Trigger point injection cost in San Diego, CA
In San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA, 11 hospitals list a cash price for trigger point injections, 1 or 2 muscles: from $156.77 to $820.03, with a median of $624.00. The lowest listed price is at Scripps Mercy Hospital Chula Vista — $467.23 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $637.88 at 174 hospitals.
- The median here, $624.00, is 59% above the US median of $392.80.
- That is 2.0× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($313.60).
- San Diego, CA ranks 3rd of 5 metro areas in California by median, cheapest first.
- Every hospital here lists a cash price below its full list price.
Cash prices at 11 facilities across 6 cities for code 20552, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 27, 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 Inj Triggr Point 1-2 Musc File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $156.77 | $627.10 | $37.67–$986.98 | 75% |
| Paradise Valley Hospital National City, CA · (619) 470-4321 ED PROCEDURE LTD+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $392.00 | $734.10 | $52.49–$734.10 | 47% |
| UC San Diego Medical Center San Diego, CA · (619) 543-6222 Injection Of Trigger Points In 1 Or 2 Muscles File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $400.95 | $729.00 | $52.49–$5,480.00 | 45% |
| Tri-City Medical Center Oceanside, CA · (760) 724-8411 CITY INJ TRIGGER PT 1-2 MUSCLES File of May 29, 2026 · source file | $461.41 | $769.01 | $53.01–$6,640.00 | 40% |
| Tri-City Medical Center Oceanside, CA · (760) 724-8411 20552-Inject Trigger Point 1-2 Muscles File of May 29, 2026 · source file | $486.25 | $810.41 | $53.01–$3,004.00 | 40% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Marcos San Marcos, CA · (760) 528-6295 INJECTION SINGLE/MLT TRIGGER POINT 1/2 MUSCLES File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $624.00 | $1,200.00 | $293.00–$871.00 | 48% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Zion San Diego, CA · (619) 528-5000 INJECTION SINGLE/MLT TRIGGER POINT 1/2 MUSCLES File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $624.00 | $1,200.00 | $293.00–$871.00 | 48% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Clairemont Mesa San Diego, CA · (619) 528-5000 INJECTION SINGLE/MLT TRIGGER POINT 1/2 MUSCLES File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $624.00 | $1,200.00 | $293.00–$871.00 | 48% |
| Scripps Green Hospital La Jolla, CA · (858) 554-3600 HC Inj Triggr Point 1-2 Musc File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $820.03 | $3,280.12 | $37.67–$2,952.11 | 75% |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas Encinitas, CA · (760) 753-6501 HC Inj Triggr Point 1-2 Musc File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $820.03 | $3,280.12 | $37.67–$2,952.11 | 75% |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla La Jolla, CA · (858) 626-4123 HC Inj Triggr Point 1-2 Musc File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $820.03 | $3,280.12 | $37.67–$2,952.11 | 75% |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego San Diego, CA · (619) 294-8111 HC Inj Triggr Point 1-2 Musc File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $820.03 | $3,280.12 | $37.67–$2,952.11 | 75% |
| UC San Diego Medical Center San Diego, CA · (619) 543-6222 Injection Of Trigger Points In 1 Or 2 Muscles File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,036.31 | $1,884.20 | $3.00–$5,480.00 | 45% |
Outpatient: lowest $156.77, median $624.00, highest $820.03 — a 5.2× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 10 facilities here, median $624.00. 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 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 trigger point injection is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Trigger point injection explained.