Prices at 5 hospitals in San Diego, CA, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $4,386 — 106% above the US median ($2,125), roughly 18.4× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital-San Diego | San Diego, CA | $2,194 | $3,825 | ★ 4/5 | — | — |
| UC San Diego Health Hillcrest-Hillcrest Med Ctr | San Diego, CA | $3,258 | $2,786 | ★ 5/5 | 259 min | — |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital | San Diego, CA | $4,386 | $4,183 | ★ 4/5 | 194 min | — |
| Sharp Memorial Hospital | San Diego, CA | $4,469 | $3,635 | ★ 4/5 | 197 min | — |
| Sharp Mesa Vista Hospital | San Diego, CA | $4,469 | $4,171 | — | — | — |
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)
Typical cash price here is $4,386 — about 18.4× the Medicare rate ($238). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($476).
💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $5,959 list price could save about $1,573 (26%).
Rough estimate from this procedure’s median insurer-negotiated rate. Your actual cost depends on your plan — confirm with your insurer.
Doctors who perform this in San Diego
Clinicians who reported the most Medicare volume for this service locally. This reflects Original Medicare activity only and is a volume signal, not a quality ranking.
| Clinician | Specialty | Location | Medicare services |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lei Wang, M.D. | Anesthesiology | San Diego, CA | 46 |
| Rishi Vashishta, M.D. | Anesthesiology | San Diego, CA | 43 |
| Zachary Gordon, M.D. | Anesthesiology | San Diego, CA | 33 |
| Francesca Betti, MD | Anesthesiology | San Diego, CA | 31 |
| Kris Lukauskis, M.D. | Anesthesiology | San Diego, CA | 31 |
| Gregg Alzate, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | San Diego, CA | 26 |
| Kevin Staggenborg, MD | Anesthesiology | San Diego, CA | 26 |
| James Pettit, M.D. | Anesthesiology | San Diego, CA | 24 |
| Austin Henry, D.O. | Anesthesiology | San Diego, CA | 22 |
| Ron Barak, MD | Anesthesiology | San Diego, CA | 20 |
| Soud Sediqe, M.D. | Pulmonary Disease | San Diego, CA | 20 |
| Shawn Evans, M.D. | Emergency Medicine | San Diego, CA | 20 |
All Central line placement prices in California → · All Central line placement prices (national) · All hospitals in San Diego