Rapid drug screen cost in San Diego, CA — inpatient
In San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA, 4 hospitals list a cash price for rapid drug screen read by eye (cup, dipstick or card), per day as an inpatient: from $58.35 to $84.76, with a median of $84.76. The lowest listed price is at UC San Diego Medical Center — $26.41 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $84.76 at 59 hospitals.
Cash prices at 4 facilities across 2 cities for code 80305, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 1, 2026 and Apr 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UC San Diego Medical Center lowest San Diego, CA · (619) 543-6222 Testing for presence of drug | $58.35 | $106.09 | $10.08–$143.22 | 45% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Clairemont Mesa San Diego, CA DRUG TEST PRSMV READ DIRECT OPTICAL OBS PR DATE | $84.76 | $163.00 | $8.00–$25.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Marcos San Marcos, CA · (760) 528-6295 DRUG TEST PRSMV READ DIRECT OPTICAL OBS PR DATE | $84.76 | $163.00 | $8.00–$25.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Zion San Diego, CA DRUG TEST PRSMV READ DIRECT OPTICAL OBS PR DATE | $84.76 | $163.00 | $8.00–$25.00 | 48% | — source file |
Inpatient: lowest $58.35, median $84.76, highest $84.76 — a 1.5× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 5 facilities here, median $84.76 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 1 of 4 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.