Emergency department visit (level 5) cost in California

Prices at 170 hospitals in California, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $4,220 — 200% above the US median ($1,406), roughly 24.6× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Pioneers Memorial Healthcare District Brawley, CA $641 $754 ★ 3/5 190 min 15.0%
Adventist Health Tulare Tulare, CA $696 $254 ★ 3/5 195 min 15.0%
Paradise Valley Hospital National City, CA $762 $762 ★ 3/5 202 min 16.0%
Saint Francis Medical Center Lynwood, CA $762 $762 ★ 3/5 250 min 14.9%
Encino Hospital Medical Center Encino, CA $762 $762 ★ 3/5 135 min 15.6%
Garden Grove Hospital & Medical Center Garden Grove, CA $762 $762 ★ 2/5 138 min 16.6%
West Anaheim Medical Center Anaheim, CA $762 $762 ★ 2/5 196 min 16.6%
Huntington Beach Hospital Huntington Beach, CA $762 $762 ★ 1/5 173 min 14.8%
La Palma Intercommunity Hospital La Palma, CA $762 $762 ★ 3/5 214 min 16.5%
Chino Valley Medical Center Chino, CA $762 $762 ★ 4/5 173 min 16.1%
San Dimas Community Hospital San Dimas, CA $762 $762 ★ 2/5 155 min 15.5%
Desert Valley Hospital Victorville, CA $762 $762 ★ 3/5 173 min 15.8%
Sherman Oaks Hospital Sherman Oaks, CA $762 $762 ★ 2/5 153 min 15.8%
Montclair Hospital Medical Center Montclair, CA $762 $762 ★ 3/5 151 min 15.3%
Shasta Regional Medical Center Redding, CA $762 $762 ★ 2/5 148 min 15.9%
Colorado River Medical Center Needles, CA $809 128 min 15.0%
Mercy Medical Center Redding Redding, CA $995 ★ 2/5 187 min 13.5%
San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital Banning, CA $1,021 $762 ★ 3/5 191 min 14.6%
Fresno Surgical Hospital Fresno, CA $1,040 $821 14.4%
Mark Twain Medical Center San Andreas, CA $1,122 $481 ★ 3/5 128 min 15.2%
Community Memorial Hospital-Ojai Ojai, CA $1,264 $2,149 110 min 15.0%
St Rose Hospital Hayward, CA $1,273 $2,117 ★ 1/5 167 min 16.5%
Bear Valley Community Hospital Big Bear Lake, CA $1,569 $1,507 143 min
St Joseph's Medical Center of Stockton Stockton, CA $1,586 $1,400 ★ 3/5 227 min 13.9%
Lompoc Valley Medical Center Lompoc, CA $1,649 $1,342 ★ 1/5 169 min 15.9%

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)
$6,321
Cash / self-pay
$4,220
Insurer-negotiated
$1,079
Medicare pays
$171
$762$8,003
Median cash $4,220  ·  Medicare $171  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $4,220 — about 24.6× the Medicare rate ($171). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($343).

💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $6,321 list price could save about $2,101 (33%).

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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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Emergency department visit (level 5) cost in other states

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