COVID-19 PCR test cost in Los Angeles, CA

Prices at 6 hospitals in Los Angeles, CA, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $96 — 4% below the US median ($100), roughly 1.9× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
California Hospital Medical Center La Los Angeles, CA $49 $53 ★ 2/5 254 min
East Los Angeles Doctors Hospital Los Angeles, CA $70 $56 ★ 1/5 172 min
Kaiser Foundation Hospital-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA $96 $43 ★ 5/5
Kaiser Foundation Hospital-West La Los Angeles, CA $96 $43 ★ 3/5
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Los Angeles, CA $331 $13,270 ★ 5/5 355 min

CMS rating = overall hospital star rating (1–5); ER wait = median minutes in the emergency department; Readmit = 30-day readmission rate (lower is better) — all from Medicare’s Care Compare; “—” = not reported. Data last updated September 2026. Prices from hospitals’ machine-readable files (45 CFR §180); Medicare benchmark from CMS PFS/CLFS/IPPS. Prices below 15% of the median are excluded as likely partial or mis-coded charges. Estimates — confirm with the hospital. Report an incorrect price.

Price comparison (median)

Chargemaster (list price)
$184
Cash / self-pay
$96
Insurer-negotiated
$55
Medicare pays
$51
$57$237
Median cash $96  ·  Medicare $51  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $96 — about 1.9× the Medicare rate ($51). Reasonable. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($103).

💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $184 list price could save about $88 (48%).

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Rough estimate from this procedure’s median insurer-negotiated rate. Your actual cost depends on your plan — confirm with your insurer.

Doctors who perform this in Los Angeles

Clinicians who reported the most Medicare volume for this service locally. This reflects Original Medicare activity only and is a volume signal, not a quality ranking.

ClinicianSpecialtyLocationMedicare services
Brownell Payne, MDAnesthesiologyLos Angeles, CA1,077
Arman Hekmati, M.D.Geriatric MedicineLos Angeles, CA461
Rabin Nikjoo, M.D.Family PracticeLos Angeles, CA313
Paula Drivas, RPACPhysician AssistantLos Angeles, CA305
Dan Katz, M.D.Emergency MedicineLos Angeles, CA285
Oleg Bess, M.D.Obstetrics & GynecologyLos Angeles, CA259
Amy WilsonNurse PractitionerLos Angeles, CA39
Shahram Bonyadlou, M.D.Diagnostic RadiologyLos Angeles, CA28
Steffany Quinn, NP-CNurse PractitionerLos Angeles, CA21
Tawney Freeman, PAPhysician AssistantLos Angeles, CA20
Patricia Chamul, PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTPhysician AssistantLos Angeles, CA13
David Davis-Boozer, MDFamily PracticeLos Angeles, CA12

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All COVID-19 PCR test prices in California → · All COVID-19 PCR test prices (national) · All hospitals in Los Angeles