Lead ingevity 45cm pfret MRI 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

$600.75

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.

$6,675.00

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.

$1,128.08 with BLUE SHIELD EPN vs $8,677.50 with COALINGA-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
BLUE SHIELD EPN BLUE SHIELD EPN $1,128.08 ↑ +88%
BLUE SHIELD EPO/PPO-ALL OTHER PLANS BLUE SHIELD EPO/PPO-ALL OTHER PLANS $1,561.95 ↑ +160%
BLUE SHIELD HMO/POS BLUE SHIELD HMO/POS $1,561.95 ↑ +160%
HPN-HERITAGE PROV NTWRK-ALL PLANS HPN-HERITAGE PROV NTWRK-ALL PLANS $1,935.75 ↑ +222%
UHC PPO UHC PPO $2,296.20 ↑ +282%
UHC HMO UHC HMO $2,296.20 ↑ +282%
UHC ALL PAYER - ALL OTHER PLANS UHC ALL PAYER - ALL OTHER PLANS $2,296.20 ↑ +282%
NBD-NTWRKS BY DESIGN NON-EXCLUS NBD-NTWRKS BY DESIGN NON-EXCLUS $3,153.94 ↑ +425%
NBD-NTWRKS BY DESIGN EXCLUS-ALL OTHER PLANS NBD-NTWRKS BY DESIGN EXCLUS-ALL OTHER PLANS $3,153.94 ↑ +425%
AETNA - ALL OTHER PLANS AETNA - ALL OTHER PLANS $4,138.50 ↑ +589%
MEDI-CAL MEDI-CAL $6,675.00 ↑ +1011%
CENCAL MCAL CENCAL MCAL $7,609.50 ↑ +1167%
BLUE SHIELD PROMISE MCAL BLUE SHIELD PROMISE MCAL $8,023.35 ↑ +1236%
CCAH-CENTRL CA ALLINCE MCAL-ALL PLANS CCAH-CENTRL CA ALLINCE MCAL-ALL PLANS $8,677.50 ↑ +1344%
COALINGA-ALL PLANS COALINGA-ALL PLANS $8,677.50 ↑ +1344%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Lead ingevity 45cm pfret MRI at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $7,160.28 $192.47 – $992.74
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $3,638.47 $242.40 – $787.80
Baldwin Park Medical Center BALDWIN PARK $4,472.00 not published
Riverside Medical Center RIVERSIDE $4,472.00 not published
Banner Lassen Medical Center Susanville $18,613.05 $1,104.95 – $2,614.15
Panorama Medical Center PANORAMA CITY $4,472.00 not published
Petaluma Valley Hospital Petaluma $6,701.70 not published
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $7,817.85 $232.99 – $992.74

All California hospitals for this procedure →