Carotid ultrasound cost in San Jose, CA
In San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA, 2 hospitals list a cash price for carotid artery ultrasound (duplex), both sides of the neck: from $585.25 to $3,467.50, with a median of $2,026.38. The lowest listed price is at El Camino Hospital — $1,441.13 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $1,240.50 at 22 hospitals.
Cash prices at 5 facilities across 5 cities for code 93880, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Mar 31, 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 | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| El Camino Hospital lowest Mountain View, CA · (650) 940-7000 HC US VASCULAR STUDY HEAD | $585.25 | $2,341.00 | — | 75% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Lucile Salter Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford Palo Alto, CA · (650) 497-8000 HC US Arteries Extracranial Bil Compl | $3,467.50 | $6,935.00 | $2,926.57–$3,369.72 | 50% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Jose both sides San Jose, CA · (408) 972-7000 DUPLEX SCAN EXTRACRANIAL ART COMPL BI STUDY | $1,775.20 | $3,170.00 | — | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Santa Clara both sides Santa Clara, CA · (408) 236-6400 DUPLEX SCAN EXTRACRANIAL ART COMPL BI STUDY | $1,775.20 | $3,170.00 | — | 44% | — source file |
| Stanford Health Care both sides Stanford, CA · (650) 723-4000 Carotid Dplx Bilat | $2,332.80 | $5,832.00 | — | 60% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $585.25, median $2,026.38, highest $3,467.50 — a 5.9× difference within the same market.
Both sides : lowest $1,775.20, median $1,775.20, highest $2,332.80 — a 1.3× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 1 facility here, median $585.25. 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 the one hospital here that publishes insurer rates for this code, the cash price is not below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated. 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 carotid ultrasound uses sound waves and Doppler to look at the arteries in the neck that carry blood to the brain. It checks for narrowing or plaque and is ordered after a stroke or mini-stroke, for a bruit heard in the neck, or to follow known artery disease.
What the price covers
The hospital price usually covers the complete study of both sides. The interpretation by a radiologist or vascular specialist is often billed separately.