Sed rate (ESR) cost in San Diego, CA
In San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA, 16 hospitals list a cash price for sed rate (ESR, erythrocyte sedimentation rate): from $9.36 to $56.25, with a median of $34.84. The lowest listed price is at Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla and 4 other hospitals — $25.48 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $56.00 at 169 hospitals.
- The median here, $34.84, is 8% below the US median of $38.00.
- That is 12.9× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($2.70).
- 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 16 facilities across 9 cities for code 85652, 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 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 Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla lowest La Jolla, CA · (858) 626-4123 HC Sed Rate,Automated File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $9.36 | $37.44 | $2.70–$29.95 | 75% |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas lowest Encinitas, CA · (760) 753-6501 HC Sed Rate,Automated File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $9.36 | $37.44 | $2.70–$29.95 | 75% |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego lowest San Diego, CA · (619) 294-8111 HC Sed Rate,Automated File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $9.36 | $37.44 | $2.70–$29.95 | 75% |
| Scripps Green Hospital lowest La Jolla, CA · (858) 554-3600 HC Sed Rate,Automated File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $9.36 | $37.44 | $2.70–$29.95 | 75% |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital Chula Vista lowest San Diego, CA · (619) 294-8111 HC Sed Rate,Automated File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $9.36 | $37.44 | $2.70–$29.95 | 75% |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Scripps Nicu-Vitimin D1-25Dihydr-A File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $15.75 | $21.00 | — | 25% |
| UC San Diego Medical Center San Diego, CA · (619) 543-6222 Red Blood Cell Sedimentation Rate, To Detect Inflammation File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $30.80 | $56.00 | $2.70–$75.60 | 45% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Marcos San Marcos, CA · (760) 528-6295 SEDIMENTATION RATE RBC AUTOMATED File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $34.84 | $67.00 | $2.00–$6.00 | 48% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Zion San Diego, CA · (619) 528-5000 SEDIMENTATION RATE RBC AUTOMATED File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $34.84 | $67.00 | $2.00–$6.00 | 48% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Clairemont Mesa San Diego, CA · (619) 528-5000 SEDIMENTATION RATE RBC AUTOMATED File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $34.84 | $67.00 | $2.00–$6.00 | 48% |
| Palomar Medical Center Escondido Escondido, CA Sedimentation Rate Westergren File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $37.43 | $62.38 | — | 40% |
| Palomar Medical Center Poway Poway, CA · (858) 485-6511 Sedimentation Rate Westergren File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $37.43 | $62.38 | — | 40% |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Rsp Rbc Sedrate Auto 305+2 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $55.50 | $74.00 | — | 25% |
| Sharp Memorial Hospital San Diego, CA · (858) 939-3400 HC RBC SED RATE AUTO - SEDIMENTATION RATE AUTOMATED File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $56.25 | $75.00 | $1.10–$67.50 | 25% |
| Sharp Coronado Hospital and Healthcare Center Coronado, CA · (619) 435-6251 HC RBC SED RATE AUTO - SEDIMENTATION RATE AUTOMATED File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $56.25 | $75.00 | $0.52–$56.25 | 25% |
| Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center Chula Vista, CA · (619) 502-5800 HC RBC SED RATE AUTO - SEDIMENTATION RATE AUTOMATED File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $56.25 | $75.00 | $1.00–$67.50 | 25% |
| Grossmont Hospital La Mesa, CA · (619) 465-0711 HC RBC SED RATE AUTO - SEDIMENTATION RATE AUTOMATED File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $56.25 | $75.00 | $1.15–$2,034.14 | 25% |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Rch Lab-Esr Automated File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $85.50 | $114.00 | — | 25% |
Outpatient: lowest $9.36, median $34.84, highest $56.25 — a 6.0× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 16 facilities here, median $34.84. 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 9 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 sed rate (ESR) is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Sed rate (ESR) explained.