Prices at 3 hospitals in San Diego, CA, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $3,310 — 15% below the US median ($3,876), roughly 6.3× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scripps Mercy Hospital | San Diego, CA | $2,397 | $4,208 | ★ 4/5 | 194 min | — |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital-San Diego | San Diego, CA | $3,310 | $3,942 | ★ 4/5 | — | — |
| UC San Diego Health Hillcrest-Hillcrest Med Ctr | San Diego, CA | $20,806 | $12,876 | ★ 5/5 | 259 min | — |
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 $3,310 — about 6.3× the Medicare rate ($524). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($1,049).
💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $9,587 list price could save about $6,277 (65%).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| David Chao, MD | Orthopedic Surgery | San Diego, CA | 21 |
| Damion Valletta, D.O. | Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine | San Diego, CA | 16 |
| James Bates, M.D. | Orthopedic Surgery | San Diego, CA | 15 |
All Knee arthroscopy prices in California → · All Knee arthroscopy prices (national) · All hospitals in San Diego