Returning patient visit, 10 min cost in San Diego, CA
In San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA, 14 hospitals list a cash price for returning patient office visit, straightforward problem or 10+ minutes: from $38.37 to $246.00, with a median of $126.54. The lowest listed price is at Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas and 4 other hospitals — $88.17 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $114.95 at 96 hospitals.
- The median here, $126.54, is 18% above the US median of $107.25.
- That is 0.9× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($136.02).
- San Diego, CA ranks 2nd of 3 metro areas in California by median, cheapest first.
- Every hospital here lists a cash price below its full list price.
Cash prices at 14 facilities across 9 cities for code 99212, 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 May 29, 2026.
Lowest$38.37Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas + 4 more
Median$126.54half of hospitals charge less
Highest$246.00in this market
Difference6.4×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 $38.37Highest $306.00
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas lowest Encinitas, CA · (760) 753-6501 HC Nasal Gastric Tube Insert File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $38.37 | $153.47 | $12.28–$428.09 | 75% |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital Chula Vista lowest San Diego, CA · (619) 294-8111 HC Nasal Gastric Tube Insert File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $38.37 | $153.47 | $12.28–$428.09 | 75% |
| Scripps Green Hospital lowest La Jolla, CA · (858) 554-3600 HC Nasal Gastric Tube Insert File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $38.37 | $153.47 | $12.28–$428.09 | 75% |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego lowest San Diego, CA · (619) 294-8111 HC Nasal Gastric Tube Insert File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $38.37 | $153.47 | $12.28–$428.09 | 75% |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla lowest La Jolla, CA · (858) 626-4123 HC Nasal Gastric Tube Insert File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $38.37 | $153.47 | $12.28–$428.09 | 75% |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Rch Office/Outpt Visit,Est,Levl Ii File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $57.75 | $77.00 | — | 25% |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla La Jolla, CA · (858) 626-4123 HC Fecal Disimpaction File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $60.53 | $242.11 | $19.37–$428.09 | 75% |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego San Diego, CA · (619) 294-8111 HC Fecal Disimpaction File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $60.53 | $242.11 | $19.37–$428.09 | 75% |
| Scripps Green Hospital La Jolla, CA · (858) 554-3600 HC Fecal Disimpaction File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $60.53 | $242.11 | $19.37–$428.09 | 75% |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital Chula Vista San Diego, CA · (619) 294-8111 HC Fecal Disimpaction File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $60.53 | $242.11 | $19.37–$428.09 | 75% |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas Encinitas, CA · (760) 753-6501 HC Fecal Disimpaction File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $60.53 | $242.11 | $19.37–$428.09 | 75% |
| UC San Diego Medical Center San Diego, CA · (619) 543-6222 Established patient office or other outpatient visit with straightforward medical decision making, if using time, 10 minutes or more File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $98.45 | $179.00 | $17.90–$241.65 | 45% |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 (99212) Rch Office Outpatient Visit 10 Minutes+3 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $154.50 | $206.00 | — | 25% |
| Tri-City Medical Center Oceanside, CA · (760) 724-8411 99212 OBCH EVAL LVL 2 ESTAB PT CHARGE+3 more lines at this price File of May 29, 2026 · source file | $154.63 | $257.72 | $11.52–$203.34 | 40% |
| UC San Diego Medical Center San Diego, CA · (619) 543-6222 Established patient office or other outpatient visit with straightforward medical decision making, if using time, 10 minutes or more File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $220.55 | $401.00 | $20.77–$85.24 | 45% |
| Palomar Medical Center Escondido Escondido, CA OB OP Visit Limited+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $244.18 | $406.97 | — | 40% |
| Palomar Medical Center Poway Poway, CA · (858) 485-6511 OB OP Visit Limited+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $244.18 | $406.97 | — | 40% |
| Grossmont Hospital La Mesa, CA · (619) 465-0711 HC FACILITY FEE BRIEF EP HEART FAILURE+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $246.00 | $328.00 | $1.00–$22,270.00 | 25% |
| Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center Chula Vista, CA · (619) 502-5800 HC FACILITY FEE BRIEF EP HEART FAILURE+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $246.00 | $328.00 | $1.00–$321.44 | 25% |
| Sharp Coronado Hospital and Healthcare Center Coronado, CA · (619) 435-6251 HC FACILITY FEE BRIEF EP HEART FAILURE File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $246.00 | $328.00 | $1.00–$252.56 | 25% |
| Sharp Memorial Hospital San Diego, CA · (858) 939-3400 HC FACILITY FEE BRIEF EP+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $246.00 | $328.00 | $1.00–$262.40 | 25% |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Rch Eval & Mgmt - Ret Lev 2 File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $252.75 | $337.00 | — | 25% |
| Palomar Medical Center Poway Poway, CA · (858) 485-6511 CHEMO-OP VISIT EST LEVEL 2+3 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $256.56 | $427.60 | — | 40% |
| Palomar Medical Center Escondido Escondido, CA Estab Pt Level 2 Limited+3 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $256.56 | $427.60 | — | 40% |
| Sharp Coronado Hospital and Healthcare Center Coronado, CA · (619) 435-6251 HC OB TRIAGE LEVEL 2 OP+2 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $258.00 | $344.00 | $1.00–$337.12 | 25% |
| Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center Chula Vista, CA · (619) 502-5800 HC OB TRIAGE LEVEL 2 OP+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $258.00 | $344.00 | $1.00–$337.12 | 25% |
| Grossmont Hospital La Mesa, CA · (619) 465-0711 HC MECH CIRC SUP FACILITY FEE BRIEF EP+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $258.00 | $344.00 | $1.00–$337.12 | 25% |
| Sharp Memorial Hospital San Diego, CA · (858) 939-3400 HC OB TRIAGE LEVEL 2 OP+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $258.00 | $344.00 | $0.22–$309.60 | 25% |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Rch Uc-Room Chg Level Ii (Est Pt)+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $306.00 | $408.00 | — | 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.
Check the item The description in the hospital file looks like a supply or device (a catheter, a brace, an implant), not this procedure. The hospital may have filed it under the wrong code: ask before relying on this price.
Outpatient: lowest $38.37, median $126.54, highest $246.00 — a 6.4× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 14 facilities here, median $126.54. 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 10 of 11 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 returning patient visit, 10 min is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Returning patient visit, 10 min explained.