Scans and imaging CPT 93880 Inpatient — admitted to hospital

Carotid ultrasound cost in San Jose, CA — inpatient

In San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA, 1 hospital lists a cash price for carotid artery ultrasound (duplex), both sides of the neck as an inpatient: from $585.25 to $585.25, with a median of $585.25. Across California, the median is $1,240.50 at 22 hospitals.

Cash prices at 4 facilities across 4 cities for code 93880, 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.

Lowest$585.25El Camino Hospital
Median$585.25half pay less
Highest$585.25in this market
Difference1.0×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 Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA.

median
Lowest $585.25Highest $2,332.80
one sideboth sides

Hospitals, cheapest first

HospitalCash price List priceInsurers payOff listFile 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
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

Inpatient: lowest $585.25, median $585.25, highest $585.25.

Both sides : lowest $1,775.20, median $1,775.20, highest $2,332.80 — a 1.3× difference within the same market.

The two groups are not comparable and are not averaged together: a price for both sides of the body covers twice the work. Merging them is how a single published "median" ends up far above what one side actually costs.

As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 2 facilities here, median $2,026.38 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.

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.