5% dextrose and 0.45% saline at SIERRA VISTA HOSPITAL, INC.

1010 Murray Ave, San Luis Obispo, CA · Adventisthealth · · NPI 1639101116

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Jan 10, 2026 · Ingested Sep 16, 2026

$82.44

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.

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What you pay up front if you don't use insurance.

$916.00

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.

$311.44 with HPN-HERITAGE PROV NTWRK-ALL PLANS vs $1,190.80 with COALINGA-ALL PLANS — 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
HPN-HERITAGE PROV NTWRK-ALL PLANS HPN-HERITAGE PROV NTWRK-ALL PLANS $311.44 ↑ +278%
UHC HMO UHC HMO $315.10 ↑ +282%
UHC PPO UHC PPO $315.10 ↑ +282%
UHC ALL PAYER - ALL OTHER PLANS UHC ALL PAYER - ALL OTHER PLANS $315.10 ↑ +282%
BLUE SHIELD EPN BLUE SHIELD EPN $359.07 ↑ +336%
BLUE SHIELD HMO/POS BLUE SHIELD HMO/POS $447.01 ↑ +442%
BLUE SHIELD EPO/PPO-ALL OTHER PLANS BLUE SHIELD EPO/PPO-ALL OTHER PLANS $492.81 ↑ +498%
NBD-NTWRKS BY DESIGN NON-EXCLUS NBD-NTWRKS BY DESIGN NON-EXCLUS $528.99 ↑ +542%
NBD-NTWRKS BY DESIGN EXCLUS-ALL OTHER PLANS NBD-NTWRKS BY DESIGN EXCLUS-ALL OTHER PLANS $528.99 ↑ +542%
AETNA - ALL OTHER PLANS AETNA - ALL OTHER PLANS $567.92 ↑ +589%
MEDI-CAL MEDI-CAL $916.00 ↑ +1011%
CENCAL MCAL CENCAL MCAL $1,044.24 ↑ +1167%
BLUE SHIELD PROMISE MCAL BLUE SHIELD PROMISE MCAL $1,101.03 ↑ +1236%
CCAH-CENTRL CA ALLINCE MCAL-ALL PLANS CCAH-CENTRL CA ALLINCE MCAL-ALL PLANS $1,190.80 ↑ +1344%
COALINGA-ALL PLANS COALINGA-ALL PLANS $1,190.80 ↑ +1344%

Visitor-reported prices

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5% dextrose and 0.45% saline at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
REEDLEY COMMUNITY HOSPITAL Reedley $20.49 $5.06 – $140.16
ST HELENA HOSPITAL Vallejo $14.43 $3.47 – $96.19
HANFORD COMMUNITY HOSPITAL Selma $20.28 $5.22 – $179.32
SAN JOAQUIN COMMUNITY HOSPITAL Bakersfield $29.95 $5.18 – $543.06
ADVENTIST HEALTH DELANO Delano $13.93 $59.20 – $89.84
ADVENTIST HEALTH MENDOCINO COAST Fort Bragg $51.70 $1.71 – $234.99
ADVENTIST HEALTH CLEARLAKE HOSPITAL Clearlake $47.94 $3.34 – $219.71
WILLITS HOSPITAL INC Willits $13.20 $8.96 – $44.01

All California hospitals for this procedure →