Compare 2 cardiothoracic surgeons in Santa Barbara, CA. Check ratings, insurance, and availability.
2
Cardiothoracic Surgeons
100%
Accepting patients
100%
Most common: MD
Ranked by Clarity Score, based on profile detail, verification, and patient activity.
Santa Barbara's healthcare ecosystem is smaller than you'd expect for a city of its wealth. Cottage Health is essentially the only hospital system, which creates both consistency and bottleneck. For routine and even moderately complex care, Cottage is solid. For highly specialized procedures, patients often head south to UCLA or Cedars-Sinai.
Santa Barbara has 2 cardiothoracic surgeons. The most common credential is MD (100%). 100% are currently accepting new patients.
Everything medical in Santa Barbara funnels through a narrow coastal strip. Cottage Hospital on Pueblo Street is the center of gravity, with most specialists within a few blocks. Goleta Valley Cottage handles the western end of the county. Highway 101 is the only real artery, and traffic between Carpinteria and Goleta can add 30 minutes during commute hours.
Providers practice throughout Santa Barbara. Downtown Santa Barbara is cottage Hospital and most specialist offices are concentrated along Pueblo and Bath Streets in the downtown core. Montecito is an affluent community with concierge practices and quick access to Cottage Hospital. Many residents also travel to LA for specialty care. Goleta is goleta Valley Cottage Hospital and UCSF-affiliated clinics serve this growing community west of Santa Barbara. Isla Vista is uCSB's Student Health center is the primary resource for this college community. Off-campus residents rely on Goleta Valley Cottage.
Nearby hospitals include Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, Goleta Valley Cottage Hospital, and Santa Barbara County Psychiatric Health Facility. Local training programs run through University of California, Santa Barbara and Westmont College. Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital is the region's only Level I trauma center between Los Angeles and San Luis Obispo.
The consultation includes a review of your cardiac or thoracic imaging, lab work, and previous testing (echocardiograms, cardiac catheterization, CT scans). The surgeon will explain the recommended procedure, expected outcomes, risks, and recovery timeline. For heart surgery, pre-operative testing may include dental clearance, blood typing, and a meeting with the anesthesia team. Recovery from open-heart surgery typically involves several days in the ICU and a total hospital stay of five to seven days.
Cottage Health dominates primary care referrals in Santa Barbara. If your PCP is in the Cottage network, specialist referrals stay local. For conditions that require subspecialty expertise not available here, your doctor will typically coordinate with UCLA or Cedars-Sinai.
See a cardiothoracic surgeon for coronary artery disease requiring bypass surgery, heart valve disease (aortic stenosis, mitral regurgitation), aortic aneurysms involving the thoracic aorta, lung cancer, esophageal cancer, mediastinal tumors, and pleural conditions. Your cardiologist, pulmonologist, or oncologist will typically make the referral when surgery is being considered.
Consultation copay: $30-75 · Bypass surgery (CABG): $70,000-200,000 · Valve replacement: $50,000-170,000 · VATS lobectomy: $30,000-80,000
Santa Barbara, CA has 2 licensed cardiothoracic surgeons. 100% are currently accepting new patients, so finding an available provider should be straightforward.
Yes. 100% of cardiothoracic surgeons in Santa Barbara, CA are currently accepting new patients. You can filter your search on FindClarity to show only providers who are taking new patients.
A consultation copay is $50 to $100. Coronary artery bypass costs $70,000 to $200,000. Heart valve replacement costs $80,000 to $170,000. Lung lobectomy costs $30,000 to $80,000. Actual costs in Santa Barbara, CA depend on the provider and your insurance plan. Cardiothoracic surgery involves the highest costs in surgery. Hospital stays average five to ten days. Bills include the surgeon, assistant surgeon, anesthesia, perfusionist (heart-lung machine operator), ICU charges, and implants. Confirm all providers are in-network before the procedure.
In Santa Barbara, Cottage Health is the dominant system. Most specialists and primary care doctors are affiliated with Cottage. Sansum Clinic, a large multispecialty group, merged with Cottage Health in 2019 and now operates under the Cottage Health umbrella. If your condition requires care beyond what's available locally, UCLA and Cedars-Sinai are the most common referral destinations.
50% of cardiothoracic surgeons in Santa Barbara, CA accept Medicare. Medicare covers medically necessary cardiothoracic procedures including coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), valve replacement, and lung cancer surgery. Cardiac rehabilitation after surgery is also covered. You can filter for Medicare-accepting providers on FindClarity.
Some cardiothoracic surgeons in Santa Barbara, CA accept Medi-Cal, the state's Medicaid program. Medicaid covers medically necessary cardiothoracic surgery. Prior authorization is required. Coverage includes surgeon, facility, anesthesia, ICU, and post-operative rehabilitation. Contact the provider's office directly to confirm Medi-Cal participation before scheduling.
Care involves a pre-operative consultation with cardiac or pulmonary workup, the surgery (often requiring ICU recovery), a hospital discharge follow-up at one to two weeks, and then visits at six weeks, three months, and six months. Cardiac surgery patients typically have long-term follow-up with their cardiologist. With 2 cardiothoracic surgeons in Santa Barbara, CA, you can search on FindClarity to find a provider who fits your schedule.
For most conditions, no. Cottage Health and its affiliated Sansum Clinic cover a wide range of specialties. But for rare cancers, complex neurosurgery, organ transplants, and some pediatric subspecialties, your doctor will likely refer you to UCLA, Cedars-Sinai, or another LA academic center. It's about a 90-minute drive, or some patients use the Santa Barbara Airbus shuttle.
Cardiothoracic surgery is covered under medical insurance for medically indicated conditions. These are complex, expensive procedures that always require prior authorization. Cardiac rehabilitation after surgery is covered by Medicare and most insurance plans (typically 36 sessions). Verify that all members of the surgical team and the hospital are in-network. Hospital stays for heart surgery commonly exceed $100,000 before insurance.