Lumbar facet injection cost in San Diego, CA
In San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA, 12 hospitals list a cash price for facet joint injection, lower back, one level, with imaging guidance: from $748.50 to $2,059.20, with a median of $1,326.22. The lowest listed price is at Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego — $577.72 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $2,059.20 at 148 hospitals.
- The median here, $1,326.22, is 14% below the US median of $1,538.11.
- That is 1.5× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($903.63).
- San Diego, CA ranks 2nd 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 12 facilities across 6 cities for code 64493, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego lowest San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Rch Inj Paravert F Jnt L/S 1 Lev File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $748.50 | $998.00 | — | 25% |
| Tri-City Medical Center Oceanside, CA · (760) 724-8411 CITY INJ PARAVER FAC JNT L/S 1 LEVE File of May 29, 2026 · source file | $1,101.65 | $1,836.09 | $145.89–$6,640.00 | 40% |
| Paradise Valley Hospital National City, CA · (619) 470-4321 INJ,DX,OR THERAPY AGNT, PARAVE+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $1,132.00 | $4,283.00 | $144.45–$4,283.00 | 74% |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego San Diego, CA · (619) 294-8111 HC Inj Pvert Nerv L/S 1stlev File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $1,326.22 | $5,304.87 | $86.21–$4,243.90 | 75% |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas Encinitas, CA · (760) 753-6501 HC Inj Pvert Nerv L/S 1stlev File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $1,326.22 | $5,304.87 | $86.21–$4,243.90 | 75% |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital Chula Vista San Diego, CA · (619) 294-8111 HC Inj Pvert Nerv L/S 1stlev File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $1,326.22 | $5,304.87 | $86.21–$4,243.90 | 75% |
| Scripps Green Hospital La Jolla, CA · (858) 554-3600 HC Inj Pvert Nerv L/S 1stlev File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $1,326.22 | $5,304.87 | $86.21–$4,243.90 | 75% |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla La Jolla, CA · (858) 626-4123 HC Inj Pvert Nerv L/S 1stlev File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $1,326.22 | $5,304.87 | $86.21–$4,243.90 | 75% |
| UC San Diego Medical Center San Diego, CA · (619) 543-6222 Injection Of Lower Spine Facet Joint Using Imaging Guidance File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,558.70 | $2,834.00 | $144.45–$7,757.98 | 45% |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital Chula Vista San Diego, CA · (619) 294-8111 HC Inj Pvert Nerve L/S 1st Level File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $1,745.56 | $6,982.25 | $86.21–$5,585.80 | 75% |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla La Jolla, CA · (858) 626-4123 HC Inj Pvert Nerve L/S 1st Level File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $1,745.56 | $6,982.25 | $86.21–$5,585.80 | 75% |
| Scripps Green Hospital La Jolla, CA · (858) 554-3600 HC Inj Pvert Nerve L/S 1st Level File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $1,745.56 | $6,982.25 | $86.21–$5,585.80 | 75% |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego San Diego, CA · (619) 294-8111 HC Inj Pvert Nerve L/S 1st Level File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $1,745.56 | $6,982.25 | $86.21–$5,585.80 | 75% |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas Encinitas, CA · (760) 753-6501 HC Inj Pvert Nerve L/S 1st Level File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $1,745.56 | $6,982.25 | $86.21–$5,585.80 | 75% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Zion San Diego, CA · (619) 528-5000 NJX DX/THER AGT PVRT FACET JT LMBR/SAC 1 LEVEL File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $2,059.20 | $3,960.00 | $883.00–$2,627.00 | 48% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Marcos San Marcos, CA · (760) 528-6295 NJX DX/THER AGT PVRT FACET JT LMBR/SAC 1 LEVEL File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $2,059.20 | $3,960.00 | $883.00–$2,627.00 | 48% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Clairemont Mesa San Diego, CA · (619) 528-5000 NJX DX/THER AGT PVRT FACET JT LMBR/SAC 1 LEVEL File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $2,059.20 | $3,960.00 | $883.00–$2,627.00 | 48% |
| UC San Diego Medical Center San Diego, CA · (619) 543-6222 Injection Of Lower Spine Facet Joint Using Imaging Guidance File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $3,988.58 | $7,251.97 | $144.45–$7,757.98 | 45% |
Outpatient: lowest $748.50, median $1,326.22, highest $2,059.20 — a 2.8× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 11 facilities here, median $1,326.22. 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 lumbar facet injection is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Lumbar facet injection explained.