Blood Culture Test at SIERRA VISTA HOSPITAL, INC.
1010 Murray Ave, San Luis Obispo, CA · Adventisthealth · · NPI 1639101116
$185.49
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.
$2,061.00
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.
$10.32 with UHC MCR ADV vs $2,679.30 with CCAH-CENTRL CA ALLINCE MCAL-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 →
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| UHC MCR ADV | UHC MCR ADV | $10.32 | ↓ -94% |
| CENCAL MCR ADV - ALL OTHER PLANS | CENCAL MCR ADV - ALL OTHER PLANS | $10.32 | ↓ -94% |
| TRICARE BLUE SHIELD-ALL PLANS | TRICARE BLUE SHIELD-ALL PLANS | $10.32 | ↓ -94% |
| AETNA MCR ADV | AETNA MCR ADV | $10.32 | ↓ -94% |
| CFMG-CA FORENSIC MED GRP OP/PROFEE ONLY-ALL PLANS | CFMG-CA FORENSIC MED GRP OP/PROFEE ONLY-ALL PLANS | $13.42 | ↓ -93% |
| UHC HMO | UHC HMO | $14.10 | ↓ -92% |
| MEDI-CAL | MEDI-CAL | $15.29 | ↓ -92% |
| AH EMPLOYEE HEALTH PLAN - ALL PLANS | AH EMPLOYEE HEALTH PLAN - ALL PLANS | $18.58 | ↓ -90% |
| COALINGA-ALL PLANS | COALINGA-ALL PLANS | $19.88 | ↓ -89% |
| BLUE SHIELD EPO/PPO-ALL OTHER PLANS | BLUE SHIELD EPO/PPO-ALL OTHER PLANS | $22.06 | ↓ -88% |
| NBD-NTWRKS BY DESIGN EXCLUS-ALL OTHER PLANS | NBD-NTWRKS BY DESIGN EXCLUS-ALL OTHER PLANS | $23.68 | ↓ -87% |
| BLUE SHIELD PROMISE MCAL | BLUE SHIELD PROMISE MCAL | $49.28 | ↓ -73% |
| HPN-HERITAGE PROV NTWRK-ALL PLANS | HPN-HERITAGE PROV NTWRK-ALL PLANS | $140.42 | ↓ -24% |
| BLUE SHIELD HMO/POS | BLUE SHIELD HMO/POS | $201.54 | ↑ +9% |
| UHC ALL PAYER - ALL OTHER PLANS | UHC ALL PAYER - ALL OTHER PLANS | $708.98 | ↑ +282% |
| UHC PPO | UHC PPO | $708.98 | ↑ +282% |
| BLUE SHIELD EPN | BLUE SHIELD EPN | $807.91 | ↑ +336% |
| NBD-NTWRKS BY DESIGN NON-EXCLUS | NBD-NTWRKS BY DESIGN NON-EXCLUS | $1,190.23 | ↑ +542% |
| CENCAL MCAL | CENCAL MCAL | $2,349.54 | ↑ +1167% |
| CCAH-CENTRL CA ALLINCE MCAL-ALL PLANS | CCAH-CENTRL CA ALLINCE MCAL-ALL PLANS | $2,679.30 | ↑ +1344% |
Visitor-reported prices
Comments
Blood Culture Test at other California hospitals
| Hospital | City | Cash price | Negotiated range |
|---|---|---|---|
| French Hospital | San Luis Obispo | $261.08 | $10.32 – $39.20 |
| Fresno Medical Center | FRESNO | $272.16 | $10.00 – $10.00 |
| St. John's Camarillo Hospital | Camarillo | $257.11 | $10.32 – $32.20 |
| Antioch Medical Center | ANTIOCH | $272.16 | $10.00 – $10.00 |
| Redwood City Medical Center | Redwood City | $272.16 | $10.00 – $10.00 |
| Santa Clara Medical Center | SANTA CLARA | $272.16 | $10.00 – $10.00 |
| Baldwin Park Medical Center | BALDWIN PARK | $279.76 | $7.00 – $7.00 |
| Riverside Medical Center | RIVERSIDE | $279.76 | $7.00 – $7.00 |