Prices at 5 hospitals in San Diego, CA, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $2,796 — 126% above the US median ($1,239), roughly 9.0× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital-San Diego | San Diego, CA | $2,033 | $751 | ★ 4/5 | — | — |
| Sharp Memorial Hospital | San Diego, CA | $2,796 | $2,274 | ★ 4/5 | 197 min | — |
| Sharp Mesa Vista Hospital | San Diego, CA | $2,796 | $2,572 | — | — | — |
| UC San Diego Health Hillcrest-Hillcrest Med Ctr | San Diego, CA | $3,452 | $2,713 | ★ 5/5 | 259 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 $2,796 — about 9.0× the Medicare rate ($311). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($622).
💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $3,728 list price could save about $932 (25%).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Samir Makani, M.D. | Pulmonary Disease | San Diego, CA | 83 |
| Gregg Alzate, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | San Diego, CA | 81 |
| Kelly Ball | Nurse Practitioner | San Diego, CA | 81 |
| Aaron Smith, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | San Diego, CA | 61 |
| Gelareh Ganji, PA-C | Physician Assistant | San Diego, CA | 60 |
| Clinton Nichols, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | San Diego, CA | 58 |
| John Dente, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | San Diego, CA | 57 |
| James Lyon, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | San Diego, CA | 47 |
| Xuanha White, D.O. | Critical Care (Intensivists) | San Diego, CA | 37 |
| Michael Finch, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | San Diego, CA | 36 |
| Edward Rothenberg, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | San Diego, CA | 28 |
| Keriann Vannostrand, MD | Pulmonary Disease | San Diego, CA | 24 |
All Chest fluid drain (thoracentesis) prices in California → · All Chest fluid drain (thoracentesis) prices (national) · All hospitals in San Diego