Best Hospitals in California 2026
California has 378 hospitals with an average procedure payment of $21K. The top-rated hospital is Uc San Diego Health Hillcrest - Hillcrest Med Ctr in San Diego with a 5-star CMS rating.
378 California hospitals appear in the CMS Inpatient Payment dataset. Ranked by average payment per documented procedure: Tahoe Forest Hospital is the lowest at $12,617; French Hospital Medical Center the highest at $35,035. The gap between the extremes is large enough to matter for any patient with elective scheduling.
These rankings are pure-cost rankings. The quality dimension lives in the CMS Hospital Compare star rating shown alongside each entry; the combined-value grade on the right of the table aggregates both. For patients comparing hospital costs, the ranking is a useful first cut, but the procedure-specific page is the better tool: cost spreads vary by DRG code, and the all-procedure average can hide important per-procedure differences.
Across California's 378 Medicare-participating hospitals, the average payment per procedure is $21K, above the national average of $16K. 25% ofCalifornia's hospitals carry a CMS quality rating of 4 stars or higher, and 12% earn an A or B on our Value Score, which weighs price (40%), quality (40%), and patient outcomes (20%).
Procedure prices in California range from Tahoe Forest Hospital at $13K per procedure to French Hospital Medical Center at $35K — a difference of $22K on the same kinds of inpatient stays. Where you go for the same procedure can swing the bill by more than the procedure itself.
All numbers come from the latest CMS Hospital Compare release, which uses Medicare claims data and only reflects payments for Medicare inpatient stays — not what private insurers or self-pay patients actually pay. Star ratings combine seven groups of measures including mortality, patient safety, readmissions, and patient experience. Lower-priced hospitals can still earn an A on the Value Score if their quality stays competitive.
Top 3 Hospitals in California
Uc San Diego Health Hillcrest - Hillcrest Med Ctr
San Diego, CA
California's top-rated hospital with a 5-star CMS quality rating and an average payment of $22K per procedure. Outcome score: 100/100.
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Los Angeles, CA
Second-best in California. 5-star CMS rating with an outcome score of 100/100. Average procedure payment: $21K.
Ucsf Medical Center
San Francisco, CA
Third on quality + outcomes. 5-star CMS rating; Value Score 82/100. Lists 17 priced procedures.
Top 20 of 378 Hospitals in California
Hospital quality and cost data for California is sourced from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Compare dataset.
Frequently Asked Questions
Based on CMS quality ratings and patient outcomes, Uc San Diego Health Hillcrest - Hillcrest Med Ctr in San Diego is the top-rated hospital in California with a 5-star CMS rating and an average procedure payment of $22K. Its Value Score is 76/100 (Grade B).
California has 378 Medicare-participating hospitals. The average procedure payment across the state is $21K, and 12% of hospitals earn an A or B Value Score.
California's average procedure payment of $21K is above the national average of $16K. Within the state, prices range from $13K at Tahoe Forest Hospital to $35K at French Hospital Medical Center — a gap of $22K per procedure.
Of 378 hospitals analyzed in California, 96 (25%) earn a CMS quality rating of 4 stars or better. CMS star ratings combine measures of mortality, safety, readmission, patient experience, timeliness, and effectiveness of care.
Hospitals are ranked first by CMS star quality rating (1-5 stars), then by outcome score, which reflects mortality rates, patient safety, and readmissions. The Value Score combines price percentile (40%, lower price = higher score), quality rating (40%), and outcome score (20%).
Hospitals ranked by CMS star quality rating and outcome score. Value Score: price percentile (40% inverted), quality rating (40%), outcome score (20%).