Brain image w/flow < 4 views 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

$948.45

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.

$2,216.00

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.

$197.65 with CenCal vs $2,171.68 with MultiPlan — 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
CenCal Medicaid|< 21 $197.65 ↓ -79%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $197.65 ↓ -79%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $197.65 ↓ -79%
CenCal Medicaid|> 21 $197.65 ↓ -79%
Health Net Medicaid|> 21 $299.03 ↓ -68%
Health Net Medicaid|< 21 $299.03 ↓ -68%
MHS Hospice Commercial|All Plans $449.10 ↓ -53%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Plans $510.57 ↓ -46%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $510.57 ↓ -46%
Scan Health Plan Medicare|All Plans $510.57 ↓ -46%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $510.57 ↓ -46%
United Medicare|All Plans $510.57 ↓ -46%
Alignment Medicare|All Plans $510.57 ↓ -46%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $510.57 ↓ -46%
United Commercial|HMO $848.52 ↓ -11%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $848.52 ↓ -11%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $848.52 ↓ -11%
United Commercial|Options PPO $848.52 ↓ -11%
Western Growers Commercial|All Plans $1,108.00 ↑ +17%
Aetna Commercial|All Other Plans $1,151.63 ↑ +21%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $1,151.63 ↑ +21%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $1,151.63 ↑ +21%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Non-MCS $1,380.39 ↑ +46%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $1,396.08 ↑ +47%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $1,772.15 ↑ +87%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $1,772.15 ↑ +87%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $1,850.04 ↑ +95%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $1,861.44 ↑ +96%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $2,038.72 ↑ +115%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $2,171.68 ↑ +129%

Visitor-reported prices

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Brain image w/flow < 4 views at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Mark Twain Medical Center San Andreas $3,543.79 $197.65 – $2,456.86
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $868.68 $197.65 – $2,171.68
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $365.44 $197.65 – $1,976.45
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $361.50 $197.65 – $1,976.45
Queen of The Valley Medical Center Napa $988.38 $567.62 – $991.43
St. Joseph's Medical Center Stockton Stockton $2,888.26 $197.65 – $4,027.84
Providence Mission Hospital - Mission Viejo Mission Viejo $699.36 $437.05 – $951.22
Mercy Medical Center Mt. Shasta Mt Shasta $768.67 $237.12 – $968.24

All California hospitals for this procedure →