Lab tests CPT 80051 Inpatient — admitted to hospital

Electrolyte panel cost in Cincinnati, OH — inpatient

In Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN, 13 hospitals list a cash price for electrolyte panel (sodium, potassium, chloride, CO2) as an inpatient: from $21.03 to $62.00, with a median of $50.40. The lowest listed price is at St Elizabeth Edgewood — $29.37 less than the median here. Across Ohio, the median is $47.70 at 129 hospitals.

Cash prices at 13 facilities across 9 cities for code 80051, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 29, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 1, 2026 and Jul 1, 2026.

Lowest$21.03St Elizabeth Edgewood
Median$50.40half pay less
Highest$62.00in this market
Difference2.9×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 Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN.

median
Lowest $21.03Highest $62.00

Hospitals, cheapest first

HospitalCash price List priceInsurers payOff listFile date
St Elizabeth Edgewood lowest Edgewood, KY · (859) 301-2000 HB ELECTROLYTE SERIES $21.03 $21.03 — — Apr 1, 2026
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McCullough-Hyde Memorial Hospital Oxford, OH · (513) 523-2111 HC Electrolytes Panel $21.56 $28.74 — 25% Apr 1, 2026
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Mercy Health Clermont Hospital Batavia, OH · (513) 732-8278 HC Electrolyte Panel $34.80 $58.00 — 40% —
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Mercy Health Kings Mills Hospital Mason, OH · (513) 637-9999 HC Electrolyte Panel $34.80 $58.00 — 40% —
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Atrium Medical Center Middletown, OH · (513) 420-5102 HC ELECTROLYTES PANEL $42.00 $42.00 — — Apr 1, 2026
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Children's Hospital Medical Center Cincinnati, OH · (513) 636-3333 Hb Electrolyte Panel $43.86 $86.00 $41.28–$86.00 49% —
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Mercy Health Anderson Hospital Cincinnati, OH · (513) 624-4500 HC Electrolyte Panel $50.40 $84.00 — 40% —
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Mercy Health Fairfield Hospital Fairfield, OH · (513) 870-7000 HC Electrolyte Panel $50.40 $84.00 — 40% —
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The Jewish Hospital-Mercy Health Cincinnati, OH · (513) 686-3000 HC Electrolyte Panel $50.40 $84.00 — 40% —
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Mercy Health West Hospital Cincinnati, OH · (513) 215-5000 HC Electrolyte Panel $50.40 $84.00 — 40% —
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West Chester Hospital West Chester, OH · (513) 298-7701 Hc Electrolyte Profile 2 $58.20 $97.00 — 40% Jul 1, 2026
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University of Cincinnati Medical Center Cincinnati, OH · (513) 584-1000 Hc Electrolyte Profile 2 $58.20 $97.00 — 40% Jul 1, 2026
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Fort Hamilton Hospital Hamilton, OH · (513) 867-2123 Hc Electrolyte Panel $62.00 $155.00 — 60% Apr 1, 2026
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Inpatient: lowest $21.03, median $50.40, highest $62.00 — a 2.9× difference within the same market.

As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 15 facilities here, median $34.80 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.

Cash or insurance?

At the one hospital here that publishes insurer rates for this code, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated. 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.

1 row held back from this comparison

It is priced below $1 or below a tenth of the national median for code 80051 ($80.10). Such a line is almost always a physician's fee billed separately, an assistant's share or a placeholder — a real charge, but not the price of the procedure itself.

The Craig and Frances Lindner Center of Hope Mason, OHHC ELECTROLYTE PROFILE 2 $3.00 file