Prices at 5 hospitals in San Diego, CA, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $1,836 — 44% above the US median ($1,278), roughly 6.5× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UC San Diego Health Hillcrest-Hillcrest Med Ctr | San Diego, CA | $1,283 | $1,104 | ★ 5/5 | 259 min | — |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital | San Diego, CA | $1,748 | $1,167 | ★ 4/5 | 194 min | — |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital-San Diego | San Diego, CA | $1,836 | $1,139 | ★ 4/5 | — | — |
| Sharp Memorial Hospital | San Diego, CA | $1,904 | $1,574 | ★ 4/5 | 197 min | — |
| Sharp Mesa Vista Hospital | San Diego, CA | $1,904 | $1,574 | — | — | — |
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 $1,836 — about 6.5× the Medicare rate ($284). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($568).
💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $2,538 list price could save about $702 (28%).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carmela Tan, P.A.-C. | Physician Assistant | San Diego, CA | 71 |
| Christopher Ingraham, MD | Interventional Radiology | San Diego, CA | 67 |
| Jeet Minocha, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | San Diego, CA | 63 |
| Edward Rothenberg, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | San Diego, CA | 51 |
| Anthony Tadros, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | San Diego, CA | 51 |
| Gregg Alzate, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | San Diego, CA | 43 |
| Aaron Smith, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | San Diego, CA | 43 |
| Zachary Berman, M.D. | Interventional Radiology | San Diego, CA | 38 |
| James Lyon, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | San Diego, CA | 37 |
| Jonas Redmond, MD | Interventional Radiology | San Diego, CA | 34 |
| Michael Taddonio, MD | Interventional Radiology | San Diego, CA | 29 |
| John Dente, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | San Diego, CA | 28 |
All Abdominal fluid drain (paracentesis) prices in California → · All Abdominal fluid drain (paracentesis) prices (national) · All hospitals in San Diego