CT scan of the head with and without contrast cost in California

Prices at 177 hospitals in California, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $3,091 — 89% above the US median ($1,631), roughly 17.9× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Community Memorial Hospital-Ojai Ojai, CA $496 $843 — 114 min —
Ventura County Medical Center Ventura, CA $743 $310 ★ 2/5 178 min —
Community Memorial Hospital-Ventura Ventura, CA $743 $310 ★ 4/5 190 min —
Kaweah Health Medical Center Visalia, CA $894 $1,016 ★ 3/5 254 min —
Healdsburg Hospital Healdsburg, CA $942 $778 — 94 min —
Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego, CA $1,016 $237 ★ 4/5 194 min —
Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla La Jolla, CA $1,016 $237 ★ 5/5 186 min —
Scripps Green Hospital La Jolla, CA $1,016 $237 ★ 5/5 — —
Scripps Memorial Hospital-Encinitas Encinitas, CA $1,016 $237 ★ 4/5 200 min —
L a Downtown Medical Center Los Angeles, CA $1,040 — ★ 3/5 — —
Banner Lassen Medical Center Susanville, CA $1,068 $1,787 ★ 3/5 116 min —
San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital Banning, CA $1,143 $236 ★ 3/5 194 min —
Pioneers Memorial Healthcare District Brawley, CA $1,169 $222 ★ 3/5 191 min —
Kern Medical Center Bakersfield, CA $1,212 $323 ★ 1/5 306 min —
Antelope Valley Hospital Lancaster, CA $1,260 $258 ★ 1/5 264 min —
Colorado River Medical Center Needles, CA $1,266 — — 121 min —
Mercy Medical Center Merced, CA $1,308 $394 ★ 3/5 224 min —
UCI Health-Orange Orange, CA $1,338 $305 ★ 4/5 318 min —
UCI Health-Los Alamitos Los Alamitos, CA $1,338 $305 ★ 1/5 238 min —
UCI Health-Fountain Valley Fountain Valley, CA $1,338 $305 ★ 2/5 158 min —
St Mary Medical Center Long Beach, CA $1,489 $302 ★ 5/5 150 min —
Mercy General Hospital Sacramento, CA $1,548 $559 ★ 3/5 170 min —
Mercy Hospital Bakersfield, CA $1,548 $559 ★ 3/5 193 min —
Mercy San Juan Medical Center Carmichael, CA $1,548 $559 ★ 3/5 197 min —
St Rose Hospital Hayward, CA $1,557 $249 ★ 1/5 160 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 October 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)
$5,345
Cash / self-pay
$3,091
Insurer-negotiated
$310
Medicare pays
$173
$743$5,538
Median cash $3,091  ·  Medicare $173  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $3,091 — about 17.9× the Medicare rate ($173). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($346).

💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $5,345 list price could save about $2,254 (42%).

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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.

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CT scan of the head with and without contrast cost in other states

All CT scan of the head with and without contrast prices (national) → · All hospitals in California →