Blood smear microscopic w manual differential wbc count 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

$21.69

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.

$241.00

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.

$0.68 with HPN-HERITAGE PROV NTWRK-ALL PLANS vs $261.30 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 $0.68 ↓ -97%
UHC ALL PAYER - ALL OTHER PLANS UHC ALL PAYER - ALL OTHER PLANS $0.69 ↓ -97%
UHC HMO UHC HMO $0.69 ↓ -97%
BLUE SHIELD EPO/PPO-ALL OTHER PLANS BLUE SHIELD EPO/PPO-ALL OTHER PLANS $1.08 ↓ -95%
BLUE SHIELD HMO/POS BLUE SHIELD HMO/POS $2.48 ↓ -89%
NBD-NTWRKS BY DESIGN EXCLUS-ALL OTHER PLANS NBD-NTWRKS BY DESIGN EXCLUS-ALL OTHER PLANS $2.94 ↓ -86%
UHC MCR ADV UHC MCR ADV $3.80 ↓ -82%
CENCAL MCR ADV - ALL OTHER PLANS CENCAL MCR ADV - ALL OTHER PLANS $3.80 ↓ -82%
AETNA MCR ADV AETNA MCR ADV $3.80 ↓ -82%
TRICARE BLUE SHIELD-ALL PLANS TRICARE BLUE SHIELD-ALL PLANS $3.80 ↓ -82%
CFMG-CA FORENSIC MED GRP OP/PROFEE ONLY-ALL PLANS CFMG-CA FORENSIC MED GRP OP/PROFEE ONLY-ALL PLANS $4.94 ↓ -77%
MEDI-CAL MEDI-CAL $5.09 ↓ -77%
BLUE SHIELD PROMISE MCAL BLUE SHIELD PROMISE MCAL $6.12 ↓ -72%
CCAH-CENTRL CA ALLINCE MCAL-ALL PLANS CCAH-CENTRL CA ALLINCE MCAL-ALL PLANS $6.62 ↓ -69%
AH EMPLOYEE HEALTH PLAN - ALL PLANS AH EMPLOYEE HEALTH PLAN - ALL PLANS $6.84 ↓ -68%
UHC PPO UHC PPO $82.90 ↑ +282%
BLUE SHIELD EPN BLUE SHIELD EPN $94.47 ↑ +336%
NBD-NTWRKS BY DESIGN NON-EXCLUS NBD-NTWRKS BY DESIGN NON-EXCLUS $139.18 ↑ +542%
CENCAL MCAL CENCAL MCAL $229.14 ↑ +956%
COALINGA-ALL PLANS COALINGA-ALL PLANS $261.30 ↑ +1105%

Visitor-reported prices

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Blood smear microscopic w manual differential wbc count at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $129.66 $2.97 – $11.51
Fresno Medical Center FRESNO $50.40 $3.00 – $3.00
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $67.02 $3.80 – $11.86
Antioch Medical Center ANTIOCH $50.40 $3.00 – $3.00
Redwood City Medical Center Redwood City $50.40 $3.00 – $3.00
Santa Clara Medical Center SANTA CLARA $50.40 $3.00 – $3.00
Baldwin Park Medical Center BALDWIN PARK $63.96 $3.00 – $3.00
Riverside Medical Center RIVERSIDE $63.96 $3.00 – $3.00

All California hospitals for this procedure →