Itemized  ·  Compare  ·  Kaiser Permanente Redwood City Medical Center vs UCSF Medical Center

Kaiser Permanente Redwood City Medical Center vs UCSF Medical Center.

Side-by-side prices for 34 procedures both hospitals publish, plus CMS quality ratings and metro context. Pulled from each hospital's federally-mandated price transparency file. UCSF Medical Center is cheaper on more procedures (22 vs 0).

Redwood City, CA
Kaiser Permanente
4/5 CMS
Cheaper on 0 of 34 procedures
vs.
San Francisco, CA
UCSF Health
5/5 CMS
Cheaper on 22 of 34 procedures

Head-to-head, by procedure.

Procedure Kaiser UCSF Cheaper
Brain MRI without contrast $3,629 $432 UCSF ↓
Brain MRI with and without contrast $5,499 $652 UCSF ↓
Lumbar spine MRI without contrast $3,282 $487 UCSF ↓
Knee/lower-extremity MRI without contrast $3,438 $330 UCSF ↓
CT abdomen and pelvis with contrast $4,754 $761 UCSF ↓
Abdominal ultrasound, complete $991 $125 UCSF ↓
Mammogram, screening $375 $44 UCSF ↓
DXA bone density scan $504 $30 UCSF ↓
Chest X-ray, single view $476 $123 UCSF ↓
Comprehensive metabolic panel $255 $123 UCSF ↓
Lipid panel $156 $18 UCSF ↓
CBC with differential $123 $70 UCSF ↓
TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) $155 $122 UCSF ↓
Hemoglobin A1c $80 $29 UCSF ↓
Urinalysis $36 $14 UCSF ↓
Knee arthroscopy with meniscectomy $7,325 tie
Total knee replacement $25,760 tie
Total hip replacement $9,162 tie
Laparoscopic cholecystectomy $19,219 tie
Inguinal hernia repair, open $18,726 tie
Cataract surgery, one eye $8,624 tie
Colonoscopy, diagnostic $3,679 tie
Colonoscopy with polyp removal $3,466 tie
Upper endoscopy (EGD) with biopsy $3,354 tie
EKG with interpretation $90 $34 UCSF ↓
Echocardiogram, complete with Doppler $3,825 $377 UCSF ↓
Carpal tunnel release $4,939 tie
Lumbar epidural steroid injection $3,366 $1,246 UCSF ↓
Polysomnography (sleep study) $4,889 $3,160 UCSF ↓
Septoplasty (deviated septum repair) $9,990 tie
Thyroid ultrasound $907 $84 UCSF ↓
Ureteroscopy with lithotripsy (kidney stone) $12,090 tie
Carotid duplex ultrasound $1,775 $338 UCSF ↓
Psychotherapy, 45 minutes $582 $108 UCSF ↓

Patient experience.

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

Measure Kaiser UCSF
HCAHPS overall star rating 4/5 4/5
Would definitely recommend 81% 83%
Hospital rating 9 or 10 of 10 81% 77%
Nurses always communicated well 80% 81%
Doctors always communicated well 83% 81%
Given clear info about recovery 89% 87%
Room and bathroom always clean 78% 71%
Staff always explained meds 61% 60%
Quiet at night, always 58% 54%

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.