Prices at 5 hospitals in San Diego, CA, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $1,612 — 94% above the US median ($830), roughly 9.8× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scripps Mercy Hospital | San Diego, CA | $1,018 | $908 | ★ 4/5 | 194 min | — |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital-San Diego | San Diego, CA | $1,321 | $841 | ★ 4/5 | — | — |
| UC San Diego Health Hillcrest-Hillcrest Med Ctr | San Diego, CA | $1,612 | $1,069 | ★ 5/5 | 259 min | — |
| Sharp Memorial Hospital | San Diego, CA | $2,883 | $2,383 | ★ 4/5 | 197 min | — |
| Sharp Mesa Vista Hospital | San Diego, CA | $2,883 | $2,114 | — | — | — |
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 $1,612 — about 9.8× the Medicare rate ($165). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($330).
💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $3,844 list price could save about $2,232 (58%).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leslie Powell, NP | Nurse Practitioner | San Diego, CA | 37 |
| Jose Soria-Lopez, MD | Neurology | San Diego, CA | 19 |
| Kevin Mcgehrin, M.D | Neurology | San Diego, CA | 13 |
All Spinal tap (lumbar puncture) prices in California → · All Spinal tap (lumbar puncture) prices (national) · All hospitals in San Diego