Prices at 5 hospitals in San Diego, CA, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $2,605 — 35% above the US median ($1,929), roughly 12.7× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scripps Mercy Hospital | San Diego, CA | $945 | $347 | ★ 4/5 | 194 min | — |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital-San Diego | San Diego, CA | $2,392 | $270 | ★ 4/5 | — | — |
| UC San Diego Health Hillcrest-Hillcrest Med Ctr | San Diego, CA | $2,605 | $2,216 | ★ 5/5 | 259 min | — |
| Sharp Memorial Hospital | San Diego, CA | $3,247 | $2,411 | ★ 4/5 | 197 min | — |
| Sharp Mesa Vista Hospital | San Diego, CA | $3,247 | $2,908 | — | — | — |
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 $2,605 — about 12.7× the Medicare rate ($204). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($409).
💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $4,329 list price could save about $1,724 (40%).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lawrence Delasotta, MD, MPH | Diagnostic Radiology | San Diego, CA | 704 |
| Sarah Kao, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | San Diego, CA | 412 |
| Wilson Lin, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | San Diego, CA | 344 |
| Gordon Zink-Brody, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | San Diego, CA | 272 |
| James Cooper, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | San Diego, CA | 259 |
| Eric Lizerbram, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | San Diego, CA | 254 |
| Eric Chou, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | San Diego, CA | 186 |
| Randall Baldassarre, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | San Diego, CA | 172 |
| Dustin Covell, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | San Diego, CA | 170 |
| Giuseppe Carotenuto, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | San Diego, CA | 170 |
| Luke Scalcione, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | San Diego, CA | 161 |
| Phillip Reich, M.D., MBA | Diagnostic Radiology | San Diego, CA | 153 |
All MRI of the knee without contrast prices in California → · All MRI of the knee without contrast prices (national) · All hospitals in San Diego