Retina OCT scan cost in California
In California, 16 hospitals publish a cash price for OCT scan of the retina (optical coherence tomography): from $35.39 to $787.75, with a median of $123.70. The lowest price is at Scripps Green Hospital (La Jolla) and 4 other hospitals. The highest price is 22.3× the lowest.
- The median here, $123.70, is 33% above the US median of $93.00.
- That is 2.1× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($60.27).
- California ranks 17th of 25 states by median, cheapest first.
- 7 of 16 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 92134. Prices for both sides of the body and inpatient prices are not mixed in. Collected Oct 29, 2026. See them on a map
Lowest$35.39Scripps Green Hospital + 4 more
Median$123.70half of hospitals charge less
Highest$787.75in California
Lowest saves$88.31vs the median
Hospitals in California, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | File date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scripps Green Hospital lowest La Jolla · San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA HC Computr Ophth Img Retina | $35.39 | $141.56 | Mar 30, 2026 source file |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas lowest Encinitas · San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA HC Computr Ophth Img Retina | $35.39 | $141.56 | Mar 30, 2026 source file |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla lowest La Jolla · San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA HC Computr Ophth Img Retina | $35.39 | $141.56 | Mar 30, 2026 source file |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital Chula Vista lowest San Diego · San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA HC Computr Ophth Img Retina | $35.39 | $141.56 | Mar 30, 2026 source file |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego lowest San Diego · San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA HC Computr Ophth Img Retina | $35.39 | $141.56 | Mar 30, 2026 source file |
| Tahoe Forest Hospital Truckee · Truckee-Grass Valley, CA Imaging of retina | $65.00 | $65.00 | Sep 28, 2026 source file |
| Southern Monterey County Memorial Hospital King City · Salinas, CA Imaging of retina | $93.75 | $125.00 | Oct 28, 2026 source file |
| Stanford Health Care Stanford · San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA Cptr Ophth Dx Img Post Segmt | $98.40 | $246.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Kaweah Health Medical Center Visalia · Visalia, CA Ret Cam Rop Exam | $149.00 | $149.00 | Jul 14, 2026 source file |
| UC San Diego Medical Center San Diego · San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA Computerized Opical Coherence Tomography Imaging Retina | $175.45 | $319.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| California Pacific Medical Center- Van Ness Campus one side San Francisco · San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA HCHG CPTR OPHTH DX IMG POST SG LT | $274.00 | $274.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| California Pacific Medical Ctr-Davies Campus Hospital one side San Francisco · San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA HCHG CPTR OPHTH DX IMG POST SG RT | $274.00 | $274.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Riverside University Medical Center Moreno Valley · Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA HC Computerized Ophth Imag Retina | $320.00 | $320.00 | Mar 30, 2026 source file |
| San Bernardino County Colton · Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA HC CPTR OPHTH DX IMG POST SEGMT - OCT, RETINA - OU - BOTH EYES | $329.00 | $329.00 | Feb 25, 2026 source file |
| Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Los Angeles · Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA HB CMPTRZD OPHTH IMG RETINA | $674.17 | $1,037.19 | Nov 26, 2025 source file |
| Keck Hospital of USC Los Angeles · Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA Cptr Ophth Dx Img Post Segmt | $787.75 | $787.75 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
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
File date When the hospital last updated its price file, as the file says itself. A dash means the file gives no date.
At or below Medicare This cash price is at or below what Medicare pays a hospital for the same service, which is unusually low. It is what the hospital's file says; confirm it and what it includes before booking. More
No cash discount This line's cash price equals the hospital's full list price. Many hospitals still reduce bills for uninsured patients: ask the billing office for its self-pay discount in writing. More
By metro area
Each metro page compares every listing, including prices for both sides of the body.
| Metro area | Hospitals | Lowest | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | 6 | $35.39 | $35.39 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 2 | $674.17 | $730.96 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 2 | $320.00 | $324.50 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 2 | $274.00 | $274.00 |
| Salinas, CA | 1 | $93.75 | $93.75 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 1 | $98.40 | $98.40 |
| Truckee-Grass Valley, CA | 1 | $65.00 | $65.00 |
| Visalia, CA | 1 | $149.00 | $149.00 |
Market A metro area (as the Census Bureau defines it) or, outside metro areas, a town. Each links to every hospital price there.
Hospitals How many hospitals publish a cash price for this code here. Each hospital counts once, at its lowest outpatient cash price.
Lowest The lowest cash price among those hospitals.
Median The middle cash price: half of the hospitals charge less, half charge more. One price per hospital. More
What retina OCT scan is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Retina OCT scan explained.
OCT scan of the retina (optical coherence tomography) in other states
- Alabama$604.58, 2 hospitals
- Alaska$215.00, 1 hospital
- Arizona$72.39, 1 hospital
- Arkansas$111.00
- Colorado$226.82, 2 hospitals
- District of Columbia$119.50, 1 hospital
- Florida$65.00
- Georgia$179.00
- Hawaii$19.80, 1 hospital
- Idaho$32.00
- Illinois$93.86
- Indiana$147.70
- Iowa$231.25, 4 hospitals
- Kansas$63.39, 2 hospitals
- Kentucky$43.40
- Louisiana$61.04
- Maine$28.56, 1 hospital
- Massachusetts$225.00
- Michigan$210.00
- Minnesota$119.10
- Mississippi$604.58
- Missouri$73.45
- Nebraska$81.25, 3 hospitals
- Nevada$65.00, 1 hospital
- New Jersey$72.50
- New Mexico$66.00, 1 hospital
- New York$70.29
- North Carolina$95.09, 4 hospitals
- North Dakota$68.75, 4 hospitals
- Ohio$78.82
- Oklahoma$121.10, 1 hospital
- Oregon$178.10, 1 hospital
- Pennsylvania$152.40
- South Carolina$58.00
- South Dakota$33.50, 1 hospital
- Tennessee$38.83
- Texas$166.13
- Vermont$52.98, 1 hospital
- Virginia$93.00
- Washington$80.00
- West Virginia$139.75
- Wisconsin$42.75
Median cash price across the state's hospitals.