Abdominal CT scan (with and without contrast) at Dominican Hospital

1555 Soquel Dr, Santa Cruz, CA · CommonSpirit Health · · NPI 1427181007

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Feb 28, 2026 · Ingested Sep 10, 2026

$6,857.10

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.

$15,238.00

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.

$244.57 with Blue Shield CA vs $12,952.30 with First Health — 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
Blue Shield CA Medicare|All Plans $244.57 ↓ -96%
United Medicare|All Plans $244.57 ↓ -96%
Health Net Medicare|All Plans $244.57 ↓ -96%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $244.57 ↓ -96%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|DHMF $278.81 ↓ -96%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|All Plans $340.87 ↓ -95%
COSC Psych Medicaid|All Plans $340.87 ↓ -95%
Central California Alliance for Health Medicaid|All Plans $340.87 ↓ -95%
United Commercial|Options PPO $401.74 ↓ -94%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $401.74 ↓ -94%
United Commercial|HMO $401.74 ↓ -94%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $401.74 ↓ -94%
Health Net Medicaid|> 21 $515.70 ↓ -92%
Health Net Medicaid|< 21 $515.70 ↓ -92%
Sutter Health Commercial|All Plans $765.50 ↓ -89%
Cigna Commercial|LocalPlus $2,468.00 ↓ -64%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $2,625.00 ↓ -62%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $2,792.00 ↓ -59%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $3,900.00 ↓ -43%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $3,990.30 ↓ -42%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $3,990.30 ↓ -42%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $9,904.70 ↑ +44%
Western Growers Commercial|All Plans $10,666.60 ↑ +56%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $12,190.40 ↑ +78%
Multiplan Commercial|All Plans $12,952.30 ↑ +89%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $12,952.30 ↑ +89%

Visitor-reported prices

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Abdominal CT scan (with and without contrast) at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $1,410.80 $226.19 – $2,512.38
Banner Lassen Medical Center Susanville $2,266.90 $35.60 – $3,864.48
Petaluma Valley Hospital Petaluma $6,557.07 $236.37 – $1,960.59
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $2,657.88 $226.19 – $5,049.94
Mark Twain Medical Center San Andreas $9,055.61 $340.87 – $2,890.02
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $2,141.89 $226.19 – $1,768.00
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $2,402.60 $226.19 – $5,180.80
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $2,376.70 $226.19 – $5,116.04

All California hospitals for this procedure →