Itemized  ·  Compare  ·  Rady Children's Hospital San Diego vs Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego

Rady Children's Hospital San Diego vs Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego.

Side-by-side prices for 30 procedures both hospitals publish, plus CMS quality ratings and metro context. Pulled from each hospital's federally-mandated price transparency file. Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego is cheaper on more procedures (14 vs 5).

San Diego, CA
Rady Children's
Cheaper on 5 of 30 procedures
vs.
San Diego, CA
Scripps Health
3/5 CMS
Cheaper on 14 of 30 procedures

Head-to-head, by procedure.

Procedure Rady Scripps Cheaper
Brain MRI without contrast $3,465 $913 Scripps ↓
Brain MRI with and without contrast $6,107 $1,476 Scripps ↓
Lumbar spine MRI without contrast $5,064 $753 Scripps ↓
Knee/lower-extremity MRI without contrast $4,478 $945 Scripps ↓
CT abdomen and pelvis with contrast $4,039 $2,250 Scripps ↓
Abdominal ultrasound, complete $386 $342 Scripps ↓
Mammogram, screening $181 tie
DXA bone density scan $884 $127 Scripps ↓
Chest X-ray, single view $140 $54 Scripps ↓
Comprehensive metabolic panel $15 $98 Rady ↓
CBC with differential $51 $28 Scripps ↓
TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) $12 $34 Rady ↓
Hemoglobin A1c $36 $13 Scripps ↓
Urinalysis $17 tie
Knee arthroscopy with meniscectomy $2,964 tie
Laparoscopic cholecystectomy $12,439 tie
Inguinal hernia repair, open $3,332 tie
Cataract surgery, one eye $1,944 tie
Colonoscopy, diagnostic $749 tie
Colonoscopy with polyp removal $846 tie
Upper endoscopy (EGD) with biopsy $733 $649 Scripps ↓
Echocardiogram, complete with Doppler $1,598 $392 Scripps ↓
Office visit, established patient, level 3 $62 $73 Rady ↓
Carpal tunnel release $1,588 tie
Lumbar epidural steroid injection $303 $569 Rady ↓
Polysomnography (sleep study) $5,423 $578 Scripps ↓
Septoplasty (deviated septum repair) $1,284 tie
Thyroid ultrasound $302 $522 Rady ↓
Ureteroscopy with lithotripsy (kidney stone) $4,441 tie
Carotid duplex ultrasound $1,157 $176 Scripps ↓

Patient experience.

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

Measure Rady Scripps
HCAHPS overall star rating 3/5
Would definitely recommend 67%
Hospital rating 9 or 10 of 10 66%
Nurses always communicated well 76%
Doctors always communicated well 78%
Given clear info about recovery 88%
Room and bathroom always clean 68%
Staff always explained meds 60%
Quiet at night, always 46%

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.

Open comparison →

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.