Itemized  ·  Compare  ·  USC Arcadia Hospital vs Kaiser Permanente LA Medical Center

USC Arcadia Hospital vs Kaiser Permanente LA Medical Center.

Side-by-side prices for 27 procedures both hospitals publish, plus CMS quality ratings and metro context. Pulled from each hospital's federally-mandated price transparency file. USC Arcadia Hospital is cheaper on more procedures (18 vs 7).

USC Arcadia Hospital
Arcadia, CA
Keck Medicine of USC
3/5 CMS
Cheaper on 18 of 27 procedures
vs.
Kaiser Permanente LA Medical Center
Los Angeles, CA
Kaiser Permanente
4/5 CMS
Cheaper on 7 of 27 procedures

Head-to-head, by procedure.

Procedure USC Kaiser Cheaper
Brain MRI without contrast $2,060 $2,600 USC ↓
Brain MRI with and without contrast $2,944 $3,068 USC ↓
Lumbar spine MRI without contrast $1,987 $2,496 USC ↓
Knee/lower-extremity MRI without contrast $1,693 $2,392 USC ↓
CT abdomen and pelvis with contrast $2,333 $4,004 USC ↓
Abdominal ultrasound, complete $586 $1,191 USC ↓
Chest X-ray, single view $211 $364 USC ↓
Comprehensive metabolic panel $231 $269 USC ↓
Lipid panel $151 $101 Kaiser ↓
CBC with differential $95 $111 USC ↓
TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) $152 $109 Kaiser ↓
Hemoglobin A1c $88 $64 Kaiser ↓
Urinalysis $24 $50 USC ↓
Knee arthroscopy with meniscectomy $8,513 $5,148 Kaiser ↓
Total knee replacement $19,449 — tie
Total hip replacement $23,248 — tie
Laparoscopic cholecystectomy $9,407 $13,208 USC ↓
Inguinal hernia repair, open $7,474 $7,389 Kaiser ↓
Colonoscopy, diagnostic $1,788 $2,080 USC ↓
Colonoscopy with polyp removal $1,831 $2,288 USC ↓
Upper endoscopy (EGD) with biopsy $1,845 $1,768 Kaiser ↓
Echocardiogram, complete with Doppler $1,499 $2,688 USC ↓
Lumbar epidural steroid injection $1,311 $1,940 USC ↓
Septoplasty (deviated septum repair) $3,558 $4,924 USC ↓
Thyroid ultrasound $506 $827 USC ↓
Ureteroscopy with lithotripsy (kidney stone) $9,049 $7,062 Kaiser ↓
Carotid duplex ultrasound $937 $973 USC ↓

Patient experience.

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

Measure USC Kaiser
HCAHPS overall star rating 2/5 3/5
Would definitely recommend 62% 75%
Hospital rating 9 or 10 of 10 61% 74%
Nurses always communicated well 69% 78%
Doctors always communicated well 72% 80%
Given clear info about recovery 83% 87%
Room and bathroom always clean 67% 72%
Staff always explained meds 51% 60%
Quiet at night, always 45% 55%

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.