Metabolic Blood Panel (Basic) 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

$146.25

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.

$1,625.00

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.

$6.19 with UHC PPO vs $2,112.50 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
UHC PPO UHC PPO $6.19 ↓ -96%
CENCAL MCR ADV - ALL OTHER PLANS CENCAL MCR ADV - ALL OTHER PLANS $8.46 ↓ -94%
UHC MCR ADV UHC MCR ADV $8.46 ↓ -94%
AETNA MCR ADV AETNA MCR ADV $8.46 ↓ -94%
TRICARE BLUE SHIELD-ALL PLANS TRICARE BLUE SHIELD-ALL PLANS $8.46 ↓ -94%
BLUE SHIELD EPO/PPO-ALL OTHER PLANS BLUE SHIELD EPO/PPO-ALL OTHER PLANS $9.68 ↓ -93%
CFMG-CA FORENSIC MED GRP OP/PROFEE ONLY-ALL PLANS CFMG-CA FORENSIC MED GRP OP/PROFEE ONLY-ALL PLANS $11.00 ↓ -92%
AH EMPLOYEE HEALTH PLAN - ALL PLANS AH EMPLOYEE HEALTH PLAN - ALL PLANS $15.23 ↓ -90%
NBD-NTWRKS BY DESIGN NON-EXCLUS NBD-NTWRKS BY DESIGN NON-EXCLUS $34.07 ↓ -77%
CENCAL MCAL CENCAL MCAL $67.26 ↓ -54%
HPN-HERITAGE PROV NTWRK-ALL PLANS HPN-HERITAGE PROV NTWRK-ALL PLANS $552.50 ↑ +278%
UHC HMO UHC HMO $559.00 ↑ +282%
UHC ALL PAYER - ALL OTHER PLANS UHC ALL PAYER - ALL OTHER PLANS $559.00 ↑ +282%
BLUE SHIELD EPN BLUE SHIELD EPN $637.00 ↑ +336%
BLUE SHIELD HMO/POS BLUE SHIELD HMO/POS $793.00 ↑ +442%
NBD-NTWRKS BY DESIGN EXCLUS-ALL OTHER PLANS NBD-NTWRKS BY DESIGN EXCLUS-ALL OTHER PLANS $938.44 ↑ +542%
MEDI-CAL MEDI-CAL $1,625.00 ↑ +1011%
BLUE SHIELD PROMISE MCAL BLUE SHIELD PROMISE MCAL $1,953.25 ↑ +1236%
CCAH-CENTRL CA ALLINCE MCAL-ALL PLANS CCAH-CENTRL CA ALLINCE MCAL-ALL PLANS $2,112.50 ↑ +1344%
COALINGA-ALL PLANS COALINGA-ALL PLANS $2,112.50 ↑ +1344%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Metabolic Blood Panel (Basic) at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $256.37 $6.48 – $25.63
Fresno Medical Center FRESNO $193.20 $8.00 – $8.00
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $91.98 $8.46 – $26.40
Antioch Medical Center ANTIOCH $193.20 $8.00 – $8.00
Redwood City Medical Center Redwood City $193.20 $8.00 – $8.00
Santa Clara Medical Center SANTA CLARA $193.20 $8.00 – $8.00
Baldwin Park Medical Center BALDWIN PARK $248.04 $5.00 – $5.00
Riverside Medical Center RIVERSIDE $248.04 $5.00 – $5.00

All California hospitals for this procedure →