Prices at 5 hospitals in San Diego, CA, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $269 — 108% above the US median ($130), roughly 25.5× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scripps Mercy Hospital | San Diego, CA | $98 | $59 | ★ 4/5 | 194 min | — |
| UC San Diego Health Hillcrest-Hillcrest Med Ctr | San Diego, CA | $174 | $147 | ★ 5/5 | 259 min | — |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital-San Diego | San Diego, CA | $269 | $8 | ★ 4/5 | — | — |
| Sharp Memorial Hospital | San Diego, CA | $339 | $285 | ★ 4/5 | 197 min | — |
| Sharp Mesa Vista Hospital | San Diego, CA | $339 | $297 | — | — | — |
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 $269 — about 25.5× the Medicare rate ($11). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($21).
💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $452 list price could save about $183 (41%).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ashleigh Porter | Hematology-Oncology | San Diego, CA | 376 |
| Richard Katz, MD | Cardiology | San Diego, CA | 76 |
| Karen Huang | Nurse Practitioner | San Diego, CA | 47 |
| Joel Lamon, MD | Hematology-Oncology | San Diego, CA | 31 |
| Steven Eisenberg, D.O. | Hematology-Oncology | San Diego, CA | 22 |
All Comprehensive metabolic panel prices in California → · All Comprehensive metabolic panel prices (national) · All hospitals in San Diego