Blood draw fee cost in San Diego, CA
In San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA, 7 hospitals list a cash price for blood draw from a vein (venipuncture), collection fee only: from $9.00 to $26.52, with a median of $17.39. The lowest listed price is at Paradise Valley Hospital — $8.39 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $26.52 at 97 hospitals.
Cash prices at 7 facilities across 4 cities for code 36415, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 1, 2026 and Sep 1, 2026.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paradise Valley Hospital lowest National City, CA · (619) 470-4321 ED VENEPUNCTURE | $9.00 | $43.00 | $3.60–$51.98 | 79% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Paradise Valley Hospital lowest National City, CA · (619) 470-4321 VENIPUNCTURE ROUTINE - 36415 - 6010011 | $9.00 | $40.00 | $3.60–$51.98 | 78% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Paradise Valley Hospital lowest National City, CA · (619) 470-4321 VENIPUNCTURE ROUTINE - 36415 - 1397017 | $9.00 | $51.98 | $3.60–$51.98 | 83% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Paradise Valley Hospital lowest National City, CA · (619) 470-4321 ED VENIPUNCTURE ROUTINE | $9.00 | $40.00 | $3.60–$51.98 | 78% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Scripps Nicu-Venipuncture | $14.25 | $19.00 | — | 25% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| UC San Diego Medical Center San Diego, CA · (619) 543-6222 Insertion Of Needle Into Vein For Collection Of Blood Sample | $16.50 | $30.00 | $3.00–$40.50 | 45% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Tri-City Medical Center Oceanside, CA · (760) 724-8411 36415 Veni | $17.39 | $28.98 | $2.70–$22.87 | 40% | May 29, 2026 source file |
| Tri-City Medical Center Oceanside, CA · (760) 724-8411 COLLECTION: Venous Draw | $17.39 | $28.98 | $2.70–$22.87 | 40% | May 29, 2026 source file |
| Tri-City Medical Center Oceanside, CA · (760) 724-8411 36415 VENIPUNCTURE, ROUTINE CHARGE | $17.39 | $28.98 | $2.70–$22.87 | 40% | May 29, 2026 source file |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Rch Lab-Venipuncture Charge Pt | $18.75 | $25.00 | — | 25% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Zion San Diego, CA · (619) 528-5000 COLLECTION VENOUS BLOOD VENIPUNCTURE | $26.52 | $51.00 | — | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Clairemont Mesa San Diego, CA COLLECTION VENOUS BLOOD VENIPUNCTURE | $26.52 | $51.00 | — | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Marcos San Marcos, CA · (760) 528-6295 COLLECTION VENOUS BLOOD VENIPUNCTURE | $26.52 | $51.00 | — | 48% | — source file |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Rsp Spec Coll Venous Venipunct 300 | $40.50 | $54.00 | — | 25% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Rsp Spec Coll Venous Venipunct 300 | $40.50 | $54.00 | — | 25% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Rsp Venipuncture | $40.50 | $54.00 | — | 25% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| UC San Diego Medical Center San Diego, CA · (619) 543-6222 Insertion Of Needle Into Vein For Collection Of Blood Sample | $493.35 | $897.00 | $9.34–$49.97 | 45% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $9.00, median $17.39, highest $26.52 — a 2.9× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 6 facilities here, median $21.96. Inpatient and outpatient prices are not comparable and are kept on separate pages: the inpatient charge covers admission, not the same purchase.
Cash or insurance?
At 3 of 3 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at none is it below every plan's rate. If you have insurance but have not met your deductible, you usually pay your plan's negotiated rate, which falls somewhere in the "Insurers pay" column. Paying cash can cost less, but a cash payment usually does not count toward your deductible. Ask the hospital for both numbers before you book.
What it is
This code is the fee for drawing blood from a vein with a needle. It covers the collection only, not any lab test run on the blood.
What the price covers
The price covers the draw itself. Each lab test run on the sample is billed under its own code.