Susceptibility agar dilution per agent 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

$25.56

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.

$284.00

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.

$4.27 with MEDI-CAL vs $369.20 with CCAH-CENTRL CA ALLINCE MCAL-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
MEDI-CAL MEDI-CAL $4.27 ↓ -83%
UHC MCR ADV UHC MCR ADV $4.75 ↓ -81%
CENCAL MCR ADV - ALL OTHER PLANS CENCAL MCR ADV - ALL OTHER PLANS $4.75 ↓ -81%
AETNA MCR ADV AETNA MCR ADV $4.75 ↓ -81%
TRICARE BLUE SHIELD-ALL PLANS TRICARE BLUE SHIELD-ALL PLANS $4.75 ↓ -81%
COALINGA-ALL PLANS COALINGA-ALL PLANS $5.55 ↓ -78%
CFMG-CA FORENSIC MED GRP OP/PROFEE ONLY-ALL PLANS CFMG-CA FORENSIC MED GRP OP/PROFEE ONLY-ALL PLANS $6.18 ↓ -76%
AH EMPLOYEE HEALTH PLAN - ALL PLANS AH EMPLOYEE HEALTH PLAN - ALL PLANS $8.55 ↓ -67%
HPN-HERITAGE PROV NTWRK-ALL PLANS HPN-HERITAGE PROV NTWRK-ALL PLANS $60.52 ↑ +137%
UHC PPO UHC PPO $61.23 ↑ +140%
BLUE SHIELD EPN BLUE SHIELD EPN $69.78 ↑ +173%
BLUE SHIELD HMO/POS BLUE SHIELD HMO/POS $86.86 ↑ +240%
BLUE SHIELD EPO/PPO-ALL OTHER PLANS BLUE SHIELD EPO/PPO-ALL OTHER PLANS $95.76 ↑ +275%
UHC HMO UHC HMO $97.70 ↑ +282%
UHC ALL PAYER - ALL OTHER PLANS UHC ALL PAYER - ALL OTHER PLANS $97.70 ↑ +282%
NBD-NTWRKS BY DESIGN NON-EXCLUS NBD-NTWRKS BY DESIGN NON-EXCLUS $102.80 ↑ +302%
NBD-NTWRKS BY DESIGN EXCLUS-ALL OTHER PLANS NBD-NTWRKS BY DESIGN EXCLUS-ALL OTHER PLANS $102.80 ↑ +302%
BLUE SHIELD PROMISE MCAL BLUE SHIELD PROMISE MCAL $213.96 ↑ +737%
CENCAL MCAL CENCAL MCAL $323.76 ↑ +1167%
CCAH-CENTRL CA ALLINCE MCAL-ALL PLANS CCAH-CENTRL CA ALLINCE MCAL-ALL PLANS $369.20 ↑ +1344%

Visitor-reported prices

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Susceptibility agar dilution per agent at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $24.93 $1.66 – $17.64
Fresno Medical Center FRESNO $50.40 $5.00 – $5.00
Antioch Medical Center ANTIOCH $50.40 $5.00 – $5.00
Redwood City Medical Center Redwood City $50.40 $5.00 – $5.00
Santa Clara Medical Center SANTA CLARA $50.40 $5.00 – $5.00
Baldwin Park Medical Center BALDWIN PARK $54.60 $3.00 – $3.00
Riverside Medical Center RIVERSIDE $54.60 $3.00 – $3.00
Fremont Medical Center FREMONT $50.40 $5.00 – $5.00

All California hospitals for this procedure →