Biopsy pathology exam cost in San Diego, CA
In San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA, 18 hospitals list a cash price for biopsy tissue exam by a pathologist (level IV): from $22.00 to $398.25, with a median of $117.87. The lowest listed price is at UC San Diego Medical Center — $95.87 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $130.00 at 208 hospitals.
- The median here, $117.87, is 31% below the US median of $171.00.
- That is 2.2× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($53.24).
- San Diego, CA ranks 2nd of 5 metro areas in California by median, cheapest first.
- 1 of 18 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Cash prices at 18 facilities across 11 cities for code 88305, 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 Sep 1, 2026.
Lowest$22.00UC San Diego Medical Center
Median$117.87half of hospitals charge less
Highest$398.25in this market
Difference18.1×highest vs lowest
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.
median
Lowest $22.00Highest $418.50
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UC San Diego Medical Center lowest San Diego, CA · (619) 543-6222 Pathology examination of tissue using a microscope, intermediate complexity File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $22.00 | $40.00 | $4.80–$146.99 | 45% |
| UC San Diego Medical Center San Diego, CA · (619) 543-6222 Pathology Examination Of Tissue Using A Microscope, Prostate Needle Biopsy File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $41.80 | $76.00 | $38.00–$146.99 | 45% |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego San Diego, CA · (619) 294-8111 HC Surg Pth;G&M;Mult.Uncom File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $47.69 | $190.77 | $15.26–$167.56 | 75% |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla La Jolla, CA · (858) 626-4123 HC Surg Pth;G&M;Mult.Uncom File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $47.69 | $190.77 | $15.26–$167.56 | 75% |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas Encinitas, CA · (760) 753-6501 HC Surg Pth;G&M;Mult.Uncom File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $47.69 | $190.77 | $15.26–$167.56 | 75% |
| Scripps Green Hospital La Jolla, CA · (858) 554-3600 HC Surg Pth;G&M;Mult.Uncom File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $47.69 | $190.77 | $15.26–$167.56 | 75% |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital Chula Vista San Diego, CA · (619) 294-8111 HC Surg Pth;G&M;Mult.Uncom File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $47.69 | $190.77 | $15.26–$167.56 | 75% |
| Scripps Green Hospital La Jolla, CA · (858) 554-3600 HC G&M Level IV File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $63.65 | $254.59 | $20.37–$203.67 | 75% |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital Chula Vista San Diego, CA · (619) 294-8111 HC G&M Level IV File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $63.65 | $254.59 | $20.37–$203.67 | 75% |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas Encinitas, CA · (760) 753-6501 HC G&M Level IV File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $63.65 | $254.59 | $20.37–$203.67 | 75% |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla La Jolla, CA · (858) 626-4123 HC G&M Level IV File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $63.65 | $254.59 | $20.37–$203.67 | 75% |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego San Diego, CA · (619) 294-8111 HC G&M Level IV File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $63.65 | $254.59 | $20.37–$203.67 | 75% |
| Paradise Valley Hospital National City, CA · (619) 470-4321 TISSUE.BLOCK, SDP+7 more lines at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $66.00 | $62.74 | $11.76–$362.67 | -5% |
| Palomar Medical Center Poway Poway, CA · (858) 485-6511 Pathology Billing Surgical Patholog+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $80.48 | $134.13 | — | 40% |
| Palomar Medical Center Escondido Escondido, CA Pathology Billing Surgical Bone Mar+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $80.48 | $134.13 | — | 40% |
| Tri-City Medical Center Oceanside, CA · (760) 724-8411 88305 AP Bill Non-Gyn Cytology Cell Block File of May 29, 2026 · source file | $155.25 | $258.75 | $41.40–$204.15 | 40% |
| Tri-City Medical Center Oceanside, CA · (760) 724-8411 88305 AP Bill Bone Marrow Biopsy File of May 29, 2026 · source file | $182.57 | $304.29 | $41.40–$240.08 | 40% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Clairemont Mesa San Diego, CA · (619) 528-5000 LEVEL IV SURG PATHOLOGY GROSS&MICROSCOPIC EXAM File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $197.60 | $380.00 | $61.00–$180.00 | 48% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Marcos San Marcos, CA · (760) 528-6295 LEVEL IV SURG PATHOLOGY GROSS&MICROSCOPIC EXAM File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $197.60 | $380.00 | $61.00–$180.00 | 48% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Zion San Diego, CA · (619) 528-5000 LEVEL IV SURG PATHOLOGY GROSS&MICROSCOPIC EXAM File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $197.60 | $380.00 | $61.00–$180.00 | 48% |
| UC San Diego Medical Center San Diego, CA · (619) 543-6222 Pathology Examination Of Tissue Using A Microscope, Intermediate Complexity File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $215.60 | $392.00 | $58.80–$196.00 | 45% |
| Tri-City Medical Center Oceanside, CA · (760) 724-8411 88305 AP Bill Surgical Pathology Level IV Complexity File of May 29, 2026 · source file | $248.40 | $414.00 | $41.40–$326.65 | 40% |
| Sharp Coronado Hospital and Healthcare Center Coronado, CA · (619) 435-6251 HC LEVEL IV GROSS/MICRO File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $258.75 | $345.00 | $1.00–$338.10 | 25% |
| Sharp Memorial Hospital San Diego, CA · (858) 939-3400 HC LEVEL IV GROSS/MICRO File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $258.75 | $345.00 | $1.00–$310.50 | 25% |
| Grossmont Hospital La Mesa, CA · (619) 465-0711 HC LEVEL IV GROSS/MICRO File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $258.75 | $345.00 | $1.00–$625.89 | 25% |
| Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center Chula Vista, CA · (619) 502-5800 HC LEVEL IV GROSS/MICRO File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $258.75 | $345.00 | $1.30–$386.50 | 25% |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Rch Pth-Bone Marrow Bio/Prep/Tech+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $398.25 | $531.00 | — | 25% |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Rch Pth-Cyto Cell Block+2 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $418.50 | $558.00 | — | 25% |
Hospital The hospital that published the price, its city and the line exactly as written in its price file.
Cash price The hospital's own price for a patient paying without insurance (“discounted cash” in its price file). Hospitals must publish it under federal law, 45 CFR 180.50. Call to confirm it before booking. More
List price The hospital's full chargemaster price (“gross charge”) before any discount. Almost nobody pays it; the gap to the cash price shows what the self-pay discount is worth. More
Insurers pay The lowest and highest rates this hospital has agreed with insurance plans for the same item, from its price file. If the cash price is below what your plan pays and you have not met your deductible, paying cash can cost you less. More
Off list How much lower the cash price is than the list price.
At or below Medicare This cash price is at or below what Medicare pays a hospital for the same service, which is unusually low. It is what the hospital's file says; confirm it and what it includes before booking. More
No cash discount This line's cash price equals the hospital's full list price. Many hospitals still reduce bills for uninsured patients: ask the billing office for its self-pay discount in writing. More
Outpatient: lowest $22.00, median $117.87, highest $398.25 — a 18.1× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 17 facilities here, median $155.25. 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 12 of 15 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 biopsy pathology exam is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Biopsy pathology exam explained.