Upper Back (Thoracic Spine) CT Scan (with contrast) at other California hospitals
| Hospital | City | Cash price | Negotiated range |
|---|---|---|---|
| SIERRA VISTA HOSPITAL, INC. | San Luis Obispo | $703.08 | $225.20 – $10,155.60 |
| Fresno Medical Center | FRESNO | $3,948.00 | $248.00 – $248.00 |
| St. John's Camarillo Hospital | Camarillo | $1,527.31 | $226.19 – $2,719.86 |
| Antioch Medical Center | ANTIOCH | $3,948.00 | $248.00 – $248.00 |
| Redwood City Medical Center | Redwood City | $3,948.00 | $248.00 – $248.00 |
| Santa Clara Medical Center | SANTA CLARA | $3,948.00 | $248.00 – $248.00 |
| Baldwin Park Medical Center | BALDWIN PARK | $2,964.00 | $163.00 – $163.00 |
| Riverside Medical Center | RIVERSIDE | $2,964.00 | $163.00 – $163.00 |