Itemized  ·  Compare  ·  USC Arcadia Hospital vs MLK Community Hospital

USC Arcadia Hospital vs MLK Community Hospital.

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. USC Arcadia Hospital is cheaper on more procedures (12 vs 7).

USC Arcadia Hospital
Arcadia, CA
Keck Medicine of USC
3/5 CMS
Cheaper on 12 of 34 procedures
vs.
MLK Community Hospital
Los Angeles, CA
MLK Community Healthcare
3/5 CMS
Cheaper on 7 of 34 procedures

Head-to-head, by procedure.

Procedure USC MLK Cheaper
Brain MRI without contrast $2,060 $3,461 USC ↓
Brain MRI with and without contrast $2,944 $4,846 USC ↓
Lumbar spine MRI without contrast $1,987 $1,340 MLK ↓
Knee/lower-extremity MRI without contrast $1,693 $4,108 USC ↓
CT abdomen and pelvis with contrast $2,333 $2,472 USC ↓
Abdominal ultrasound, complete $586 $1,323 USC ↓
Chest X-ray, single view $211 $380 USC ↓
Comprehensive metabolic panel $231 $254 USC ↓
Lipid panel $151 $74 MLK ↓
CBC with differential $95 $128 USC ↓
TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) $152 $25 MLK ↓
Hemoglobin A1c $88 $58 MLK ↓
Urinalysis $24 — tie
Knee arthroscopy with meniscectomy $8,513 — tie
Total knee replacement $19,449 — tie
Total hip replacement $23,248 — tie
Laparoscopic cholecystectomy $9,407 — tie
Inguinal hernia repair, open $7,474 — tie
Vaginal delivery, global $2,716 — tie
Cesarean delivery, global $5,853 — tie
Colonoscopy, diagnostic $1,788 — tie
Colonoscopy with polyp removal $1,831 — tie
Upper endoscopy (EGD) with biopsy $1,845 — tie
Echocardiogram, complete with Doppler $1,499 $1,663 USC ↓
Office visit, established patient, level 3 $84 $129 USC ↓
Office visit, established patient, level 4 $110 $129 USC ↓
Lumbar epidural steroid injection $1,311 — tie
Septoplasty (deviated septum repair) $3,558 — tie
Total abdominal hysterectomy $21,703 — tie
Thyroid ultrasound $506 $117 MLK ↓
New patient office visit, level 3 $110 $129 USC ↓
New patient office visit, level 4 $145 $129 MLK ↓
Ureteroscopy with lithotripsy (kidney stone) $9,049 — tie
Carotid duplex ultrasound $937 $255 MLK ↓

Patient experience.

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

Measure USC MLK
HCAHPS overall star rating 2/5 3/5
Would definitely recommend 62% 69%
Hospital rating 9 or 10 of 10 61% 67%
Nurses always communicated well 69% 71%
Doctors always communicated well 72% 77%
Given clear info about recovery 83% 87%
Room and bathroom always clean 67% 72%
Staff always explained meds 51% 55%
Quiet at night, always 45% 47%

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.