Screening colonoscopy cost in San Francisco, CA
In San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA, 11 hospitals list a cash price for screening colonoscopy for a person at average risk (Medicare code): from $2,862.40 to $4,462.00, with a median of $3,214.40. The lowest listed price is at Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley — $352.00 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $1,700.40 at 57 hospitals.
Cash prices at 11 facilities across 10 cities for code G0121, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 1, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley lowest Pleasanton, CA · (925) 847-3000 Colon Ca Scrn Not Hi Rsk Ind | $2,862.40 | $7,156.00 | — | 60% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Francisco San Francisco, CA · (415) 833-2646 COLON CA SCRN NOT HI RSK IND | $3,214.40 | $5,740.00 | $1,102.00–$3,450.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Oakland/Richmond Oakland, CA · (510) 752-1000 COLON CA SCRN NOT HI RSK IND | $3,214.40 | $5,740.00 | $1,102.00–$3,450.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Walnut Creek Walnut Creek, CA · (925) 295-4000 COLON CA SCRN NOT HI RSK IND | $3,214.40 | $5,740.00 | $1,102.00–$3,450.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Fremont Fremont, CA · (510) 784-4000 COLON CA SCRN NOT HI RSK IND | $3,214.40 | $5,740.00 | $1,102.00–$3,450.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Redwood City Redwood City, CA · (650) 299-2000 COLON CA SCRN NOT HI RSK IND | $3,214.40 | $5,740.00 | $1,102.00–$3,450.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Rafael San Rafael, CA · (415) 444-2000 COLON CA SCRN NOT HI RSK IND | $3,214.40 | $5,740.00 | $1,102.00–$3,450.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Antioch Antioch, CA · (925) 813-6500 COLON CA SCRN NOT HI RSK IND | $3,214.40 | $5,740.00 | $1,102.00–$3,450.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Leandro San Leandro, CA · (510) 454-1000 COLON CA SCRN NOT HI RSK IND | $3,214.40 | $5,740.00 | $1,102.00–$3,450.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - South San Francisco South San Francisco, CA · (650) 742-3200 COLON CA SCRN NOT HI RSK IND | $3,214.40 | $5,740.00 | $1,102.00–$3,450.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Chinese Hospital Association San Francisco, CA · (415) 677-2480 COLORECTAL CANCER SCREENING; COLONOSCOPY ON INDIVIDUAL NOT MEETING CRITERIA FOR HIGH RISK | $4,462.00 | $4,462.00 | $1,344.41–$8,031.60 | — | Jul 22, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $2,862.40, median $3,214.40, highest $4,462.00 — a 1.6× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 10 facilities here, median $3,214.40. 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 10 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 it is
This is a routine colonoscopy for someone with no symptoms and no high-risk factors, done to find and prevent colorectal cancer. G0121 is a Medicare screening code; for people at average risk Medicare covers it once every 10 years, or 4 years after a screening sigmoidoscopy.
What the price covers
The facility price usually covers the procedure room and recovery. The gastroenterologist, anesthesia, the bowel-prep medicine and any pathology are usually billed or bought separately.