Joint aspiration (small/intermediate) cost in Los Angeles, CA

Prices at 6 hospitals in Los Angeles, CA, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $668 — 69% above the US median ($396), roughly 11.8× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
California Hospital Medical Center La Los Angeles, CA $193 $302 ★ 2/5 254 min 15.4%
Kaiser Foundation Hospital-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA $668 $359 ★ 5/5 15.2%
Kaiser Foundation Hospital-West La Los Angeles, CA $668 $359 ★ 3/5 15.6%
East Los Angeles Doctors Hospital Los Angeles, CA $959 $492 ★ 1/5 179 min 14.9%
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Los Angeles, CA $1,638 $4,167 ★ 5/5 369 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 August 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)
$1,285
Cash / self-pay
$668
Insurer-negotiated
$426
Medicare pays
$57
$383$1,367
Median cash $668  ·  Medicare $57  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $668 — about 11.8× the Medicare rate ($57). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($113).

💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $1,285 list price could save about $617 (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 Joint aspiration (small/intermediate) prices in California → · All Joint aspiration (small/intermediate) prices (national) · All hospitals in Los Angeles