CT thoracic spine 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

$5,073.75

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.

$11,275.00

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.

$146.10 with Health Net vs $9,583.75 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
Health Net Medicare|All Plans $146.10 ↓ -97%
United Medicare|All Plans $146.10 ↓ -97%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $146.10 ↓ -97%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|All Plans $146.10 ↓ -97%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|DHMF $166.55 ↓ -97%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|All Plans $178.84 ↓ -96%
COSC Psych Medicaid|All Plans $178.84 ↓ -96%
Central California Alliance for Health Medicaid|All Plans $178.84 ↓ -96%
United Commercial|Options PPO $245.18 ↓ -95%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $245.18 ↓ -95%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $245.18 ↓ -95%
United Commercial|HMO $245.18 ↓ -95%
Health Net Medicaid|> 21 $270.56 ↓ -95%
Health Net Medicaid|< 21 $270.56 ↓ -95%
Sutter Health Commercial|All Plans $457.29 ↓ -91%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $2,314.37 ↓ -54%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $2,314.37 ↓ -54%
Cigna Commercial|LocalPlus $2,468.00 ↓ -51%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $2,625.00 ↓ -48%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $2,792.00 ↓ -45%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $3,900.00 ↓ -23%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $7,328.75 ↑ +44%
Western Growers Commercial|All Plans $7,892.50 ↑ +56%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $9,020.00 ↑ +78%
Multiplan Commercial|All Plans $9,583.75 ↑ +89%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $9,583.75 ↑ +89%

Visitor-reported prices

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CT thoracic spine without contrast at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $1,678.42 $135.12 – $2,988.96
Banner Lassen Medical Center Susanville $1,196.61 $21.27 – $2,039.91
Petaluma Valley Hospital Petaluma $5,058.18 $140.89 – $1,369.25
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $3,010.56 $135.12 – $5,239.08
Mark Twain Medical Center San Andreas $4,496.84 $178.84 – $1,455.30
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $2,426.48 $113.94 – $1,768.00
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $1,679.89 $135.12 – $3,622.40
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $1,661.78 $135.12 – $3,577.12

All California hospitals for this procedure →