Stitches, small wound cost in California

In California, 167 hospitals publish a cash price for simple repair of a superficial wound 2.5 cm or less, scalp, neck, body or limbs: from $33.36 to $2,444.00, with a median of $551.20. The lowest price is at Redlands Community Hospital (Redlands). The highest price is 73.3× the lowest.

• The median here, $551.20, is 79% above the US median of $307.12.
• That is 2.7× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($204.98).
• California ranks 48th of 49 states by median, cheapest first.
• 41 of 167 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.

California law (Health and Safety Code §127405): if you are uninsured or have high medical costs and your family income is at or below 400% of the federal poverty level, a hospital may not expect you to pay more than it would expect from Medicare or Medi-Cal, whichever is greater. That can be less than the cash prices below; ask the hospital for its discount payment policy. A separate physician fee may still apply. Other states' laws.

Outpatient cash prices, one line per hospital — its lowest listed price for code 12001. Prices for both sides of the body and inpatient prices are not mixed in. Collected Nov 8, 2026. See them on a map