M/phmtrc alys ishquant/semiq 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

$25.20

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.

$280.00

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.

$81.94 with HPN-HERITAGE PROV NTWRK-ALL PLANS vs $393.73 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 $81.94 ↑ +225%
UHC ALL PAYER - ALL OTHER PLANS UHC ALL PAYER - ALL OTHER PLANS $82.90 ↑ +229%
UHC HMO UHC HMO $82.90 ↑ +229%
UHC PPO UHC PPO $82.90 ↑ +229%
BLUE SHIELD EPN BLUE SHIELD EPN $94.47 ↑ +275%
BLUE SHIELD HMO/POS BLUE SHIELD HMO/POS $117.61 ↑ +367%
BLUE SHIELD EPO/PPO-ALL OTHER PLANS BLUE SHIELD EPO/PPO-ALL OTHER PLANS $129.66 ↑ +415%
NBD-NTWRKS BY DESIGN NON-EXCLUS NBD-NTWRKS BY DESIGN NON-EXCLUS $139.18 ↑ +452%
NBD-NTWRKS BY DESIGN EXCLUS-ALL OTHER PLANS NBD-NTWRKS BY DESIGN EXCLUS-ALL OTHER PLANS $139.18 ↑ +452%
TRICARE BLUE SHIELD-ALL PLANS TRICARE BLUE SHIELD-ALL PLANS $218.74 ↑ +768%
CENCAL MCR ADV - ALL OTHER PLANS CENCAL MCR ADV - ALL OTHER PLANS $218.74 ↑ +768%
UHC MCR ADV UHC MCR ADV $218.74 ↑ +768%
AETNA MCR ADV AETNA MCR ADV $218.74 ↑ +768%
MEDI-CAL MEDI-CAL $241.00 ↑ +856%
CENCAL MCAL CENCAL MCAL $274.74 ↑ +990%
CFMG-CA FORENSIC MED GRP OP/PROFEE ONLY-ALL PLANS CFMG-CA FORENSIC MED GRP OP/PROFEE ONLY-ALL PLANS $284.36 ↑ +1028%
BLUE SHIELD PROMISE MCAL BLUE SHIELD PROMISE MCAL $289.68 ↑ +1050%
COALINGA-ALL PLANS COALINGA-ALL PLANS $313.30 ↑ +1143%
CCAH-CENTRL CA ALLINCE MCAL-ALL PLANS CCAH-CENTRL CA ALLINCE MCAL-ALL PLANS $313.30 ↑ +1143%
AH EMPLOYEE HEALTH PLAN - ALL PLANS AH EMPLOYEE HEALTH PLAN - ALL PLANS $393.73 ↑ +1462%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

M/phmtrc alys ishquant/semiq at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $2,156.00 $12.15 – $1,054.51
Fresno Medical Center FRESNO $888.16 $390.00 – $390.00
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $220.76 $70.20 – $923.72
Antioch Medical Center ANTIOCH $888.16 $390.00 – $390.00
Redwood City Medical Center Redwood City $888.16 $390.00 – $390.00
Santa Clara Medical Center SANTA CLARA $888.16 $390.00 – $390.00
Fremont Medical Center FREMONT $888.16 $390.00 – $390.00
Banner Lassen Medical Center Susanville $109.30 $34.27 – $316.93

All California hospitals for this procedure →