Lab tests CPT 80051 Inpatient — admitted to hospital

Electrolyte panel cost in Chattanooga, TN — inpatient

In Chattanooga, TN-GA, 4 hospitals list a cash price for electrolyte panel (sodium, potassium, chloride, CO2) as an inpatient: from $132.00 to $229.27, with a median of $160.44. The lowest listed price is at Erlanger Health — $28.44 less than the median here. Across Tennessee, the median is $46.93 at 87 hospitals.

Cash prices at 4 facilities across 3 cities for code 80051, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 27, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Jan 25, 2026 and Feb 28, 2026.

Lowest$132.00Erlanger Health

Median$160.44half of hospitals charge less

Highest$229.27in this market

Difference1.7×highest vs lowest

Where each hospital's price falls

Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Chattanooga, TN-GA.

median

Lowest $132.00Highest $229.27

Hospitals, cheapest first

Hospital	Cash price	List price	Insurers pay	Off list
Erlanger Health lowest Chattanooga, TN · (423) 778-7000 HC Electrolytes+1 more line at this price File of Jan 25, 2026 · source file	$132.00	$250.00	$77.50–$212.50	47%
CHI Memorial Hospital - Hixson Hixson, TN HC LAB ELECTROLYTES PANEL File of Feb 28, 2026 · source file	$160.44	$542.00	—	70%
CHI Memorial Hospital - Georgia Ringgold, GA · (770) 874-5400 HC LAB ELECTROLYTES PANEL File of Feb 28, 2026 · source file	$160.44	$542.00	$439.02	70%
Memorial Health Care System Chattanooga, TN · (423) 495-2525 HC LAB ELECTROLYTES PANEL File of Feb 28, 2026 · source file	$229.27	$542.00	$352.30	58%

Hospital The hospital that published the price, its city and the line exactly as written in its price file.

Cash price The hospital's own price for a patient paying without insurance (“discounted cash” in its price file). Hospitals must publish it under federal law, 45 CFR 180.50. Call to confirm it before booking. More

List price The hospital's full chargemaster price (“gross charge”) before any discount. Almost nobody pays it; the gap to the cash price shows what the self-pay discount is worth. More

Insurers pay The lowest and highest rates this hospital has agreed with insurance plans for the same item, from its price file. If the cash price is below what your plan pays and you have not met your deductible, paying cash can cost you less. More

Off list How much lower the cash price is than the list price.

Inpatient: lowest $132.00, median $160.44, highest $229.27 — a 1.7× difference within the same market.

As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 8 facilities here, median $945.24 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.

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 2 it is 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

An electrolyte panel measures sodium, potassium, chloride and bicarbonate (CO2) in one blood sample. It checks fluid and acid balance in people with vomiting, diarrhea, kidney problems or on diuretics.

What the price covers

The price usually covers running the test. The blood draw (36415) is often billed as a separate line.