Urine dipstick, automated cost in Albuquerque, NM — inpatient
In Albuquerque, NM, 4 hospitals list a cash price for urinalysis without microscope exam, automated as an inpatient: from $23.70 to $25.50, with a median of $24.30. The lowest listed price is at Lovelace Medical Center — $0.60 less than the median here. Across New Mexico, the median is $23.70 at 17 hospitals.
Cash prices at 4 facilities for code 81003, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 29, 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 Albuquerque, NM.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lovelace Medical Center lowest Albuquerque, NM · (505) 727-8000 Automated urinalysis test | $23.70 | $79.00 | $2.25–$71.10 | 70% | — source file |
| Lovelace Westside Hospital Albuquerque, NM · (505) 727-2001 Automated urinalysis test | $24.30 | $81.00 | $2.25–$72.90 | 70% | — source file |
| Lovelace Womens Hospital Albuquerque, NM Automated urinalysis test | $24.30 | $81.00 | $2.25–$75.33 | 70% | — source file |
| Lovelace UNM Rehabilition Hospital Albuquerque, NM Automated urinalysis test | $25.50 | $85.00 | $1.49–$79.05 | 70% | — source file |
Inpatient: lowest $23.70, median $24.30, highest $25.50 — a 1.1× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 6 facilities here, median $24.30 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 4 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
An automated urinalysis without microscopy tests a urine sample on a machine that reads the chemical dipstick results. It checks for protein, sugar, blood, ketones and signs of infection, without a microscope exam of cells.
What the price covers
The price covers the automated chemical test. A microscope exam or urine culture is billed separately if done.