Emergency department visit (level 1) cost in San Diego, CA

Prices at 5 hospitals in San Diego, CA, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $421 — 102% above the US median ($208), roughly 38.2× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego, CA $210 $198 ★ 4/5 193 min 15.3%
Sharp Mesa Vista Hospital San Diego, CA $375 $350
Kaiser Foundation Hospital-San Diego San Diego, CA $421 $229 ★ 4/5 13.7%
Sharp Memorial Hospital San Diego, CA $562 $400 ★ 4/5 197 min 15.4%
UC San Diego Health Hillcrest-Hillcrest Med Ctr San Diego, CA $613 $665 ★ 5/5 258 min 14.3%

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 June 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)
$809
Cash / self-pay
$421
Insurer-negotiated
$350
Medicare pays
$11
$276$593
Median cash $421  ·  Medicare $11  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $421 — about 38.2× the Medicare rate ($11). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($22).

💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $809 list price could save about $388 (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.

All Emergency department visit (level 1) prices in California → · All Emergency department visit (level 1) prices (national) · All hospitals in San Diego