Prices at 5 hospitals in San Diego, CA, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $2,412 — 81% above the US median ($1,329), roughly 18.6× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scripps Mercy Hospital | San Diego, CA | $480 | $134 | ★ 4/5 | 194 min | — |
| UC San Diego Health Hillcrest-Hillcrest Med Ctr | San Diego, CA | $1,673 | $1,329 | ★ 5/5 | 259 min | — |
| Sharp Memorial Hospital | San Diego, CA | $2,412 | $2,010 | ★ 4/5 | 197 min | — |
| Sharp Mesa Vista Hospital | San Diego, CA | $2,412 | $1,286 | — | — | — |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital-San Diego | San Diego, CA | $2,860 | $146 | ★ 4/5 | — | — |
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 $2,412 — about 18.6× the Medicare rate ($130). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($260).
💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $3,216 list price could save about $804 (25%).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shota Yamamoto, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | San Diego, CA | 163 |
| Shanoe Cutts, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | San Diego, CA | 89 |
| Kenneth Tan, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | San Diego, CA | 89 |
| Vincent York, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | San Diego, CA | 62 |
| Jordan Ziegler, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | San Diego, CA | 52 |
| Rajesh Dhillon, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | San Diego, CA | 46 |
| Sayed Sadat, DO | Diagnostic Radiology | San Diego, CA | 40 |
| Damian Dyckman, M.D., PH.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | San Diego, CA | 36 |
| David Lee, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | San Diego, CA | 31 |
| Mona Shahriari, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | San Diego, CA | 29 |
| Dylan Noblett, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | San Diego, CA | 23 |
| Christine Chung, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | San Diego, CA | 23 |
All CT scan of the lower back (lumbar spine) without contrast prices in California → · All CT scan of the lower back (lumbar spine) without contrast prices (national) · All hospitals in San Diego