Abdominal MRI (with 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

$3,759.75

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.

$8,355.00

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.

$299.22 with BCBS - Anthem vs $8,355.00 with BCBS - Anthem — 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
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|All Plans $299.22 ↓ -92%
Central California Alliance for Health Medicaid|All Plans $299.22 ↓ -92%
COSC Psych Medicaid|All Plans $299.22 ↓ -92%
Health Net Medicaid|< 21 $452.69 ↓ -88%
Health Net Medicaid|> 21 $452.69 ↓ -88%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|All Plans $490.65 ↓ -87%
United Medicare|All Plans $490.65 ↓ -87%
Health Net Medicare|All Plans $490.65 ↓ -87%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $490.65 ↓ -87%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|DHMF $559.34 ↓ -85%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $828.27 ↓ -78%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $828.27 ↓ -78%
United Commercial|HMO $828.27 ↓ -78%
United Commercial|Options PPO $828.27 ↓ -78%
Sutter Health Commercial|All Plans $1,535.73 ↓ -59%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $3,349.67 ↓ -11%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $3,349.67 ↓ -11%
Cigna Commercial|LocalPlus $3,703.00 ↓ -2%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $3,939.00 ↑ +5%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $5,430.75 ↑ +44%
Western Growers Commercial|All Plans $5,848.50 ↑ +56%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $6,075.11 ↑ +62%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $6,684.00 ↑ +78%
Multiplan Commercial|All Plans $7,101.75 ↑ +89%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $7,101.75 ↑ +89%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $8,355.00 ↑ +122%

Visitor-reported prices

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Abdominal MRI (with contrast) at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $2,430.47 $452.69 – $4,328.22
Banner Lassen Medical Center Susanville $2,835.60 $71.43 – $3,957.60
Petaluma Valley Hospital Petaluma $4,656.81 $470.15 – $3,158.65
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $2,794.42 $299.22 – $5,310.62
Mark Twain Medical Center San Andreas $8,801.19 $299.22 – $3,522.12
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $2,226.96 $299.22 – $2,111.00
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $2,110.62 $299.22 – $4,551.20
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $2,087.87 $299.22 – $4,494.31

All California hospitals for this procedure →