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PricedCare

Colonoscopy (diagnostic) in San Francisco, CA costs $2,143 to $5,215. Here's every hospital's price.

5 hospitals in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area publish a cash price for colonoscopy (diagnostic) (CPT 45378). We read their files every month so you don't have to.

Across the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area, 5 hospitals list a cash price for colonoscopy (diagnostic) (CPT 45378). The lowest is $2,143 at Washington Hospital, the median is $3,679 and the highest is $5,215 at Chinese Hospital. The most expensive hospital lists 2.4 times the cheapest for the same code.

The San Francisco, CA median of $3,679 is 145% above the national median of $1,500 across 304 US hospitals with a cash price for this code.

5 of these hospitals also publish the rates they negotiated with insurers, from $295 to $9,387. With insurance you pay a share of the negotiated rate, which is sometimes higher than the cash price; you may ask for the cash price instead.

The files behind these prices are dated between April 2026 and July 2026. 32 other hospitals in the metro area have no readable price for this code: some publish no file, some block automated reading, some leave the code out. They are listed below so you can call them.

$2,143
lowest cash price in San Francisco, CA
Washington Hospital · 22 mi
$1,536 below the median
$3,679
median cash price
5 hospitals
2.4×
highest ÷ lowest
same procedure, same metro
5/38
hospitals with a cash price
32 don't · see who

Sorted by cash price

Hospital facility fee only
1
Washington Hospital

Fremont · 22 mi · File Apr 2026

$2,143
list $2,748 · lowest of 14 lines
2
Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley

Pleasanton · 22 mi · File Apr 2026

$2,664
list $6,660 · lowest of 2 lines
3
Kaiser Foundation Hospital - South San Francisco

South San Francisco · 12 mi · File Apr 2026

$3,679
list $6,570
4
Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Antioch

Antioch · 30 mi · File Apr 2026

$3,679
list $6,570 · lowest of 6 lines
5
Chinese Hospital

San Francisco · 7 mi · File Jul 2026

$5,215
list $5,215
6
UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland

Oakland · 4 mi · File Apr 2026

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1

What's in the price

The hospital facility fee for CPT 45378. The doctor, anesthesia and lab work usually bill separately.

2

Cash vs. insured

Cash is what you pay without insurance. With insurance you pay a share of the negotiated rate, which can be higher than cash. You may ask for the cash price.

3

What to say on the phone

"I'd like the self-pay price for CPT 45378, in writing, and whether it covers facility, physician and anesthesia."

About colonoscopy (diagnostic)

A colonoscopy is an examination of the large intestine with a flexible camera passed through the rectum. The diagnostic version, CPT 45378, is the base procedure: the doctor looks, and if nothing needs to be removed or sampled, this is the code the hospital bills. Most people are sedated and go home the same day.

What the price covers

The hospital's price for 45378 is the facility fee: the endoscopy suite, nursing, the scope and its cleaning, recovery time and disposable supplies. It usually does not include the gastroenterologist's professional fee, the anesthesia provider, or pathology if a sample is taken. Those are billed separately, often by different companies, and can add several hundred dollars to what you see here.

If polyps are found and removed, the code changes to 45385 (polyp removal) or 45380 (biopsy), and the price changes with it. A hospital's cash price for 45378 is the best starting point, not a guarantee of the final bill.

Screening versus diagnostic

A screening colonoscopy for someone with no symptoms is preventive care, which most insurance plans cover without cost-sharing. A diagnostic colonoscopy, done because of symptoms or a positive stool test, is not. The same procedure, the same room, a different code and a different bill. If you are insured, ask before the appointment which one will be billed.

Why prices vary so much

The spread between hospitals is often five to ten times for this code. Academic medical centers and large systems tend to list higher gross charges and higher negotiated rates; community hospitals and hospital-owned outpatient centers tend to be cheaper. Location matters less than ownership and system size. Freestanding ambulatory surgery centers, which are not in these files, are often cheaper still.

Questions to ask before you book

  • Is this the self-pay price for CPT 45378, in writing?
  • Does it include the physician, anesthesia and pathology, or are those separate?
  • If a polyp is removed, what does the price become?
  • Is there a prompt-pay or financial-assistance discount on top of the cash price?

Hospitals in San Francisco, CA without a price for this procedure

Listed so you know who to call. The reason is what we found on their website.

Questions people ask