CostGrade
C

52/100

#1,191 nationally

Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego

4647 Zion Ave, San Diego, CA 92120 · (619) 528-5000

Charges well above the national norm

For every $1 of care Medicare actually paid for here, Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego billed $3.36 in list charges. That gap does not change a Medicare patient's bill — but it is where an uninsured or out-of-network bill starts.

Charge-to-payment
3.4x
volume-weighted across all its priced work
Procedures priced
21
inpatient and outpatient combined
Rank in CA
#22
lower markup ranks higher
CMS quality stars
4/5
shown for context, not in the grade

How this grade was reached

Each component is scored against every other U.S. hospital in the same federal files, so the grade is a position in the country, not a pass mark we invented.

Inpatient charge markup 25.4/35

Better than 73% of U.S. hospitals.

Outpatient charge markup 11.0/25

Better than 44% of U.S. hospitals.

Price level vs national median 10.9/30

Better than 37% of U.S. hospitals.

Price consistency 4.5/10

Better than 45% of U.S. hospitals.

What this hospital treats most

The ten procedures it billed Medicare for most often, with its charge beside the national middle.

Procedure Patients Charged Actually paid vs national
Comprehensive Observation Services

APC 8011 · Hospital outpatient visit

168 $31,616 $3,249 +63%
Sepsis (severe)

MS-DRG 871 · Inpatient stay

126 $83,181 $28,452 +27%
Heart Failure (severe)

MS-DRG 291 · Inpatient stay

56 $61,735 $16,478 +42%
Sepsis (without major complications)

MS-DRG 872 · Inpatient stay

55 $40,853 $15,274 +4%
Level 1 Intraocular Procedures

APC 5491 · Hospital outpatient visit

46 $9,342 $2,719 -21%
Level 2 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage

APC 5072 · Hospital outpatient visit

28 $10,719 $1,844 +6%
Level 5 Musculoskeletal Procedures

APC 5115 · Hospital outpatient visit

22 $53,186 $15,190 -15%
Respiratory Failure

MS-DRG 189 · Inpatient stay

21 $60,010 $21,206 +24%
Kidney or Urinary Disorder (severe)

MS-DRG 698 · Inpatient stay

21 $61,744 $20,529 +9%
Respiratory Infection (severe)

MS-DRG 177 · Inpatient stay

16 $54,827 $17,055 about average

Where its charges run furthest above the national middle

Only procedures it performed at least eleven times, so a single unusual case cannot produce the headline.

Procedure Charged Actually paid vs national
Comprehensive Observation Services

APC 8011 · Hospital outpatient visit

$31,616 $3,249 +63%
Infection Needing Surgery (severe)

MS-DRG 853 · Inpatient stay

$278,506 $72,721 +57%
Level 3 Vascular Procedures

APC 5183 · Hospital outpatient visit

$29,486 $3,843 +54%
Heart Failure (severe)

MS-DRG 291 · Inpatient stay

$61,735 $16,478 +42%
COPD (severe)

MS-DRG 190 · Inpatient stay

$56,296 $13,079 +35%
Diabetes (with complications)

MS-DRG 638 · Inpatient stay

$46,020 $10,632 +33%
Sepsis (severe)

MS-DRG 871 · Inpatient stay

$83,181 $28,452 +27%
Respiratory Failure

MS-DRG 189 · Inpatient stay

$60,010 $21,206 +24%

Where it charges least relative to everyone else

Procedure Charged Actually paid vs national
Major Small and Large Bowel Procedures with Complications

MS-DRG 330 · Inpatient stay

$73,130 $56,927 -27%
Hip Replacement with Principal Diagnosis of Hip Fracture without Major Complications

MS-DRG 522 · Inpatient stay

$64,285 $43,218 -25%
Level 1 Intraocular Procedures

APC 5491 · Hospital outpatient visit

$9,342 $2,719 -21%
Level 2 Endovascular Procedures

APC 5192 · Hospital outpatient visit

$28,473 $6,891 -18%
Level 5 Musculoskeletal Procedures

APC 5115 · Hospital outpatient visit

$53,186 $15,190 -15%
Respiratory Infection (severe)

MS-DRG 177 · Inpatient stay

$54,827 $17,055 about average
Heart Attack (severe)

MS-DRG 280 · Inpatient stay

$61,649 $17,597 about average
Sepsis (without major complications)

MS-DRG 872 · Inpatient stay

$40,853 $15,274 +4%

What this page cannot tell you

  • It is not your bill. These are averages across Medicare patients. What you pay depends on your insurance, your plan's negotiated rate and your own case.
  • It is not a quality rating. A hospital with a high markup may be excellent, and one with a low markup may not be. We checked: across every U.S. hospital, markup and the CMS quality star rating barely move together.
  • A charge is not a cost. Hospitals do not collect their list charges from insured patients. The number matters because it is the opening figure on an uninsured or out-of-network bill.
  • Ask for the real number. Every U.S. hospital must publish a machine-readable price file and give you a written good-faith estimate on request.