Brain MRI (with contrast) at ADVENTIST HEALTH MEDICAL CENTER TEHACHAPI

1100 Magellan Dr, Tehachapi, CA · Adventisthealth · · NPI 1275538530

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published May 21, 2026 · Ingested Sep 16, 2026

$531.36

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.

$1,968.00

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.

$12.93 with BLUE CROSS NON-MCS- ALL OTHER PLANS vs $893.54 with BLUE CROSS EXCHANGE — 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
BLUE CROSS NON-MCS- ALL OTHER PLANS BLUE CROSS NON-MCS- ALL OTHER PLANS $12.93 ↓ -98%
CIGNA- ALL PLANS CIGNA- ALL PLANS $46.77 ↓ -91%
UNIVERSAL IPA MCR ADV OP/PROFEE ONLY-ALL OTHER PLA UNIVERSAL IPA MCR ADV OP/PROFEE ONLY-ALL OTHER PLA $83.75 ↓ -84%
HEALTHNET MCARE HEALTHNET MCARE $83.75 ↓ -84%
UHC MCR ADV UHC MCR ADV $83.75 ↓ -84%
TRICARE BLUE SHIELD TRICARE BLUE SHIELD $83.75 ↓ -84%
NETWORK PROVIDERS- ALL PLANS NETWORK PROVIDERS- ALL PLANS $91.29 ↓ -83%
AH EMPLOYEE HEALTH PLAN - ALL PLANS AH EMPLOYEE HEALTH PLAN - ALL PLANS $92.13 ↓ -83%
OSCAR HEALTH PLAN- ALL PLANS OSCAR HEALTH PLAN- ALL PLANS $96.31 ↓ -82%
COVENTRY- ALL PLANS COVENTRY- ALL PLANS $100.50 ↓ -81%
HEALTHNET- ALL OTHER PLANS HEALTHNET- ALL OTHER PLANS $122.02 ↓ -77%
WESTERN GRWRS/PINNACLE - ALL PLANS WESTERN GRWRS/PINNACLE - ALL PLANS $124.79 ↓ -77%
CENTIVO - ALL PLANS CENTIVO - ALL PLANS $125.63 ↓ -76%
AETNA-ALL PLANS AETNA-ALL PLANS $153.86 ↓ -71%
BLUE SHIELD EPN- ALL OTHER PLANS BLUE SHIELD EPN- ALL OTHER PLANS $154.04 ↓ -71%
BLUE SHIELD NON-EPN BLUE SHIELD NON-EPN $162.78 ↓ -69%
MEDI-CAL MEDI-CAL $264.23 ↓ -50%
UNIVERSAL IPA MCAL OP/PROFEE ONLY UNIVERSAL IPA MCAL OP/PROFEE ONLY $264.23 ↓ -50%
KAISER MEDICARE IP/OP ONLY KAISER MEDICARE IP/OP ONLY $326.99 ↓ -38%
UHC ALL PAYER- ALL OTHER PLANS UHC ALL PAYER- ALL OTHER PLANS $395.87 ↓ -25%
UHC JLL CSP UHC JLL CSP $395.87 ↓ -25%
KAISER MEDI-CAL IP/OP ONLY KAISER MEDI-CAL IP/OP ONLY $489.84 ↓ -8%
BC MCAL BC MCAL $504.54 ↓ -5%
KAISER IP/OP ONLY- ALL OTHER PLANS KAISER IP/OP ONLY- ALL OTHER PLANS $562.42 ↑ +6%
HEALTHNET MEDI-CAL HEALTHNET MEDI-CAL $601.03 ↑ +13%
KHS-KERN HLTH SYSTM MCAL KHS-KERN HLTH SYSTM MCAL $631.89 ↑ +19%
KLHP-KERN LEGACY EPO -ALL OTHER PLANS KLHP-KERN LEGACY EPO -ALL OTHER PLANS $860.50 ↑ +62%
BLUE CROSS EXCHANGE BLUE CROSS EXCHANGE $893.54 ↑ +68%

Visitor-reported prices

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Brain MRI (with contrast) at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Fresno Medical Center FRESNO $5,056.80 $476.00 – $476.00
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $2,534.27 $453.77 – $4,513.08
Antioch Medical Center ANTIOCH $5,056.80 $476.00 – $476.00
Redwood City Medical Center Redwood City $5,056.80 $476.00 – $476.00
Santa Clara Medical Center SANTA CLARA $5,056.80 $476.00 – $476.00
Baldwin Park Medical Center BALDWIN PARK $2,912.00 $324.00 – $324.00
Riverside Medical Center RIVERSIDE $2,912.00 $324.00 – $324.00
Fremont Medical Center FREMONT $5,056.80 $476.00 – $476.00

All California hospitals for this procedure →