Biopsy pathology exam cost in San Diego, CA
In San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA, 9 hospitals list a cash price for biopsy tissue exam by a pathologist (level IV): from $22.00 to $258.75, with a median of $197.60. The lowest listed price is at UC San Diego Medical Center — $175.60 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $197.60 at 96 hospitals.
Cash prices at 9 facilities across 6 cities for code 88305, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 1, 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 | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UC San Diego Medical Center lowest San Diego, CA · (619) 543-6222 Pathology examination of tissue using a microscope, intermediate complexity | $22.00 | $40.00 | $4.80–$146.99 | 45% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| UC San Diego Medical Center San Diego, CA · (619) 543-6222 Pathology Examination Of Tissue Using A Microscope, Prostate Needle Biopsy | $41.80 | $76.00 | $38.00–$146.99 | 45% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Paradise Valley Hospital National City, CA · (619) 470-4321 TISSUE EXAM BY PATH PA RIM PAT | $66.00 | $62.74 | $11.76–$362.67 | -5% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Paradise Valley Hospital National City, CA · (619) 470-4321 TISSUE.BLOCK, SDP | $66.00 | $62.74 | $11.76–$362.67 | -5% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Paradise Valley Hospital National City, CA · (619) 470-4321 SURG PATH LEVEL IV 5.1 | $66.00 | $62.74 | $11.76–$362.67 | -5% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Paradise Valley Hospital National City, CA · (619) 470-4321 CYTO CELL BLOCK,SDP | $66.00 | $337.11 | $11.76–$362.67 | 80% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Paradise Valley Hospital National City, CA · (619) 470-4321 SURG PATH GR/MC LEVEL IV - 88305 - 1520782 | $66.00 | $162.00 | $11.76–$362.67 | 59% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Paradise Valley Hospital National City, CA · (619) 470-4321 SURG PATH GR/MC LEVEL IV - 88305 - 1510783 | $66.00 | $362.67 | $11.76–$362.67 | 82% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Paradise Valley Hospital National City, CA · (619) 470-4321 SURG MICRO SNGLE COMP (GM IV) | $66.00 | $62.74 | $11.76–$362.67 | -5% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Paradise Valley Hospital National City, CA · (619) 470-4321 TISSUE. RECUT, SDP | $66.00 | $62.74 | $11.76–$362.67 | -5% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Zion San Diego, CA · (619) 528-5000 LEVEL IV SURG PATHOLOGY GROSS&MICROSCOPIC EXAM | $197.60 | $380.00 | $61.00–$180.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Clairemont Mesa San Diego, CA LEVEL IV SURG PATHOLOGY GROSS&MICROSCOPIC EXAM | $197.60 | $380.00 | $61.00–$180.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Marcos San Marcos, CA · (760) 528-6295 LEVEL IV SURG PATHOLOGY GROSS&MICROSCOPIC EXAM | $197.60 | $380.00 | $61.00–$180.00 | 48% | — source file |
| UC San Diego Medical Center San Diego, CA · (619) 543-6222 Pathology Examination Of Tissue Using A Microscope, Intermediate Complexity | $215.60 | $392.00 | $58.80–$196.00 | 45% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Sharp Memorial Hospital San Diego, CA · (858) 939-3400 HC LEVEL IV GROSS/MICRO | $258.75 | $345.00 | $1.00–$310.50 | 25% | — source file |
| Sharp Coronado Hospital and Healthcare Center Coronado, CA · (619) 435-6251 HC LEVEL IV GROSS/MICRO | $258.75 | $345.00 | $1.00–$338.10 | 25% | — source file |
| Grossmont Hospital La Mesa, CA · (619) 465-0711 HC LEVEL IV GROSS/MICRO | $258.75 | $345.00 | $1.00–$625.89 | 25% | — source file |
| Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center Chula Vista, CA · (619) 502-5800 HC LEVEL IV GROSS/MICRO | $258.75 | $345.00 | $1.30–$386.50 | 25% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $22.00, median $197.60, highest $258.75 — a 11.8× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 8 facilities here, median $228.18. 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 6 of 9 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
This code covers the lab exam of a tissue sample under a microscope. Most biopsies use it, including skin, colon polyp, stomach, breast core and prostate core biopsies.
What the price covers
The price is usually for one specimen. Each separate specimen is billed again, and the pathologist's reading may be billed separately.