Foreign body removal cost in San Diego, CA
In San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA, 13 hospitals list a cash price for removal of a foreign object under the skin, simple: from $431.20 to $1,189.67, with a median of $631.43. The lowest listed price is at Scripps Mercy Hospital Chula Vista and 1 other hospital — $200.23 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $983.94 at 174 hospitals.
- The median here, $631.43, is 30% above the US median of $484.50.
- That is 1.5× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($415.32).
- San Diego, CA has the lowest median of 5 metro areas in California with at least 10 hospitals pricing this code.
- Every hospital here lists a cash price below its full list price.
Cash prices at 13 facilities across 8 cities for code 10120, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 29, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Mar 30, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scripps Mercy Hospital Chula Vista lowest San Diego, CA · (619) 294-8111 HC Remove FB/Subq Simple File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $431.20 | $1,724.81 | $112.58–$1,379.85 | 75% |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas lowest Encinitas, CA · (760) 753-6501 HC Remove FB/Subq Simple File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $431.20 | $1,724.81 | $112.58–$1,379.85 | 75% |
| Paradise Valley Hospital National City, CA · (619) 470-4321 I&R FB SQ SMPL - 10120 - 6501407+2 more lines at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $520.00 | $932.40 | $74.23–$2,508.29 | 44% |
| UC San Diego Medical Center San Diego, CA · (619) 543-6222 Removal Of Foreign Body From Tissue File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $547.25 | $995.00 | $59.38–$5,480.00 | 45% |
| Tri-City Medical Center Oceanside, CA · (760) 724-8411 10120-Subcutaneous Tissue Simple File of May 29, 2026 · source file | $616.66 | $1,027.76 | $52.27–$3,004.00 | 40% |
| Tri-City Medical Center Oceanside, CA · (760) 724-8411 CITY INCIS/REM OF FB, SUB TISS File of May 29, 2026 · source file | $618.52 | $1,030.86 | $52.27–$6,640.00 | 40% |
| Palomar Medical Center Poway Poway, CA · (858) 485-6511 Incise & Remove FB sub q simple File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $631.43 | $1,052.39 | — | 40% |
| Palomar Medical Center Escondido Escondido, CA Incise & Remove FB sub q simple File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $631.43 | $1,052.39 | — | 40% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Clairemont Mesa San Diego, CA · (619) 528-5000 INCISION & REMOVAL FOREIGN BODY SUBQ TISS SIMPLE File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,071.20 | $2,060.00 | $396.00–$1,179.00 | 48% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Zion San Diego, CA · (619) 528-5000 INCISION & REMOVAL FOREIGN BODY SUBQ TISS SIMPLE File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,071.20 | $2,060.00 | $396.00–$1,179.00 | 48% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Marcos San Marcos, CA · (760) 528-6295 INCISION & REMOVAL FOREIGN BODY SUBQ TISS SIMPLE File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,071.20 | $2,060.00 | $396.00–$1,179.00 | 48% |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego San Diego, CA · (619) 294-8111 HC Remove FB/Subq Simple File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $1,189.67 | $4,758.70 | $112.58–$4,282.83 | 75% |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla La Jolla, CA · (858) 626-4123 HC Remove FB/Subq Simple File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $1,189.67 | $4,758.70 | $112.58–$4,282.83 | 75% |
| Scripps Green Hospital La Jolla, CA · (858) 554-3600 HC Remove FB/Subq Simple File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $1,189.67 | $4,758.70 | $112.58–$4,282.83 | 75% |
| UC San Diego Medical Center San Diego, CA · (619) 543-6222 Removal Of Foreign Body From Tissue File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $11,205.78 | $20,374.14 | $34.00–$5,480.00 | 45% |
Outpatient: lowest $431.20, median $631.43, highest $1,189.67 — a 2.8× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 12 facilities here, median $851.32. 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 11 of 11 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 foreign body removal is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Foreign body removal explained.