New patient office visit (about 30 minutes) in San Diego, CA costs $214 to $337. Here's every hospital's price.
4 hospitals in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area publish a cash price for new patient office visit (about 30 minutes) (CPT 99203). We read their files every month so you don't have to.
Across the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area, 4 hospitals list a cash price for new patient office visit (about 30 minutes) (CPT 99203). The lowest is $214 at Tri-City Medical Center, the median is $337 and the highest is $337 at Sharp Coronado Hospital and Hlthcr Ctr.
The San Diego, CA median of $337 is 61% above the national median of $209 across 392 US hospitals with a cash price for this code.
5 of these hospitals also publish the rates they negotiated with insurers, from $1 to $15,436. 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 September 2026. 11 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.
Sorted by cash price
Hospital facility fee onlyOceanside · 32 mi · File May 2026
La Mesa · 22 mi · File Apr 2026
Chula Vista · 31 mi · File Apr 2026
Coronado · 32 mi · File Apr 2026
National City · 29 mi · File Sep 2026
What's in the price
The hospital facility fee for CPT 99203. The doctor, anesthesia and lab work usually bill separately.
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.
What to say on the phone
"I'd like the self-pay price for CPT 99203, in writing, and whether it covers facility, physician and anesthesia."
About new patient office visit (about 30 minutes)
CPT 99203 is an office visit for a patient the practice has not seen in the past three years, of low complexity: a straightforward problem, about 30 minutes of the clinician's time. It is the typical first visit for a minor issue, a medication refill with a new doctor, or a simple referral.
What the price covers
When a hospital lists this code, it is the price for a visit at a hospital-owned clinic or outpatient department. Hospital-owned practices often bill a facility fee in addition to the professional fee, which can make the same visit cost twice what it would at an independent practice. Tests, procedures and imaging ordered during the visit are all separate.
The five new-patient levels
- 99202: about 20 minutes, straightforward
- 99203: about 30 minutes, low complexity (this page)
- 99204: about 45 minutes, moderate complexity
- 99205: about 60 minutes, high complexity
The level is chosen by the clinician after the visit based on complexity or time, so the price you see is the price for that level, not for "a visit".
Why prices vary
Visit prices vary with ownership more than anything else. Independent practices and urgent-care clinics rarely charge facility fees; hospital-owned clinics usually do. Cash prices at hospitals are often well below gross charges.
Questions to ask
- What is the self-pay price for a 99203 visit, and is there a separate facility fee?
- Which visit level will be billed, and what if it is higher?
- Are any tests or procedures included?
Hospitals in San Diego, CA without a price for this procedure
Listed so you know who to call. The reason is what we found on their website.
- Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San DiegoNo price file found
- Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San MarcosNo website on record
- Palomar Health Downtown CampusWebsite blocks automated reading
- Palomar Medical Center PowayWebsite blocks automated reading
- Rady Children's Hospital - San DiegoFile in an unsupported format
- Scripps Green HospitalFile found, not read yet
- Scripps Memorial Hospital - EncinitasFile found, not read yet
- Scripps Memorial Hospital La JollaFile found, not read yet
- Scripps Mercy HospitalFile found, not read yet
- Sharp Memorial HospitalFile found, not read yet
- UC San Diego Health Hillcrest - Hillcrest Med CtrNo price file found