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PricedCare

Psychotherapy, 30 minutes in San Francisco, CA costs $71 to $443. Here's every hospital's price.

4 hospitals in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, 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 Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area, 4 hospitals list a cash price for psychotherapy, 30 minutes (CPT 90832). The lowest is $71 at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland, the median is $443 and the highest is $443 at Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Antioch. The most expensive hospital lists 6.2 times the cheapest for the same code.

The San Francisco, CA median of $443 is 144% above the national median of $181 across 340 US hospitals with a cash price for this code.

2 of these hospitals also publish the rates they negotiated with insurers, from $251 to $375. 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 April 2026. 33 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.

$71
lowest cash price in San Francisco, CA
UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland · 4 mi
$372 below the median
$443
median cash price
4 hospitals
6.2×
highest ÷ lowest
same procedure, same metro
4/38
hospitals with a cash price
33 don't · see who

Sorted by cash price

Hospital facility fee only
1
UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland

Oakland · 4 mi · File Apr 2026

$71
list $238
2
Kaiser Foundation Hospital - South San Francisco

South San Francisco · 12 mi · File Apr 2026

$443
list $791 · lowest of 2 lines
3
Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Fremont

Fremont · 22 mi · File Apr 2026

$443
list $791 · lowest of 2 lines
4
Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Antioch

Antioch · 30 mi · File Apr 2026

$443
list $791 · lowest of 6 lines
5
Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley

Pleasanton · 22 mi · File Apr 2026

—
1

What's in the price

The hospital facility fee for CPT 90832. 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 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 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