Shock wave lithotripsy cost in San Diego, CA
In San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA, 12 hospitals list a cash price for shock-wave lithotripsy to break up kidney stones (from outside the body): from $6,510.40 to $25,098.96, with a median of $8,235.84. The lowest listed price is at Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Marcos and 2 other hospitals — $1,725.44 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $7,857.00 at 69 hospitals.
- The median here, $8,235.84, is 11% above the US median of $7,427.08.
- San Diego, CA ranks 3rd of 4 metro areas in California by median, cheapest first.
- Every hospital here lists a cash price below its full list price.
Cash prices at 12 facilities across 7 cities for code 50590, 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 May 29, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Marcos lowest San Marcos, CA · (760) 528-6295 LITHOTRIPSY XTRCORP SHOCK WAVE File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $6,510.40 | $12,520.00 | $3,421.00–$10,176.00 | 48% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Zion lowest San Diego, CA · (619) 528-5000 LITHOTRIPSY XTRCORP SHOCK WAVE File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $6,510.40 | $12,520.00 | $3,421.00–$10,176.00 | 48% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Clairemont Mesa lowest San Diego, CA · (619) 528-5000 LITHOTRIPSY XTRCORP SHOCK WAVE File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $6,510.40 | $12,520.00 | $3,421.00–$10,176.00 | 48% |
| UC San Diego Medical Center San Diego, CA · (619) 543-6222 Shock wave crushing of kidney stones File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $7,706.60 | $14,012.00 | $818.02–$31,168.84 | 45% |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego San Diego, CA · (619) 294-8111 HC Lithotripsy Urol File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $8,235.84 | $32,943.36 | $543.47–$26,354.69 | 75% |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla La Jolla, CA · (858) 626-4123 HC Lithotripsy Urol File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $8,235.84 | $32,943.36 | $543.47–$26,354.69 | 75% |
| Scripps Green Hospital La Jolla, CA · (858) 554-3600 HC Lithotripsy Urol File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $8,235.84 | $32,943.36 | $543.47–$26,354.69 | 75% |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas Encinitas, CA · (760) 753-6501 HC Lithotripsy Urol File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $8,235.84 | $32,943.36 | $271.74–$26,354.69 | 75% |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital Chula Vista San Diego, CA · (619) 294-8111 HC Lithotripsy Urol File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $8,235.84 | $32,943.36 | $271.74–$26,354.69 | 75% |
| UC San Diego Medical Center San Diego, CA · (619) 543-6222 Shock wave crushing of kidney stones File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $13,213.98 | $24,025.42 | $50.00–$31,168.84 | 45% |
| Palomar Medical Center Escondido Escondido, CA Lithotripsy (Dornier) File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $17,663.58 | $29,439.30 | — | 40% |
| Palomar Medical Center Poway Poway, CA · (858) 485-6511 Lithotripsy (Dornier) File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $17,663.58 | $29,439.30 | — | 40% |
| Tri-City Medical Center Oceanside, CA · (760) 724-8411 50590 LITHOTRIPSY CHARGE File of May 29, 2026 · source file | $25,098.96 | $41,831.60 | $676.84–$29,282.12 | 40% |
Outpatient: lowest $6,510.40, median $8,235.84, highest $25,098.96 — a 3.9× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 12 facilities here, median $8,235.84. 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 10 of 10 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 shock wave lithotripsy is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Shock wave lithotripsy explained.