Contrast exam thoracic aorta at Providence Saint John's Health Center

2121 Santa Monica Blvd, Santa Monica, CA · Providence · · NPI 1124026273

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Apr 1, 2026 · Ingested Sep 11, 2026

$1,802.85

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.

$5,151.00

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.

$618.40 with Aetna vs $15,276.98 with Cigna — 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
Aetna All Commercial Plans $618.40 ↓ -66%
Blue Shield Medicare Managed Care Plan $2,151.38 ↑ +19%
Blue Cross All Commercial Plans $2,311.45 ↑ +28%
Blue Shield Tandem Ppo/Blue High Performance Ppo/Epo $2,615.88 ↑ +45%
Blue Shield Ppo/Epo $2,909.25 ↑ +61%
Blue Shield Hmo $2,909.25 ↑ +61%
Aetna Medicare Managed Care Plan $4,061.05 ↑ +125%
Humana Choicecare Medicare Managed Care Plan $4,142.27 ↑ +130%
Blue Cross Anthem Vivity City Of La Other Commercial Plan $4,254.67 ↑ +136%
Unitedhealthcare Select/Navigate Hmo $4,434.05 ↑ +146%
Unitedhealthcare All Commercial Plans $4,434.05 ↑ +146%
Central Health Plan Medicare Managed Care Plan $4,467.15 ↑ +148%
Blue Cross Anthem Vivity Non City Of La Other Commercial Plan $4,791.97 ↑ +166%
Blue Shield Epn/Ifp Benefit Exchange $5,144.95 ↑ +185%
La Care Health Plan Covered Ca Exchange $5,279.36 ↑ +193%
Healthnet Ambetter Hmo $7,512.94 ↑ +317%
Healthnet Ambetter Ppo $8,690.64 ↑ +382%
Cigna All Commercial Plans $15,276.98 ↑ +747%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Contrast exam thoracic aorta at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $4,761.50 $255.55 – $13,457.70
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $4,361.00 $255.55 – $15,820.61
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $2,875.63 $255.55 – $15,009.21
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $2,844.62 $255.55 – $15,009.21
Queen of The Valley Medical Center Napa $4,627.74 $1,989.67 – $4,434.05
Providence St Joseph Hospital Eureka Eureka $6,941.61 $4,061.05 – $4,434.05
St. Joseph's Medical Center Stockton Stockton $2,881.79 $255.55 – $4,902.00
Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital Santa Rosa $4,627.74 $1,721.34 – $4,434.05

All California hospitals for this procedure →