Open Heart Surgery Cost in California (2026)
High-cost market · RPP 113.3 · CA
What Drives Pricing Here
Three factors explain most of why open heart surgery costs what it does in California.
Regional Price Parity
California's cost-of-living index sits at 113.3 — above the national benchmark (100). This directly scales facility and staffing overhead, which flow through to every procedure price.
Specialist Availability
42 facilities perform this procedure in California — competition keeps pricing honest and gives you real leverage to shop quotes.
Vs. National Benchmark
At +13.3% above the national average ($150,000), California sits in premium territory. Likely drivers: high demand, metro concentration, or tier-one facility networks.
Open Heart Surgery in California: What to Know
California offers top-tier open-heart surgery, though costs exceed the national average. Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles is nationally ranked for cardiac surgery, while John Muir Health's Concord Medical Center boasts California's highest 30-day survival rate for CABG. Kaiser Permanente Northern California's Sacramento, San Francisco, and Santa Clara facilities all achieve the highest three-star rating from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons for isolated CABG procedures. Patients considering flying after surgery should wait 2-3 weeks, or longer, with surgeon clearance.
For potentially lower costs, consider exploring options in neighboring states like Arizona or Nevada, as California's pricing is notably higher. Ambulatory Surgery Centers are not equipped for open-heart surgery, making hospital-based care the only option. Verify current pricing directly with providers.
Estimated Cost Breakdown in California
Open Heart Surgery costs run 13.3% above the national average in California, driven largely by higher facility and provider rates. Here's the full breakdown.
Hospital Stay
Per-night inpatient cost
Most significant cost
Surgeon Fee
Expertise and experience level
Implants & Supplies
Operating Room
OR and equipment time
Anesthesia
Anesthesiologist or CRNA fee
Post-Op Care
Recovery and aftercare
Total Estimated Cost
California all-in range
Financing Options
Many California clinics partner with CareCredit or Alphaeon. A typical 24-month, 0% APR term on $169,950 looks like:
- Soft credit check — no hard pull
- Instant approval decisions
- HSA/FSA eligible for qualifying cases
Prices reflect regional cost-of-living adjustments. How we calculate these numbers →
Ranges adjusted for California's regional price parity (113.3). See the national percentage breakdown →
Facility Costs in California
Below are the top facilities performing open heart surgery in California, ranked by volume. Rates shown are negotiated amounts from CMS Medicare data.
| Facility | City | Negotiated Rate | Medicare | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cedars-Sinai Medical Center | Los Angeles | $95,346 | $90,607 | 146 |
| Stanford Health Care | Stanford | $185,360 | $161,043 | 118 |
| Keck Hospital Of Usc | Los Angeles | $147,192 | $127,166 | 83 |
| Ucsf Medical Center | San Francisco | $134,044 | $124,329 | 56 |
| Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento | Sacramento | $91,337 | $84,386 | 49 |
| Mercy General Hospital | Sacramento | $106,610 | $93,500 | 48 |
| Ronald Reagan Ucla Medical Center | Los Angeles | $128,992 | $115,032 | 47 |
| Uc San Diego Health Hillcrest - Hillcrest Med Ctr | San Diego | $116,788 | $101,655 | 45 |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla | La Jolla | $70,978 | $64,463 | 41 |
| John Muir Medical Center - Concord Campus | Concord | $101,325 | $86,239 | 41 |
Open Heart Surgery Cost in Nearby States
Open Heart Surgery in California costs more than all neighboring states. If travel is feasible, the savings could be substantial.
Expert Answers for California Patients
Local regulations, insurance nuance, and surgical standards specific to California.
Compare California with any other state
See national pricing, all 50 state comparisons, and detailed cost factors in the main open heart surgery cost guide.
View full open heart surgery guideWhat should I expect to pay for open heart surgery in California?
What makes open heart surgery cost more in California?
Does insurance cover open heart surgery?
How long is recovery after open heart surgery?
How can I finance open heart surgery in California?
What should I look for in a California open heart surgery provider?
Should I consider open heart surgery outside California?
How we calculate open heart surgery costs in California
Cost estimates combine procedure-specific pricing data with regional cost-of-living and provider-supply adjustments. Primary sources:
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Hospital pricing transparency files — CMS-required machine-readable data published by hospitals under the CMS Hospital Price Transparency rule (effective January 2021). Provides actual negotiated rates between hospitals and insurers.
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HCUP (Healthcare Cost & Utilization Project) — AHRQ's HCUP databases provide nationally-representative procedure cost data by state, payer, and patient demographics.
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Bureau of Labor Statistics — Healthcare Practitioner Occupational Wages — BLS OEWS data on surgeon, anesthesiologist, and surgical staff wages by state, used to model regional labor-cost differences in procedure pricing.
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BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP) — U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis state-level price-level indices, used to adjust national procedure averages for California's cost-of-living relative to the national mean.
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FAIR Health Consumer Cost Lookup — the FAIR Health database aggregates billed and allowed amounts from over 36 billion claim records, providing a check on procedure-cost ranges by ZIP code.
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Medicare Provider Utilization & Payment Data — CMS public-use files on Medicare-allowed amounts and submitted charges by HCPCS/CPT code and state, used as a baseline for procedure-cost ranges.
Estimates are illustrative and reflect typical pricing ranges; actual costs depend on insurance coverage, surgical complexity, anesthesia type, hospital vs. ambulatory setting, and individual patient factors. Always confirm pricing directly with providers and your insurance carrier. See our methodology page for full calculation details.