MRI of the knee cost in California

Prices at 159 hospitals in California, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $3,674 — 63% above the US median ($2,254), roughly 11.7× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Fresno Surgical Hospital Fresno, CA $609 $475 14.4%
Community Memorial Hospital-Ojai Ojai, CA $754 $1,184 110 min 15.0%
Pioneers Memorial Healthcare District Brawley, CA $805 $451 ★ 3/5 190 min 15.0%
Mercy Medical Center Redding Redding, CA $808 ★ 2/5 187 min 13.5%
Colorado River Medical Center Needles, CA $873 128 min 15.0%
St Rose Hospital Hayward, CA $970 $895 ★ 1/5 167 min 16.5%
Kern Medical Center Bakersfield, CA $1,026 $467 ★ 1/5 293 min 15.3%
Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego, CA $1,064 $530 ★ 4/5 193 min 15.3%
Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla La Jolla, CA $1,064 $530 ★ 5/5 180 min 13.8%
Scripps Memorial Hospital-Encinitas Encinitas, CA $1,064 $530 ★ 4/5 194 min 14.5%
Ventura County Medical Center Ventura, CA $1,130 $563 ★ 2/5 178 min 16.7%
Community Memorial Hospital-Ventura Ventura, CA $1,130 $563 ★ 4/5 192 min 15.2%
Scripps Green Hospital La Jolla, CA $1,197 $530 ★ 5/5 13.9%
College Medical Center Long Beach, CA $1,200 $450 ★ 3/5 330 min 15.2%
College Hospital Cerritos, CA $1,200 $450
Glendora Hospital Glendora, CA $1,200 $450
San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital Banning, CA $1,314 $447 ★ 3/5 191 min 14.6%
Antelope Valley Hospital Lancaster, CA $1,351 $447 ★ 1/5 266 min 15.4%
San Joaquin General Hospital French Camp, CA $1,677 $450 ★ 2/5 218 min 15.2%
L a Downtown Medical Center Los Angeles, CA $1,699 $256 ★ 3/5 19.1%
Kaweah Health Medical Center Visalia, CA $1,720 $1,551 ★ 3/5 275 min 14.4%
Pacifica Hospital of the Valley Sun Valley, CA $1,764 $233 216 min 15.3%
Healdsburg Hospital Healdsburg, CA $1,789 $1,149 94 min 15.1%
UCI Health-Los Alamitos Los Alamitos, CA $1,863 $662 ★ 1/5 236 min 15.4%
UCI Health-Orange Orange, CA $1,890 $662 ★ 4/5 323 min 14.7%

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 July 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)

Chargemaster (list price)
$6,183
Cash / self-pay
$3,674
Insurer-negotiated
$1,007
Medicare pays
$315
$739$7,678
Median cash $3,674  ·  Medicare $315  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $3,674 — about 11.7× the Medicare rate ($315). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($630).

💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $6,183 list price could save about $2,509 (41%).

Estimate what you’ll pay
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Rough estimate from this procedure’s median insurer-negotiated rate. Your actual cost depends on your plan — confirm with your insurer.

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MRI of the knee cost in other states

All MRI of the knee prices (national) → · All hospitals in California →