Specialist consultation cost in California
In California, 25 hospitals publish a cash price for specialist consultation, low complexity or 30+ minutes: from $66.33 to $726.00, with a median of $173.00. The lowest price is at Eisenhower Medical Center (Rancho Mirage). The highest price is 10.9× the lowest.
- The median here, $173.00, is about the same as the US median of $172.20.
- California ranks 17th of 32 states by median, cheapest first.
- 9 of 25 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 99243. Prices for both sides of the body and inpatient prices are not mixed in. Collected Nov 8, 2026. See them on a map
Lowest$66.33Eisenhower Medical Center
Median$173.00half of hospitals charge less
Highest$726.00in California
Lowest saves$106.67vs the median
Hospitals in California, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | File date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eisenhower Medical Center lowest Rancho Mirage · Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA HC Consult Level 3 | $66.33 | $201.00 | Apr 2, 2026 source file |
| Pioneers Memorial Hospital Brawley · El Centro, CA 99243 Office Consult New or Est. L3 Pt 40 min | $72.00 | $160.00 | Feb 1, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Medical Center Merced · Merced, CA RHC CCA CNSLT LOW 30 MIN | $84.49 | $163.00 | Sep 30, 2026 source file |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego · San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA Rch Office Consultation,Level Iii | $91.50 | $122.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Madera Community Hospital Madera · Fresno, CA Office or other outpatient consultation with low level of medical decision making, if using time, 30 minutes or more | $94.50 | $157.50 | Jul 30, 2026 source file |
| Good Samaritan Hospital Bakersfield · Bakersfield-Delano, CA OFF/OP CNSLTJ NEW/EST LOW 30 | $98.00 | $140.00 | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Bear Valley Community Hospital Big Bear Lake · Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA CONSULT - MODERATE | $112.35 | $160.50 | Jun 11, 2026 source file |
| Ridgecrest Regional Hospital Ridgecrest · Bakersfield-Delano, CA Office consultation | $119.20 | $224.91 | Nov 6, 2026 source file |
| Lucile Salter Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford Palo Alto · San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA HC Lactation Consult 30-45 Min | $124.00 | $248.00 | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| UC San Diego Medical Center San Diego · San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA Patient Office Consultation 30-39 minutes | $128.15 | $233.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| UCI Health-Orange Orange · Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA HB ANTEPARTUM VISIT 7 THROUGH 14 LEVEL 3 (NON-OB PROV/UCI ONLY) | $154.80 | $387.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| San Antonio Regional Hospital Upland · Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA Office or other outpatient consultation with low level of medical decision making, if using time, 30 minutes or more | $164.50 | $329.00 | Apr 2, 2026 source file |
| Oroville Hospital Oroville · Chico, CA Patient office consultation, 40 min | $173.00 | $346.00 | — source file |
| Tahoe Forest Hospital Truckee · Truckee-Grass Valley, CA Office or other outpatient consultation with low level of medical decision making, if using time, 30 minutes or more | $179.00 | $179.00 | Sep 28, 2026 source file |
| Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital Hollister · San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA Office or other outpatient consultation with low level of medical decision making, if using time, 30 minutes or more | $180.00 | $224.00 | May 11, 2026 source file |
| American Advanced - Glenn Medical Center Willows · Willows, CA OFFICE OR OTHER OUTPATIENT CONSULTATION FOR A NEW OR ESTABLISHED PATIENT, WHICH REQUIRES A MEDICALLY APPROPRIATE HISTORY AND/OR EXAMINATION AND LOW LEVEL OF MEDICAL DECISION MAKING. WHEN USING TOTAL TIME ON THE DATE OF THE ENCOUNTER FOR CODE SELECTION, 30 MINUTES MUST BE MET OR EXCEEDED. | $194.67 | $324.45 | Oct 4, 2025 source file |
| Kaweah Health Medical Center Visalia · Visalia, CA 99243 Office or Other OP Consult 30 Min | $197.00 | $197.00 | Jul 14, 2026 source file |
| Southern Monterey County Memorial Hospital King City · Salinas, CA Office or other outpatient consultation with low level of medical decision making, if using time, 30 minutes or more | $237.75 | $317.00 | Oct 28, 2026 source file |
| Coast Plaza Doctors Hospital Norwalk · Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA CONSULT FAMILY MEDICINE LEVEL 3 (40MN) | $271.00 | $271.00 | Feb 4, 2026 source file |
| East Los Angeles Doctors Hospital Los Angeles · Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA CONSULT Level 3 | $271.00 | $271.00 | Feb 4, 2026 source file |
| Memorial Hospital of Gardena Gardena · Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA INTERNAL MEDICINE CONSULT LEVEL 3 (40MN) | $271.00 | $271.00 | Feb 4, 2026 source file |
| Fairchild Medical Center Yreka · Yreka, CA Office or other outpatient consultation with low level of medical decision making, if using time, 30 minutes or more | $321.00 | $321.00 | Sep 24, 2026 source file |
| NorthBay Medical Center Fairfield · Vallejo, CA Office Consult Level Iii | $322.91 | $322.91 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Northern Inyo Hospital Bishop · Bishop, CA 99243 Office Consultation, Level 3 | $365.00 | $365.00 | Oct 1, 2024 source file |
| Riverside University Medical Center Moreno Valley · Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA HC Office Consult Lvl 3 | $726.00 | $726.00 | Mar 30, 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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 4 | $154.80 | $271.00 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 4 | $66.33 | $138.42 |
| Bakersfield-Delano, CA | 2 | $98.00 | $108.60 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | 2 | $91.50 | $109.82 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 2 | $124.00 | $152.00 |
| Bishop, CA | 1 | $365.00 | $365.00 |
| Chico, CA | 1 | $173.00 | $173.00 |
| El Centro, CA | 1 | $72.00 | $72.00 |
| Fresno, CA | 1 | $94.50 | $94.50 |
| Merced, CA | 1 | $84.49 | $84.49 |
| Salinas, CA | 1 | $237.75 | $237.75 |
| Truckee-Grass Valley, CA | 1 | $179.00 | $179.00 |
| Vallejo, CA | 1 | $322.91 | $322.91 |
| Visalia, CA | 1 | $197.00 | $197.00 |
| Willows, CA | 1 | $194.67 | $194.67 |
| Yreka, CA | 1 | $321.00 | $321.00 |
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 specialist consultation is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Specialist consultation explained.
Specialist consultation, low complexity or 30+ minutes in other states
- Alabama$128.14
- Alaska$322.92, 3 hospitals
- Arizona$99.30
- Arkansas$108.55
- Colorado$96.48
- Connecticut$370.00, 3 hospitals
- District of Columbia$93.50, 1 hospital
- Florida$287.06
- Georgia$414.00
- Hawaii$124.60, 1 hospital
- Idaho$194.44, 3 hospitals
- Illinois$138.60
- Indiana$219.10
- Iowa$213.60
- Kansas$193.80
- Kentucky$95.27
- Louisiana$149.32
- Maine$45.17
- Maryland$428.10, 2 hospitals
- Massachusetts$116.25
- Michigan$186.40
- Minnesota$186.06
- Mississippi$128.14
- Missouri$177.45
- Montana$299.25
- Nebraska$226.13, 4 hospitals
- Nevada$179.00, 3 hospitals
- New Hampshire$50.60, 3 hospitals
- New Jersey$250.00
- New Mexico$187.20, 3 hospitals
- New York$298.00
- North Dakota$281.25
- Ohio$109.78
- Oklahoma$95.59
- Oregon$292.63, 2 hospitals
- Pennsylvania$185.00
- Puerto Rico$756.25, 4 hospitals
- Rhode Island$231.00, 1 hospital
- South Carolina$146.23, 2 hospitals
- South Dakota$255.60
- Tennessee$89.98
- Texas$89.36
- Vermont$142.75, 4 hospitals
- Virginia$336.80, 4 hospitals
- Washington$163.28
- West Virginia$112.50
- Wisconsin$200.20
- Wyoming$289.35, 4 hospitals
Median cash price across the state's hospitals.