Cholesterol (Lipid) Test 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

$114.75

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.

Full explanation →

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

$1,275.00

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.

Full explanation →

The hospital's undiscounted list price — almost no one pays this.

$0.94 with HPN-HERITAGE PROV NTWRK-ALL PLANS vs $24.10 with AH EMPLOYEE HEALTH PLAN - ALL PLANS — same scan, same building. Share

Negotiated rates by payer
?

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
HPN-HERITAGE PROV NTWRK-ALL PLANS HPN-HERITAGE PROV NTWRK-ALL PLANS $0.94 ↓ -99%
UHC ALL PAYER - ALL OTHER PLANS UHC ALL PAYER - ALL OTHER PLANS $0.95 ↓ -99%
UHC HMO UHC HMO $0.95 ↓ -99%
UHC PPO UHC PPO $0.95 ↓ -99%
BLUE SHIELD EPN BLUE SHIELD EPN $1.08 ↓ -99%
BLUE SHIELD HMO/POS BLUE SHIELD HMO/POS $1.34 ↓ -99%
BLUE SHIELD EPO/PPO-ALL OTHER PLANS BLUE SHIELD EPO/PPO-ALL OTHER PLANS $1.48 ↓ -99%
NBD-NTWRKS BY DESIGN NON-EXCLUS NBD-NTWRKS BY DESIGN NON-EXCLUS $1.59 ↓ -99%
NBD-NTWRKS BY DESIGN EXCLUS-ALL OTHER PLANS NBD-NTWRKS BY DESIGN EXCLUS-ALL OTHER PLANS $1.59 ↓ -99%
MEDI-CAL MEDI-CAL $2.75 ↓ -98%
CENCAL MCAL CENCAL MCAL $3.14 ↓ -97%
BLUE SHIELD PROMISE MCAL BLUE SHIELD PROMISE MCAL $3.31 ↓ -97%
COALINGA-ALL PLANS COALINGA-ALL PLANS $3.58 ↓ -97%
CCAH-CENTRL CA ALLINCE MCAL-ALL PLANS CCAH-CENTRL CA ALLINCE MCAL-ALL PLANS $3.58 ↓ -97%
TRICARE BLUE SHIELD-ALL PLANS TRICARE BLUE SHIELD-ALL PLANS $13.39 ↓ -88%
CENCAL MCR ADV - ALL OTHER PLANS CENCAL MCR ADV - ALL OTHER PLANS $13.39 ↓ -88%
UHC MCR ADV UHC MCR ADV $13.39 ↓ -88%
AETNA MCR ADV AETNA MCR ADV $13.39 ↓ -88%
CFMG-CA FORENSIC MED GRP OP/PROFEE ONLY-ALL PLANS CFMG-CA FORENSIC MED GRP OP/PROFEE ONLY-ALL PLANS $17.41 ↓ -85%
AH EMPLOYEE HEALTH PLAN - ALL PLANS AH EMPLOYEE HEALTH PLAN - ALL PLANS $24.10 ↓ -79%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Cholesterol (Lipid) Test at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $380.24 $3.81 – $40.54
Fresno Medical Center FRESNO $156.24 $13.00 – $13.00
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $131.40 $13.39 – $41.78
Antioch Medical Center ANTIOCH $156.24 $13.00 – $13.00
Redwood City Medical Center Redwood City $156.24 $13.00 – $13.00
Santa Clara Medical Center SANTA CLARA $156.24 $13.00 – $13.00
Baldwin Park Medical Center BALDWIN PARK $101.40 $8.00 – $8.00
Riverside Medical Center RIVERSIDE $101.40 $8.00 – $8.00

All California hospitals for this procedure →