Itemized  ·  Compare  ·  UC San Diego Health vs Sharp Memorial Hospital

UC San Diego Health vs Sharp Memorial Hospital.

Side-by-side prices for 35 procedures both hospitals publish, plus CMS quality ratings and metro context. Pulled from each hospital's federally-mandated price transparency file. UC San Diego Health is cheaper on more procedures (19 vs 16).

UC San Diego Health
San Diego, CA
UCSD Health
5/5 CMS
Cheaper on 19 of 35 procedures
vs.
Sharp Memorial Hospital
San Diego, CA
Sharp HealthCare
4/5 CMS
Cheaper on 16 of 35 procedures

Head-to-head, by procedure.

Procedure UC Sharp Cheaper
Brain MRI without contrast $1,774 $3,036 UC ↓
Brain MRI with and without contrast $4,959 $4,562 Sharp ↓
Lumbar spine MRI without contrast $2,232 $3,112 UC ↓
Knee/lower-extremity MRI without contrast $2,605 $3,247 UC ↓
CT abdomen and pelvis with contrast $2,798 $4,994 UC ↓
Abdominal ultrasound, complete $1,225 $1,400 UC ↓
Mammogram, screening $364 $435 UC ↓
DXA bone density scan $721 $647 Sharp ↓
Chest X-ray, single view $406 $457 UC ↓
Comprehensive metabolic panel $174 $339 UC ↓
Lipid panel $14 $11 Sharp ↓
CBC with differential $64 $148 UC ↓
TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) $14 $24 UC ↓
Hemoglobin A1c $99 $65 Sharp ↓
Urinalysis $12 $22 UC ↓
Knee arthroscopy with meniscectomy $17,055 $4,688 Sharp ↓
Total hip replacement $50,861 $9,246 Sharp ↓
Laparoscopic cholecystectomy $28,559 $997 Sharp ↓
Inguinal hernia repair, open $21,732 $506 Sharp ↓
Cataract surgery, one eye $37,599 $6,604 Sharp ↓
Colonoscopy, diagnostic $2,141 $1,415 Sharp ↓
Colonoscopy with polyp removal $2,732 $1,415 Sharp ↓
Upper endoscopy (EGD) with biopsy $2,082 $3,014 UC ↓
Echocardiogram, complete with Doppler $2,003 $4,104 UC ↓
Office visit, established patient, level 3 $106 $296 UC ↓
Office visit, established patient, level 4 $108 $353 UC ↓
Carpal tunnel release $12,337 $1,519 Sharp ↓
Lumbar epidural steroid injection $2,048 $2,794 UC ↓
Total abdominal hysterectomy $51,101 $3,047 Sharp ↓
Thyroid ultrasound $1,120 $1,016 Sharp ↓
New patient office visit, level 3 $116 $337 UC ↓
New patient office visit, level 4 $125 $455 UC ↓
Ureteroscopy with lithotripsy (kidney stone) $24,541 $1,848 Sharp ↓
Prostate biopsy $4,412 $3,221 Sharp ↓
Carotid duplex ultrasound $650 $1,241 UC ↓

Patient experience.

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

Measure UC Sharp
HCAHPS overall star rating 3/5 4/5
Would definitely recommend 75% 80%
Hospital rating 9 or 10 of 10 73% 78%
Nurses always communicated well 78% 81%
Doctors always communicated well 79% 79%
Given clear info about recovery 88% 89%
Room and bathroom always clean 66% 73%
Staff always explained meds 59% 62%
Quiet at night, always 50% 60%

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.