Abdominal MRI (with and without contrast) 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

$991.80

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.

$11,020.00

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.

$447.92 with UHC MCR ADV vs $14,326.00 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
UHC MCR ADV UHC MCR ADV $447.92 ↓ -55%
CENCAL MCR ADV - ALL OTHER PLANS CENCAL MCR ADV - ALL OTHER PLANS $447.92 ↓ -55%
TRICARE BLUE SHIELD-ALL PLANS TRICARE BLUE SHIELD-ALL PLANS $447.92 ↓ -55%
AETNA MCR ADV AETNA MCR ADV $447.92 ↓ -55%
CFMG-CA FORENSIC MED GRP OP/PROFEE ONLY-ALL PLANS CFMG-CA FORENSIC MED GRP OP/PROFEE ONLY-ALL PLANS $582.29 ↓ -41%
AH EMPLOYEE HEALTH PLAN - ALL PLANS AH EMPLOYEE HEALTH PLAN - ALL PLANS $806.25 ↓ -19%
HPN-HERITAGE PROV NTWRK-ALL PLANS HPN-HERITAGE PROV NTWRK-ALL PLANS $3,746.80 ↑ +278%
UHC ALL PAYER - ALL OTHER PLANS UHC ALL PAYER - ALL OTHER PLANS $3,790.88 ↑ +282%
UHC PPO UHC PPO $3,790.88 ↑ +282%
UHC HMO UHC HMO $3,790.88 ↑ +282%
BLUE SHIELD EPN BLUE SHIELD EPN $4,319.84 ↑ +336%
BLUE SHIELD HMO/POS BLUE SHIELD HMO/POS $5,377.76 ↑ +442%
BLUE SHIELD EPO/PPO-ALL OTHER PLANS BLUE SHIELD EPO/PPO-ALL OTHER PLANS $5,928.76 ↑ +498%
NBD-NTWRKS BY DESIGN NON-EXCLUS NBD-NTWRKS BY DESIGN NON-EXCLUS $6,364.05 ↑ +542%
NBD-NTWRKS BY DESIGN EXCLUS-ALL OTHER PLANS NBD-NTWRKS BY DESIGN EXCLUS-ALL OTHER PLANS $6,364.05 ↑ +542%
MEDI-CAL MEDI-CAL $11,020.00 ↑ +1011%
CENCAL MCAL CENCAL MCAL $12,562.80 ↑ +1167%
BLUE SHIELD PROMISE MCAL BLUE SHIELD PROMISE MCAL $13,246.04 ↑ +1236%
CCAH-CENTRL CA ALLINCE MCAL-ALL PLANS CCAH-CENTRL CA ALLINCE MCAL-ALL PLANS $14,326.00 ↑ +1344%
COALINGA-ALL PLANS COALINGA-ALL PLANS $14,326.00 ↑ +1344%

Visitor-reported prices

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Abdominal MRI (with and without contrast) at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $3,045.84 $333.52 – $2,111.00
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $2,916.21 $453.77 – $5,193.24
Redwood City Medical Center Redwood City $5,969.60 $513.00 – $513.00
Santa Clara Medical Center SANTA CLARA $5,969.60 $513.00 – $513.00
Baldwin Park Medical Center BALDWIN PARK $4,368.00 $336.00 – $336.00
Riverside Medical Center RIVERSIDE $4,368.00 $336.00 – $336.00
Banner Lassen Medical Center Susanville $3,402.72 $71.43 – $4,749.12
Sacramento Medical Center SACRAMENTO $5,969.60 $513.00 – $513.00

All California hospitals for this procedure →