Contrast x-ray of brain at Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center

18321 Clark St, Tarzana, CA · Providence · · NPI 1821250762

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

not published by hospital

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.

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What you pay up front if you don't use insurance.

not published by hospital

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.

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The hospital's undiscounted list price — almost no one pays this.

$120.40 with Blue Shield vs $2,720.43 with Cigna — 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.

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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
Blue Shield Epn/Ifp Benefit Exchange $120.40
Blue Shield Tandem Ppo/Blue High Performance Ppo/Epo $128.33
Blue Shield Hmo/Ppo/Epo $178.61
Aetna All Commercial Plans $200.39
Blue Shield Medicare Managed Care Plan $232.85
Blue Cross All Commercial Plans $244.46
Aetna Medicare Managed Care Plan $1,008.25
Humana Choicecare Medicare Managed Care Plan $1,028.42
Blue Cross Anthem Vivity City Of La Other Commercial Plan $1,056.32
Unitedhealthcare Select/Navigate Hmo $1,089.31
Unitedhealthcare All Commercial Plans $1,089.31
Central Health Plan Medicare Managed Care Plan $1,109.08
Blue Cross Anthem Vivity Non City Of La Other Commercial Plan $1,189.72
La Care Health Plan Exchange $1,310.73
Healthnet Ambetter Hmo $1,865.27
Healthnet Ambetter Ppo $2,157.66
Cigna Oap Hmo/Pos $2,720.43
Cigna Ppo $2,720.43

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
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Contrast x-ray of brain at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Mark Twain Medical Center San Andreas $1,464.54 $127.68 – $639.94
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $1,362.69 $127.68 – $3,751.09
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $1,348.00 $117.49 – $3,751.09
St. Joseph's Medical Center Stockton Stockton $1,409.44 $127.68 – $1,036.00
Mercy Medical Center Merced Merced $772.50 $102.36 – $756.80
Northridge Hospital Medical Center Northridge $538.75 $118.38 – $2,379.96
St Jude Medical Center Fullerton $1,833.60 $481.18 – $1,865.27
Providence St Joseph Hospital Orange Orange $956.16 $470.88 – $1,865.27

All California hospitals for this procedure →