Psychotherapy, 30 minutes in San Diego, CA costs $227 to $270. Here's every hospital's price.
4 hospitals in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area publish a cash price for psychotherapy, 30 minutes (CPT 90832). 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 psychotherapy, 30 minutes (CPT 90832). The lowest is $227 at Paradise Valley Hospital, the median is $270 and the highest is $270 at Sharp Coronado Hospital and Hlthcr Ctr.
The San Diego, CA median of $270 is 49% above the national median of $181 across 340 US hospitals with a cash price for this code.
4 of these hospitals also publish the rates they negotiated with insurers, from $1 to $6,868. 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. 12 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 onlyNational City · 29 mi · File Sep 2026
La Mesa · 22 mi · File Apr 2026
Chula Vista · 31 mi · File Apr 2026
Coronado · 32 mi · File Apr 2026
What's in the price
The hospital facility fee for CPT 90832. 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 90832, in writing, and whether it covers facility, physician and anesthesia."
About psychotherapy, 30 minutes
CPT 90832 is a 30-minute individual psychotherapy session (16 to 37 minutes under the billing rules) with a psychiatrist, psychologist, licensed therapist or social worker. It is the shortest standard therapy session, often used for brief follow-ups or combined with medication management.
What the price covers
The session itself. When a hospital lists this code, it is the price at a hospital-owned behavioral health clinic, which may include a facility fee. Medication management by a psychiatrist in the same visit is a separate code.
Session lengths
- 90832: 30 minutes (this page)
- 90834: 45 minutes
- 90837: 60 minutes
Most weekly therapy is billed as 90834 or 90837.
Why prices vary
Hospital-based therapy is usually more expensive than private practice because of facility fees. Many therapists in private practice offer sliding-scale cash rates that undercut hospital prices substantially; community mental health centers charge by income.
Questions to ask
- What is the self-pay price for 90832, and is there a facility fee?
- Is a sliding scale available?
- Will medication management be billed separately?
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
- Tri-City Medical Centercode not in file
- UC San Diego Health Hillcrest - Hillcrest Med CtrNo price file found