Itemized  ·  Compare  ·  UC San Diego Health vs Rady Children's Hospital San Diego

UC San Diego Health vs Rady Children's Hospital San Diego.

Side-by-side prices for 38 procedures both hospitals publish, plus CMS quality ratings and metro context. Pulled from each hospital's federally-mandated price transparency file. Rady Children's Hospital San Diego is cheaper on more procedures (16 vs 9).

UC San Diego Health
San Diego, CA
UCSD Health
5/5 CMS
Cheaper on 9 of 38 procedures
vs.
Rady Children's Hospital San Diego
San Diego, CA
Rady Children's
Cheaper on 16 of 38 procedures

Head-to-head, by procedure.

Procedure UC Rady Cheaper
Brain MRI without contrast $1,774 $3,465 UC ↓
Brain MRI with and without contrast $4,959 $6,107 UC ↓
Lumbar spine MRI without contrast $2,232 $5,064 UC ↓
Knee/lower-extremity MRI without contrast $2,605 $4,478 UC ↓
CT abdomen and pelvis with contrast $2,798 $4,039 UC ↓
Abdominal ultrasound, complete $1,225 $386 Rady ↓
Mammogram, screening $364 — tie
DXA bone density scan $721 $884 UC ↓
Chest X-ray, single view $406 $140 Rady ↓
Comprehensive metabolic panel $174 $15 Rady ↓
Lipid panel $14 $62 UC ↓
CBC with differential $64 $51 Rady ↓
TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) $14 $12 Rady ↓
Hemoglobin A1c $99 $36 Rady ↓
Urinalysis $12 $17 UC ↓
Knee arthroscopy with meniscectomy $17,055 — tie
Total knee replacement $46,531 — tie
Total hip replacement $50,861 — tie
Laparoscopic cholecystectomy $28,559 — tie
Inguinal hernia repair, open $21,732 — tie
Cataract surgery, one eye $37,599 — tie
Colonoscopy, diagnostic $2,141 — tie
Colonoscopy with polyp removal $2,732 — tie
Upper endoscopy (EGD) with biopsy $2,082 $733 Rady ↓
Echocardiogram, complete with Doppler $2,003 $1,598 Rady ↓
Office visit, established patient, level 3 $106 $62 Rady ↓
Office visit, established patient, level 4 $108 $36 Rady ↓
Carpal tunnel release $12,337 — tie
Lumbar epidural steroid injection $2,048 $303 Rady ↓
Septoplasty (deviated septum repair) $45,169 — tie
Total abdominal hysterectomy $51,101 — tie
Thyroid ultrasound $1,120 $302 Rady ↓
New patient office visit, level 3 $116 $94 Rady ↓
New patient office visit, level 4 $125 $65 Rady ↓
Ureteroscopy with lithotripsy (kidney stone) $24,541 — tie
Prostate biopsy $4,412 $2,156 Rady ↓
Carotid duplex ultrasound $650 $1,157 UC ↓
Psychotherapy, 45 minutes $169 $113 Rady ↓

Patient experience.

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

Measure UC Rady
HCAHPS overall star rating 3/5 —
Would definitely recommend 75% —
Hospital rating 9 or 10 of 10 73% —
Nurses always communicated well 78% —
Doctors always communicated well 79% —
Given clear info about recovery 88% —
Room and bathroom always clean 66% —
Staff always explained meds 59% —
Quiet at night, always 50% —

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.