Breathing treatment cost in San Francisco, CA — inpatient
In San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA, 12 hospitals list a cash price for breathing treatment (nebulizer or inhaler) for airway obstruction as an inpatient: from $259.18 to $769.00, with a median of $464.80. The lowest listed price is at Hayward Sisters Hospital — $205.62 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $313.05 at 100 hospitals.
Cash prices at 12 facilities across 11 cities for code 94640, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Feb 23, 2026 and Jul 22, 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 Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hayward Sisters Hospital lowest Hayward, CA · (510) 782-6200 HHNTXINITIAL | $259.18 | $863.94 | $604.76–$665.23 | 70% | Feb 23, 2026 source file |
| Hayward Sisters Hospital lowest Hayward, CA · (510) 782-6200 METEREDDOSESUBSEQUENTTX | $259.18 | $863.94 | $604.76–$665.23 | 70% | Feb 23, 2026 source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - South San Francisco South San Francisco, CA · (650) 742-3200 PRESSURIZED/NONPRESSURIZED INHALATION TREATMENT | $464.80 | $830.00 | — | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Francisco San Francisco, CA · (415) 833-2646 PRESSURIZED/NONPRESSURIZED INHALATION TREATMENT | $464.80 | $830.00 | — | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Oakland/Richmond Oakland, CA · (510) 752-1000 PRESSURIZED/NONPRESSURIZED INHALATION TREATMENT | $464.80 | $830.00 | — | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Walnut Creek Walnut Creek, CA · (925) 295-4000 PRESSURIZED/NONPRESSURIZED INHALATION TREATMENT | $464.80 | $830.00 | — | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Fremont Fremont, CA · (510) 784-4000 PRESSURIZED/NONPRESSURIZED INHALATION TREATMENT | $464.80 | $830.00 | — | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Redwood City Redwood City, CA · (650) 299-2000 PRESSURIZED/NONPRESSURIZED INHALATION TREATMENT | $464.80 | $830.00 | — | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Rafael San Rafael, CA · (415) 444-2000 PRESSURIZED/NONPRESSURIZED INHALATION TREATMENT | $464.80 | $830.00 | — | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Antioch Antioch, CA · (925) 813-6500 PRESSURIZED/NONPRESSURIZED INHALATION TREATMENT | $464.80 | $830.00 | — | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Leandro San Leandro, CA · (510) 454-1000 PRESSURIZED/NONPRESSURIZED INHALATION TREATMENT | $464.80 | $830.00 | — | 44% | — source file |
| Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley Pleasanton, CA · (925) 847-3000 Inhalation Tx Init Mdi | $594.00 | $1,485.00 | — | 60% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley Pleasanton, CA · (925) 847-3000 Inhalation Tx Init Ihhn | $594.00 | $1,485.00 | — | 60% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley Pleasanton, CA · (925) 847-3000 Ipv Tx Init | $594.00 | $1,485.00 | — | 60% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley Pleasanton, CA · (925) 847-3000 Ipv Tx Subsequent | $594.00 | $1,485.00 | — | 60% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley Pleasanton, CA · (925) 847-3000 Inhaler Tx Initial | $594.00 | $1,485.00 | — | 60% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley Pleasanton, CA · (925) 847-3000 Inhaler Tx Sub | $594.00 | $1,485.00 | — | 60% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley Pleasanton, CA · (925) 847-3000 Nebulizer Tx Initial | $594.00 | $1,485.00 | — | 60% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley Pleasanton, CA · (925) 847-3000 Inhalation Tx Init Sputum Ind | $594.00 | $1,485.00 | — | 60% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Chinese Hospital Association San Francisco, CA · (415) 677-2480 Inhalation treatment for airway obstruction or sputum production | $769.00 | $769.00 | $16.78–$1,384.20 | — | Jul 22, 2026 source file |
Inpatient: lowest $259.18, median $464.80, highest $769.00 — a 3.0× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 12 facilities here, median $464.80 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 2 of 2 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 1 it is 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
A breathing treatment delivers medicine such as albuterol through a nebulizer or inhaler to open the airways during an asthma or COPD flare.
What the price covers
The price is for one treatment. Repeated treatments in one visit can each be billed, and the medicine may be billed separately.