Stitches, 1 to 3 inch cut cost in San Francisco, CA
In San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA, 16 hospitals list a cash price for stitches for a cut 2.6 to 7.5 cm (1 to 3 inches), simple repair, scalp, body, arms or legs: from $211.90 to $1,178.00, with a median of $800.80. The lowest listed price is at St. Rose Hospital — $588.90 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $748.80 at 147 hospitals.
- The median here, $800.80, is 136% above the US median of $339.30.
- That is 3.9× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($204.98).
- San Francisco, CA ranks 4th of 4 metro areas in California by median, cheapest first.
- 3 of 16 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Cash prices at 16 facilities across 14 cities for code 12002, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Oct 29, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Feb 23, 2026 and Jul 22, 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 Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Rose Hospital lowest Hayward, CA · (510) 782-6200 SMPL RPR S/N/AX/G/TR 2.6-7.5CM File of Feb 23, 2026 · source file | $211.90 | $706.32 | $67.52–$1,107.00 | 70% |
| Chinese Hospital San Francisco, CA · (415) 677-2480 Simple repair of surface wound of scalp, neck, underarms, trunk, arms, or legs, 2.6-7.5 cm File of Jul 22, 2026 · source file | $740.00 | $740.00 | $106.81–$1,332.00 | — |
| MarinHealth Medical Center one side Greenbrae, CA · (415) 925-7900 SIMPLE REPAIR OF SURFACE WOUND OF SCALP; NECK; UNDERARMS; TRUNK; ARMS; OR LEGS; 2.6-7.5 CM+1 more line at this price File of Mar 26, 2026 · source file | $753.00 | $1,255.00 | $283.19–$5,304.00 | 40% |
| MarinHealth Medical Center Greenbrae, CA · (415) 925-7900 SIMPLE REPAIR OF SURFACE WOUND OF SCALP; NECK; UNDERARMS; TRUNK; ARMS; OR LEGS; 2.6-7.5 CM File of Mar 26, 2026 · source file | $753.00 | $1,255.00 | $283.19–$5,304.00 | 40% |
| MarinHealth Medical Center Greenbrae, CA · (415) 925-7900 RPR S/N/AX/GEN/TRNK2.6-7.5CM File of Mar 26, 2026 · source file | $798.18 | $1,330.30 | $283.19–$5,304.00 | 40% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Fremont Fremont, CA · (510) 784-4000 SMPL REPAIR SCALP/NECK/AX/GENIT/TRUNK 2.6-7.5CM File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $800.80 | $1,430.00 | $240.00–$752.00 | 44% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Rafael San Rafael, CA · (415) 444-2000 SMPL REPAIR SCALP/NECK/AX/GENIT/TRUNK 2.6-7.5CM File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $800.80 | $1,430.00 | $240.00–$752.00 | 44% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Oakland/Richmond Oakland, CA · (510) 752-1000 SMPL REPAIR SCALP/NECK/AX/GENIT/TRUNK 2.6-7.5CM File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $800.80 | $1,430.00 | $240.00–$752.00 | 44% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Redwood City Redwood City, CA · (650) 299-2000 SMPL REPAIR SCALP/NECK/AX/GENIT/TRUNK 2.6-7.5CM File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $800.80 | $1,430.00 | $240.00–$752.00 | 44% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Antioch Antioch, CA · (925) 813-6500 SMPL REPAIR SCALP/NECK/AX/GENIT/TRUNK 2.6-7.5CM File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $800.80 | $1,430.00 | $240.00–$752.00 | 44% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Walnut Creek Walnut Creek, CA · (925) 295-4000 SMPL REPAIR SCALP/NECK/AX/GENIT/TRUNK 2.6-7.5CM File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $800.80 | $1,430.00 | $240.00–$752.00 | 44% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Leandro San Leandro, CA · (510) 454-1000 SMPL REPAIR SCALP/NECK/AX/GENIT/TRUNK 2.6-7.5CM File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $800.80 | $1,430.00 | $240.00–$752.00 | 44% |
| Kaiser Fnd Hospital - Richmond Campus Richmond, CA · (510) 752-1000 SMPL REPAIR SCALP/NECK/AX/GENIT/TRUNK 2.6-7.5CM File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $800.80 | $1,430.00 | $240.00–$752.00 | 44% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Francisco San Francisco, CA · (415) 833-2646 SMPL REPAIR SCALP/NECK/AX/GENIT/TRUNK 2.6-7.5CM File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $800.80 | $1,430.00 | $240.00–$752.00 | 44% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - South San Francisco South San Francisco, CA · (650) 742-3200 SMPL REPAIR SCALP/NECK/AX/GENIT/TRUNK 2.6-7.5CM File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $800.80 | $1,430.00 | $240.00–$752.00 | 44% |
| Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley Pleasanton, CA · (925) 847-3000 Repr Wnd Super Nonface 2.6-7.5 File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $912.80 | $2,282.00 | — | 60% |
| Alta Bates Summit Medical Center - Alta Bates Camp Berkeley, CA · (510) 204-4444 HCHG LAC SMPL 2.6-7.5CM File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,178.00 | $1,178.00 | — | — |
| Alta Bates Summit Medical Center - Herrick Campus Berkeley, CA · (510) 204-4444 HCHG LAC SMPL 2.6-7.5CM File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,178.00 | $1,178.00 | — | — |
Outpatient: lowest $211.90, median $800.80, highest $1,178.00 — a 5.6× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 15 facilities here, median $800.80. 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 3 of 13 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 stitches, 1 to 3 inch cut is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Stitches, 1 to 3 inch cut explained.