Abscess drainage cost in San Diego, CA
In San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA, 6 hospitals list a cash price for incision and drainage of a simple or single skin abscess: from $256.00 to $468.00, with a median of $407.57. The lowest listed price is at Paradise Valley Hospital — $151.57 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $473.20 at 89 hospitals.
Cash prices at 6 facilities across 4 cities for code 10060, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 1, 2026 and Sep 1, 2026.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paradise Valley Hospital lowest National City, CA · (619) 470-4321 I&D ABSCESS SMPL/SNGL - 10060 - 0931683 | $256.00 | $506.85 | $60.88–$1,328.23 | 49% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Paradise Valley Hospital lowest National City, CA · (619) 470-4321 I&D ABSCESS SMPL/SNGL - 10060 - 6500508 | $256.00 | $1,051.17 | $60.88–$1,328.23 | 76% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Paradise Valley Hospital lowest National City, CA · (619) 470-4321 I&D ABSCESS SMPL/SNGL - 10060 - 0951681 | $256.00 | $506.85 | $60.88–$1,328.23 | 49% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Paradise Valley Hospital lowest National City, CA · (619) 470-4321 I&D ABSCESS SMPL/SNGL - 10060 - 0961680 | $256.00 | $506.85 | $60.88–$1,328.23 | 49% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Paradise Valley Hospital lowest National City, CA · (619) 470-4321 I&D ABSCESS SMPL/SNGL - 10060 - 0911685 | $256.00 | $506.85 | $60.88–$1,328.23 | 49% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Paradise Valley Hospital lowest National City, CA · (619) 470-4321 I&D ABSCESS SMPL/SNGL - 10060 - 6510507 | $256.00 | $416.00 | $60.88–$1,328.23 | 38% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Paradise Valley Hospital lowest National City, CA · (619) 470-4321 I&d ABSCESS SIMPLE | $256.00 | $1,328.23 | $60.88–$1,328.23 | 81% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Paradise Valley Hospital lowest National City, CA · (619) 470-4321 I&D ABSCESS SMPL/SNGL - 10060 - 0901686 | $256.00 | $506.85 | $60.88–$1,328.23 | 49% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Paradise Valley Hospital lowest National City, CA · (619) 470-4321 I&D ABSCESS SMPL/SNGL - 10060 - 0921684 | $256.00 | $506.85 | $60.88–$1,328.23 | 49% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Paradise Valley Hospital lowest National City, CA · (619) 470-4321 I&D ABSCESS SMPL/SNGL - 10060 - 0941682 | $256.00 | $506.85 | $60.88–$1,328.23 | 49% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Paradise Valley Hospital lowest National City, CA · (619) 470-4321 I&D ABSCESS SMPL/SNGL - 10060 - 6012413 | $256.00 | $506.85 | $60.88–$1,328.23 | 49% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| UC San Diego Medical Center San Diego, CA · (619) 543-6222 Drainage Of Abscess | $289.30 | $526.00 | $48.70–$7,505.00 | 45% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Tri-City Medical Center Oceanside, CA · (760) 724-8411 10060-I&D Abscess/Cyst/Hematoma Simple | $347.14 | $578.57 | $42.86–$3,004.00 | 40% | May 29, 2026 source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Zion San Diego, CA · (619) 528-5000 INCISION & DRAINAGE ABSCESS SIMPLE/SINGLE | $468.00 | $900.00 | $197.00–$586.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Marcos San Marcos, CA · (760) 528-6295 INCISION & DRAINAGE ABSCESS SIMPLE/SINGLE | $468.00 | $900.00 | $197.00–$586.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Clairemont Mesa San Diego, CA INCISION & DRAINAGE ABSCESS SIMPLE/SINGLE | $468.00 | $900.00 | $197.00–$586.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Tri-City Medical Center Oceanside, CA · (760) 724-8411 10060 I & D OF ABSCESS SIMPLE CHARGE | $514.19 | $856.98 | $42.86–$599.89 | 40% | May 29, 2026 source file |
| UC San Diego Medical Center San Diego, CA · (619) 543-6222 Drainage Of Abscess | $1,416.45 | $2,575.36 | $15.00–$9,732.00 | 45% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $256.00, median $407.57, highest $468.00 — a 1.8× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 5 facilities here, median $468.00. Inpatient and outpatient prices are not comparable and are kept on separate pages: the inpatient charge covers admission, not the same purchase.
Cash or insurance?
At 6 of 6 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at none is it below every plan's rate. If you have insurance but have not met your deductible, you usually pay your plan's negotiated rate, which falls somewhere in the "Insurers pay" column. Paying cash can cost less, but a cash payment usually does not count toward your deductible. Ask the hospital for both numbers before you book.
What it is
This procedure opens a single, uncomplicated skin abscess, boil or infected cyst with a small cut to drain the pus. It is used when an infection under the skin does not drain on its own.
What the price covers
The price covers the drainage procedure. The emergency room or clinic visit, a lab culture of the pus and any antibiotics are billed separately.