Itemized  ·  Compare  ·  USC Norris Cancer Hospital vs MLK Community Hospital

USC Norris Cancer Hospital vs MLK Community Hospital.

Side-by-side prices for 23 procedures both hospitals publish, plus CMS quality ratings and metro context. Pulled from each hospital's federally-mandated price transparency file. MLK Community Hospital is cheaper on more procedures (14 vs 4).

USC Norris Cancer Hospital
Los Angeles, CA
Keck Medicine of USC
Cheaper on 4 of 23 procedures
vs.
MLK Community Hospital
Los Angeles, CA
MLK Community Healthcare
3/5 CMS
Cheaper on 14 of 23 procedures

Head-to-head, by procedure.

Procedure USC MLK Cheaper
Brain MRI without contrast $4,549 $3,461 MLK ↓
Brain MRI with and without contrast $6,865 $4,846 MLK ↓
Lumbar spine MRI without contrast $4,156 $1,340 MLK ↓
Knee/lower-extremity MRI without contrast $2,942 $4,108 USC ↓
CT abdomen and pelvis with contrast $8,938 $2,472 MLK ↓
Abdominal ultrasound, complete $1,774 $1,323 MLK ↓
Mammogram, screening $951 — tie
DXA bone density scan $813 — tie
Chest X-ray, single view $801 $380 MLK ↓
Comprehensive metabolic panel $25 $254 USC ↓
Lipid panel $107 $74 MLK ↓
CBC with differential $19 $128 USC ↓
TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) $10 $25 USC ↓
Hemoglobin A1c $84 $58 MLK ↓
Urinalysis $44 — tie
Echocardiogram, complete with Doppler $5,389 $1,663 MLK ↓
Lumbar epidural steroid injection $6,928 — tie
Thyroid ultrasound $1,330 $117 MLK ↓
New patient office visit, level 3 $438 $129 MLK ↓
New patient office visit, level 4 $595 $129 MLK ↓
Ureteroscopy with lithotripsy (kidney stone) $18,988 — tie
Prostate biopsy $7,706 $1,758 MLK ↓
Carotid duplex ultrasound $1,326 $255 MLK ↓

Patient experience.

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

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