Prices at 151 hospitals in California, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $405 — 49% above the US median ($272), roughly 4.8× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paradise Valley Hospital | National City, CA | $61 | $62 | ★ 3/5 | 202 min | 16.0% |
| Saint Francis Medical Center | Lynwood, CA | $62 | $62 | ★ 3/5 | 250 min | 14.9% |
| Encino Hospital Medical Center | Encino, CA | $62 | $62 | ★ 3/5 | 135 min | 15.6% |
| Garden Grove Hospital & Medical Center | Garden Grove, CA | $62 | $62 | ★ 2/5 | 138 min | 16.6% |
| West Anaheim Medical Center | Anaheim, CA | $62 | $62 | ★ 2/5 | 196 min | 16.6% |
| Huntington Beach Hospital | Huntington Beach, CA | $62 | $62 | ★ 1/5 | 173 min | 14.8% |
| La Palma Intercommunity Hospital | La Palma, CA | $62 | $62 | ★ 3/5 | 214 min | 16.5% |
| San Dimas Community Hospital | San Dimas, CA | $62 | $62 | ★ 2/5 | 155 min | 15.5% |
| San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital | Banning, CA | $65 | $92 | ★ 3/5 | 191 min | 14.6% |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital | San Diego, CA | $65 | $62 | ★ 4/5 | 193 min | 15.3% |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla | La Jolla, CA | $65 | $62 | ★ 5/5 | 180 min | 13.8% |
| Scripps Green Hospital | La Jolla, CA | $65 | $62 | ★ 5/5 | — | 13.9% |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital-Encinitas | Encinitas, CA | $65 | $62 | ★ 4/5 | 194 min | 14.5% |
| UCI Health-Orange | Orange, CA | $122 | $81 | ★ 4/5 | 323 min | 14.7% |
| UCI Health-Los Alamitos | Los Alamitos, CA | $122 | $81 | ★ 1/5 | 236 min | 15.4% |
| UCI Health-Fountain Valley | Fountain Valley, CA | $122 | $81 | ★ 2/5 | 161 min | 15.7% |
| Pioneers Memorial Healthcare District | Brawley, CA | $166 | $76 | ★ 3/5 | 190 min | 15.0% |
| Adventist Health Tulare | Tulare, CA | $168 | $92 | ★ 3/5 | 195 min | 15.0% |
| Contra Costa Regional Medical Center | Martinez, CA | $176 | — | ★ 4/5 | 175 min | 14.2% |
| St Joseph's Medical Center of Stockton | Stockton, CA | $182 | $334 | ★ 3/5 | 227 min | 13.9% |
| Kaweah Health Medical Center | Visalia, CA | $193 | $442 | ★ 3/5 | 275 min | 14.4% |
| UC San Diego Health Hillcrest-Hillcrest Med Ctr | San Diego, CA | $198 | $168 | ★ 5/5 | 258 min | 14.3% |
| Healdsburg Hospital | Healdsburg, CA | $200 | $67 | — | 94 min | 15.1% |
| Palomar Health Downtown Campus | Escondido, CA | $202 | — | ★ 3/5 | 221 min | 14.0% |
| Palomar Medical Center Poway | Poway, CA | $202 | — | ★ 4/5 | 195 min | 15.2% |
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)
Typical cash price here is $405 — about 4.8× the Medicare rate ($85). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($170).
💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $778 list price could save about $373 (48%).
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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Swallow study cost in other states
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