Prices at 5 hospitals in San Diego, CA, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $688 — 79% above the US median ($384), roughly 5.7× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sharp Memorial Hospital | San Diego, CA | $674 | $569 | ★ 4/5 | 197 min | — |
| Sharp Mesa Vista Hospital | San Diego, CA | $674 | $611 | — | — | — |
| UC San Diego Health Hillcrest-Hillcrest Med Ctr | San Diego, CA | $688 | $473 | ★ 5/5 | 259 min | — |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital-San Diego | San Diego, CA | $723 | $586 | ★ 4/5 | — | — |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital | San Diego, CA | $891 | $633 | ★ 4/5 | 194 min | — |
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 $688 — about 5.7× the Medicare rate ($121). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($242).
💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $1,251 list price could save about $563 (45%).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Nelms, PA-C | Physician Assistant | San Diego, CA | 471 |
| .Aleksandr Itkin, M.D. | Dermatology | San Diego, CA | 438 |
| Caroline Piggott, M.D. | Dermatology | San Diego, CA | 430 |
| Joseph Del Priore, D.O. | Dermatology | San Diego, CA | 405 |
| Maryam Afshar, M.D. | Dermatology | San Diego, CA | 379 |
| Brett Moore, P.A.-C. | Physician Assistant | San Diego, CA | 328 |
| Melissa Janovitch, P.A. | Physician Assistant | San Diego, CA | 294 |
| Sheila Krishna, MD | Dermatology | San Diego, CA | 279 |
| Leah Spring, DO | Micrographic Dermatologic Surgery | San Diego, CA | 278 |
| Robert Ginsberg, M.D. | Dermatology | San Diego, CA | 269 |
| Derek Nickerson, M.D. | Dermatology | San Diego, CA | 267 |
| Charisse Orme, MD, PHD | Dermatology | San Diego, CA | 213 |
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