Itemized  ·  Compare  ·  Children's Hospital Los Angeles vs Saint Francis Medical Center

Children's Hospital Los Angeles vs Saint Francis Medical Center.

Side-by-side prices for 21 procedures both hospitals publish, plus CMS quality ratings and metro context. Pulled from each hospital's federally-mandated price transparency file. Saint Francis Medical Center is cheaper on more procedures (7 vs 5).

Children's Hospital Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA
CHLA
Cheaper on 5 of 21 procedures
vs.
Saint Francis Medical Center
Lynwood, CA
Prime Healthcare
4/5 CMS
Cheaper on 7 of 21 procedures

Head-to-head, by procedure.

Procedure Children's Saint Cheaper
Brain MRI without contrast $478 $305 Saint ↓
Brain MRI with and without contrast $904 $446 Saint ↓
Lumbar spine MRI without contrast $478 $305 Saint ↓
Knee/lower-extremity MRI without contrast $182 $305 Children's ↓
CT abdomen and pelvis with contrast $278 $446 Children's ↓
Abdominal ultrasound, complete $18 $133 Children's ↓
Lipid panel $15 $13 Saint ↓
TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) $52 $16 Saint ↓
Laparoscopic cholecystectomy — $7,737 tie
Inguinal hernia repair, open — $4,582 tie
Colonoscopy, diagnostic — $1,190 tie
Colonoscopy with polyp removal — $1,531 tie
Upper endoscopy (EGD) with biopsy — $1,160 tie
Echocardiogram, complete with Doppler $859 $699 Saint ↓
Office visit, established patient, level 3 $18 — tie
Office visit, established patient, level 4 $20 — tie
Lumbar epidural steroid injection $624 $1,132 Children's ↓
Thyroid ultrasound $308 $133 Saint ↓
New patient office visit, level 3 $46 — tie
New patient office visit, level 4 $20 — tie
Carotid duplex ultrasound $48 $305 Children's ↓

Patient experience.

CMS HCAHPS patient survey, period ending 03/31/2025. Bold = higher score.

Measure Children's Saint
HCAHPS overall star rating — 2/5
Would definitely recommend — 59%
Hospital rating 9 or 10 of 10 — 64%
Nurses always communicated well — 70%
Doctors always communicated well — 72%
Given clear info about recovery — 83%
Room and bathroom always clean — 74%
Staff always explained meds — 53%
Quiet at night, always — 52%

Add your insurance.

Cash-pay is one number. With your insurance plan, the actual price differs. Pick your insurer in the comparison tool to see plan-specific rates at both hospitals.

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How to read this comparison.

The cash-pay price is what an uninsured patient would be charged at each hospital. It's the cleanest apples-to-apples comparison because it doesn't depend on your insurance plan.

The CMS rating is the federal quality composite, built from ~50 measures spanning safety, mortality, readmission, patient experience, and timeliness. A 5-star hospital may not be the best at every procedure, and a 3-star hospital can have a strong specific service line. Treat the rating as one input, not the answer.

For your specific insurance plan, prices can shift dramatically. Some hospitals negotiate steep discounts with one insurer and not another. Always check the plan-specific rate before you book.