Skull X-ray cost in San Jose, CA — inpatient
In San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA, 4 hospitals list a cash price for skull X-ray, fewer than 4 views as an inpatient: from $253.25 to $683.20, with a median of $646.40. The lowest listed price is at El Camino Hospital — $393.15 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $427.43 at 209 hospitals.
Cash prices at 4 facilities across 4 cities for code 70250, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 1, 2026 and Apr 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 Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| El Camino Hospital lowest Mountain View, CA · (650) 940-7000 HC SKULL LTD LESS THAN 4 VIEWS File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $253.25 | $1,013.00 | — | 75% |
| Stanford Health Care Stanford, CA · (650) 723-4000 Xr Skull <4v File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $609.60 | $1,524.00 | — | 60% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Jose San Jose, CA · (408) 972-7000 RADIOLOGIC EXAMINATION SKULL 4< VIEWS source file | $683.20 | $1,220.00 | $142.00–$445.00 | 44% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Santa Clara Santa Clara, CA · (408) 236-6400 RADIOLOGIC EXAMINATION SKULL 4< VIEWS source file | $683.20 | $1,220.00 | $142.00–$445.00 | 44% |
Inpatient: lowest $253.25, median $646.40, highest $683.20 — a 2.7× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 6 facilities here, median $683.20 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 0 of 2 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 it is
A skull X-ray takes up to three pictures of the bones of the head. It is used less often than before, because a head CT (70450) shows the brain and skull better after an injury.
What the price covers
The hospital price usually covers taking the X-ray. The radiologist's reading is often billed separately.