Prices at 5 hospitals in San Diego, CA, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $2,912 — 34% above the US median ($2,170), roughly 10.8× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scripps Mercy Hospital | San Diego, CA | $1,037 | $449 | ★ 4/5 | 194 min | — |
| UC San Diego Health Hillcrest-Hillcrest Med Ctr | San Diego, CA | $2,463 | $1,935 | ★ 5/5 | 259 min | — |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital-San Diego | San Diego, CA | $2,912 | $397 | ★ 4/5 | — | — |
| Sharp Memorial Hospital | San Diego, CA | $3,802 | $2,754 | ★ 4/5 | 197 min | — |
| Sharp Mesa Vista Hospital | San Diego, CA | $3,802 | $3,117 | — | — | — |
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 $2,912 — about 10.8× the Medicare rate ($269). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($538).
💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $5,069 list price could save about $2,157 (43%).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stephen Dorros, M.D. | Interventional Radiology | San Diego, CA | 431 |
| Jennifer Chang, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | San Diego, CA | 430 |
| Julie Marek Bykowski, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | San Diego, CA | 425 |
| Mona Shahriari, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | San Diego, CA | 406 |
| Jason Handwerker, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | San Diego, CA | 375 |
| Nikdokht Farid, M.D | Diagnostic Radiology | San Diego, CA | 299 |
| Daniel Hawley, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | San Diego, CA | 265 |
| Divya Bolar, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | San Diego, CA | 221 |
| Howard Bear, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | San Diego, CA | 203 |
| Nathaniel Chuang, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | San Diego, CA | 174 |
| Rahul Patel, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | San Diego, CA | 160 |
| Shanoe Cutts, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | San Diego, CA | 160 |
All MRI of the brain prices in California → · All MRI of the brain prices (national) · All hospitals in San Diego