Nutrition counseling cost in Eureka, CA — inpatient
In Eureka-Arcata, CA, 2 hospitals list a cash price for nutrition counseling (medical nutrition therapy), first visit, 15 minutes as an inpatient: from $56.76 to $75.44, with a median of $66.10. The lowest listed price is at Mad River Community Hospital — $9.34 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $99.68 at 108 hospitals.
Cash prices at 2 facilities across 2 cities for code 97802, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 27, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Jul 22, 2025 and Jul 22, 2025.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Eureka-Arcata, CA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mad River Community Hospital lowest Arcata, CA · (707) 822-3621 MNT INITIAL IND | $56.76 | $56.76 | — | — | Jul 22, 2025 source file |
| Jerold Phelps Community Hospital Garberville, CA · (707) 923-3921 MEDICAL NUTRITION ASSMT&IVNTJ INDIV EACH 15 MI | $75.44 | $94.30 | $75.44–$94.30 | 20% | — source file |
Inpatient: lowest $56.76, median $66.10, highest $75.44 — a 1.3× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 2 facilities here, median $64.82 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At the one hospital here that publishes insurer rates for this code, the cash price is 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
Medical nutrition therapy is counseling by a registered dietitian for conditions such as diabetes and kidney disease.
What the price covers
The price is for one 15-minute unit; a session usually includes several units and codes.