Electrolyte panel cost in New Orleans, LA — inpatient
In New Orleans-Metairie, LA, 6 hospitals list a cash price for electrolyte panel (sodium, potassium, chloride, CO2) as an inpatient: from $9.90 to $46.90, with a median of $13.86. The lowest listed price is at Ochsner Clinic Foundation — $3.96 less than the median here. Across Louisiana, the median is $36.50 at 50 hospitals.
Cash prices at 6 facilities across 5 cities for code 80051, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 27, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between — and —.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in New Orleans-Metairie, LA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ochsner Clinic Foundation lowest New Orleans, LA · (504) 842-3000 HC ELECTROLYTE PANEL | $9.90 | $45.00 | — | 78% | — source file |
| St Bernard Parish Hospital Chalmette, LA · (504) 826-9500 HC ELECTROLYTE PANEL | $12.48 | $39.00 | — | 68% | — source file |
| The Ochsner West Campus Extended Care Hospital Jefferson, LA HC ELECTROLYTE PANEL | $13.32 | $36.00 | — | 63% | — source file |
| St Charles Parish Hospital Luling, LA · (985) 785-3644 POC ELECTROLYTES | $14.40 | $24.00 | $13.51–$24.00 | 40% | — source file |
| St Charles Parish Hospital Luling, LA · (985) 785-3644 ELECTROLYTES | $15.00 | $25.00 | $14.08–$25.00 | 40% | — source file |
| Ochsner Medical Center – Kenner Kenner, LA · (504) 464-8065 *HC POC ELECTROLYTE PANEL | $26.32 | $94.00 | — | 72% | — source file |
| St Charles Surgical Hospital New Orleans, LA · (504) 529-6600 LCMC ELECTROLYTES PANEL SERUM | $46.90 | $133.00 | $6.87–$60.91 | 65% | — source file |
| Ochsner Medical Center – Kenner Kenner, LA · (504) 464-8065 HC ELECTROLYTE PANEL | $52.92 | $189.00 | — | 72% | — source file |
| St Charles Parish Hospital Luling, LA · (985) 785-3644 RT ELECTROLYTE PANEL | $161.40 | $269.00 | $151.45–$269.00 | 40% | — source file |
Inpatient: lowest $9.90, median $13.86, highest $46.90 — a 4.7× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 11 facilities here, median $16.10 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 2 of 2 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
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.