Dopamine 40 mg/ml intravenous solution (wrapper) 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

$4.05

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.

$45.00

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.

$1.36 with HPN-HERITAGE PROV NTWRK-ALL PLANS vs $5.20 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 $1.36 ↓ -66%
UHC HMO UHC HMO $1.38 ↓ -66%
UHC PPO UHC PPO $1.38 ↓ -66%
UHC ALL PAYER - ALL OTHER PLANS UHC ALL PAYER - ALL OTHER PLANS $1.38 ↓ -66%
BLUE SHIELD EPN BLUE SHIELD EPN $1.57 ↓ -61%
BLUE SHIELD HMO/POS BLUE SHIELD HMO/POS $1.95 ↓ -52%
BLUE SHIELD EPO/PPO-ALL OTHER PLANS BLUE SHIELD EPO/PPO-ALL OTHER PLANS $2.15 ↓ -47%
NBD-NTWRKS BY DESIGN NON-EXCLUS NBD-NTWRKS BY DESIGN NON-EXCLUS $2.31 ↓ -43%
NBD-NTWRKS BY DESIGN EXCLUS-ALL OTHER PLANS NBD-NTWRKS BY DESIGN EXCLUS-ALL OTHER PLANS $2.31 ↓ -43%
AETNA - ALL OTHER PLANS AETNA - ALL OTHER PLANS $2.48 ↓ -39%
CENCAL MCAL CENCAL MCAL $4.00 ↓ -1%
MEDI-CAL MEDI-CAL $4.00 ↓ -1%
BLUE SHIELD PROMISE MCAL BLUE SHIELD PROMISE MCAL $4.81 ↑ +19%
CCAH-CENTRL CA ALLINCE MCAL-ALL PLANS CCAH-CENTRL CA ALLINCE MCAL-ALL PLANS $5.20 ↑ +28%
COALINGA-ALL PLANS COALINGA-ALL PLANS $5.20 ↑ +28%

Visitor-reported prices

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Dopamine 40 mg/ml intravenous solution (wrapper) at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $72.92 $0.70 – $52.92
Fresno Medical Center FRESNO $55.16 $0.65 – $0.65
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $57.38 $0.46 – $52.26
Antioch Medical Center ANTIOCH $55.16 $0.65 – $0.65
Redwood City Medical Center Redwood City $55.16 $0.65 – $0.65
Santa Clara Medical Center SANTA CLARA $55.16 $0.65 – $0.65
Baldwin Park Medical Center BALDWIN PARK $51.22 $0.65 – $0.65
Riverside Medical Center RIVERSIDE $51.22 $0.65 – $0.65

All California hospitals for this procedure →