Psychotherapy, 45 minutes in San Diego, CA costs $227 to $353. Here's every hospital's price.
4 hospitals in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area publish a cash price for psychotherapy, 45 minutes (CPT 90834). 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, 45 minutes (CPT 90834). The lowest is $227 at Paradise Valley Hospital, the median is $353 and the highest is $353 at Sharp Coronado Hospital and Hlthcr Ctr.
The San Diego, CA median of $353 is 68% above the national median of $210 across 327 US hospitals with a cash price for this code.
4 of these hospitals also publish the rates they negotiated with insurers, from $1 to $17,868. 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 90834. 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 90834, in writing, and whether it covers facility, physician and anesthesia."
About psychotherapy, 45 minutes
CPT 90834 is a 45-minute individual psychotherapy session (38 to 52 minutes), the standard weekly therapy appointment. It is billed by psychiatrists, psychologists, licensed counselors and clinical social workers alike; the price does not indicate which.
What the price covers
The session only. At a hospital-owned clinic a facility fee may be added. Psychiatric medication management is a separate code when done in the same visit.
Why prices vary
Hospital-owned behavioral health clinics list higher prices than private practices, largely because of facility fees. Private therapists commonly charge $100 to $250 cash per session, often with sliding scales; community mental health centers charge according to income. Telehealth sessions are often priced lower.
Questions to ask
- What is the self-pay price for 90834, and does it include any facility fee?
- Is there a sliding scale or package rate for weekly sessions?
- Is telehealth offered at a lower price?
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 Hospitalcode not in file
- Scripps Memorial Hospital - Encinitascode not in file
- Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jollacode not in file
- Scripps Mercy Hospitalcode not in file
- Sharp Memorial Hospitalcode not in file
- Tri-City Medical Centercode not in file
- UC San Diego Health Hillcrest - Hillcrest Med CtrNo price file found