Rapid drug screen cost in Boston, MA
In Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH, 5 hospitals list a cash price for rapid drug screen read by eye (cup, dipstick or card), per day: from $12.60 to $19.11, with a median of $12.60. The lowest listed price is at Lowell General Hospital and 2 other hospitals. Across Massachusetts, the median is $39.09 at 11 hospitals.
Cash prices at 5 facilities across 4 cities for code 80305, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 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 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowell General Hospital lowest Lowell, MA · (978) 937-6000 HC Drug Test Prsmv Dir Opt Obs - Rapid Drug Screen | $12.60 | $18.00 | $6.30–$41.34 | 30% | — source file |
| Melrosewakefield Healthcare lowest Melrose, MA · (781) 979-3000 HC Drug Test Prsmv Dir Opt Obs - Rapid Drug Screen | $12.60 | $18.00 | $6.30–$530.75 | 30% | — source file |
| Tufts Medical Center lowest Boston, MA · (617) 636-5000 HC Drug Test Prsmv Dir Opt Obs - Rapid Drug Screen | $12.60 | $18.00 | $4.73–$51.88 | 30% | — source file |
| Boston Medical Center South Brockton, MA · (508) 427-3000 HC Chg Drug Test Prsmv Read Direct Optical Obs HC Date | $16.92 | $37.59 | $12.60–$394.86 | 55% | — source file |
| Boston Medical Center Brighton Boston, MA · (617) 789-3000 HC Chg Drug Test Prsmv Read Direct Optical Obs HC Date | $19.11 | $42.46 | $12.60–$475.07 | 55% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $12.60, median $12.60, highest $19.11 — a 1.5× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 5 facilities here, median $12.60. 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 5 of 5 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 covers a quick drug screen, such as a urine cup, dipstick or card, where the result is read by eye. It gives presumptive results for classes of drugs and is used in clinics, emergency departments and for some employment testing.
What the price covers
The price usually covers the screen for all drug classes on the device, billed once per day. Confirmation testing of a positive result and any formal chain-of-custody collection are billed separately.