Aluminum - quest at Providence Little Company of Mary Med Center Torrance

4101 Torrance Blvd, Torrance, CA · Providence · · NPI 1003084211

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.

Full explanation →

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

$25.48 with Aetna vs $242.79 with Blue Shield — 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
Aetna Medicare Managed Care Plan $25.48
Humana Medicare Managed Care Plan $25.99
Caremore Medicare Managed Care Plan $28.03
La Care Health Plan Covered Ca Exchange $33.12
Blue Cross Anthem Vivity City Of La Other Commercial Plan $36.14
Blue Cross Anthem Vivity Non City Of La Other Commercial Plan $40.70
Cigna Oa/Oap Hmo/Pos $46.04
Healthnet Ambetter Hmo $47.14
Unitedhealthcare All Commercial Plans $50.96
First Health/Coventry Coventry All Commercial Plans $50.96
Unitedhealthcare Select/Navigate Hmo $50.96
Healthnet Ambetter Ppo $54.53
Cigna Ppo $64.58
Aetna All Commercial Plans $70.14
Blue Cross All Commercial Plans $125.92
Blue Shield Epn/Ifp Benefit Exchange $148.10
Blue Shield Hmo $158.42
Blue Shield Tandem Ppo/Blue High Performance Ppo/Epo $160.56
Blue Shield Ppo/Epo $178.71
Blue Shield Medicare Managed Care Plan $242.79

Visitor-reported prices

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Aluminum - quest at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Banner Lassen Medical Center Susanville $11.89 $5.10 – $32.54
Petaluma Valley Hospital Petaluma $6.12 $24.97 – $208.01
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $5.17 $6.03 – $65.64
Mark Twain Medical Center San Andreas $8.04 $6.53 – $12.06
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $4.73 $3.26 – $77.17
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $4.48 $6.03 – $73.21
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $4.43 $6.03 – $73.21
Queen of The Valley Medical Center Napa $6.12 $25.48 – $262.88

All California hospitals for this procedure →