Arthrocentesis/aspiration/injection intermediate joint/bursa w/ultrasound guidance (both sides) at Arroyo Grande Hospital

1400 E Church St, Santa Maria, CA · CommonSpirit Health · · NPI 1760510937

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

$1,242.92

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.

$2,904.00

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.

$51.70 with Partnership Health Plan vs $9,715.00 with BCBS - Anthem — 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
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $51.70 ↓ -96%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $51.70 ↓ -96%
CenCal Medicaid|< 21 $56.81 ↓ -95%
CenCal Medicaid|> 21 $56.81 ↓ -95%
Health Net Medicaid|< 21 $63.59 ↓ -95%
Health Net Medicaid|> 21 $63.59 ↓ -95%
MHS Hospice Commercial|All Plans $762.54 ↓ -39%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $879.92 ↓ -29%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $879.92 ↓ -29%
United Medicare|All Plans $879.92 ↓ -29%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $879.92 ↓ -29%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Plans $879.92 ↓ -29%
Alignment Medicare|All Plans $879.92 ↓ -29%
Scan Health Plan Medicare|All Plans $879.92 ↓ -29%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|Exchange $1,385.00 ↑ +11%
Western Growers Commercial|All Plans $1,491.05 ↑ +20%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $1,707.93 ↑ +37%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|FFS $2,012.00 ↑ +62%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $2,277.24 ↑ +83%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $2,385.68 ↑ +92%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $2,412.79 ↑ +94%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $2,494.12 ↑ +101%
United Commercial|Options PPO $2,521.23 ↑ +103%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $2,656.78 ↑ +114%
United Commercial|HMO $2,683.89 ↑ +116%
Health Net Commercial|Care Product $4,782.00 ↑ +285%
Health Net Commercial|FFS $5,416.00 ↑ +336%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $5,710.00 ↑ +359%
Aetna Commercial|All Other Plans $5,710.00 ↑ +359%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $5,710.00 ↑ +359%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Non-MCS $7,250.00 ↑ +483%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $9,715.00 ↑ +682%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Arthrocentesis/aspiration/injection intermediate joint/bursa w/ultrasound guidance (both sides) at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $1,106.83 $63.59 – $1,617.30
Petaluma Valley Hospital Petaluma $1,305.09 $593.00 – $2,695.00
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $1,022.73 $51.70 – $1,919.82
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $264.90 $51.70 – $714.00
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $262.04 $51.70 – $714.00
Queen of The Valley Medical Center Napa $2,007.36 $1,002.25 – $6,200.00
Providence St Joseph Hospital Eureka Eureka $8,347.17 $907.88 – $8,018.00
Healdsburg Hospital Healdsburg $792.03 $721.00 – $3,982.87

All California hospitals for this procedure →