Question 1

Why do prices at San Mateo Medical Center vary across procedures?

Accepted Answer

Hospital prices reflect many factors including procedure complexity, whether imaging contrast is used, anesthesia requirements, facility fees, and the physician's time. San Mateo Medical Center publishes these prices as required by federal law under 45 CFR Part 180, and they represent the hospital's cash pay rates. Your actual cost may vary depending on your insurance plan, specific diagnosis, and any additional services required.

Question 2

Does the cash pay price include the radiologist or physician reading fee?

Accepted Answer

This depends on whether San Mateo Medical Center bundles professional fees into the facility charge or bills them separately. We recommend calling the hospital's billing department directly and asking whether the published cash pay price is all-inclusive or whether you should expect a separate bill from the reading physician or specialist.

Question 3

How do I get a personalized estimate from San Mateo Medical Center?

Accepted Answer

Contact San Mateo Medical Center's billing or patient financial services department directly. Have your insurance card (if applicable), the procedure name, and your physician's order ready. Ask for a good faith estimate, which hospitals are required to provide under the No Surprises Act. The prices shown here are a starting point to help you ask the right questions, not a final quote.

Question 4

What does the Transparency Score mean?

Accepted Answer

The Transparency Score reflects how complete San Mateo Medical Center's published pricing data is relative to the federal requirements and to other hospitals in the same metro. A higher score means more procedures covered, more payer rates reported, and better data quality. We source every number from the hospital's own Machine-Readable File and never interpolate missing data.

	Category		Range
PET Scan	imaging	$6	$6 to $12	Low
Thoracentesis	other	$131	$131 to $263	Low
Breast Biopsy	other	$173	$173 to $347	Low
Lumbar Puncture (Spinal Tap)	other	$328	$328 to $656	Low
Central Line Insertion	other	$329	$329 to $657	Low
Echocardiogram	imaging	$477	$477 to $953	Low
ERCP (Gallstone Removal)	other	$523	$523 to $1,045	Low
IUD Insertion	other	$696	$696 to $1,392	Low

San Mateo Medical Center

Fast Facts

Transparency Score

Procedure Pricing

Understanding San Mateo Medical Center's Pricing