Urine dipstick, automated cost in New Orleans, LA — inpatient
In New Orleans-Metairie, LA, 6 hospitals list a cash price for urinalysis without microscope exam, automated as an inpatient: from $3.74 to $15.16, with a median of $6.59. The lowest listed price is at Ochsner Clinic Foundation — $2.85 less than the median here. Across Louisiana, the median is $8.84 at 52 hospitals.
Cash prices at 6 facilities across 5 cities for code 81003, 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 SPECIFIC GRAVITY, URINE | $3.74 | $17.00 | — | 78% | — source file |
| Ochsner Clinic Foundation lowest New Orleans, LA · (504) 842-3000 HC POC URINE W/O MICRO, AUTO | $3.74 | $17.00 | — | 78% | — source file |
| Ochsner Clinic Foundation lowest New Orleans, LA · (504) 842-3000 HC URINE W/O MICRO, AUTO | $3.74 | $17.00 | — | 78% | — source file |
| St Bernard Parish Hospital Chalmette, LA · (504) 826-9500 HC URINE W/O MICRO, AUTO | $4.16 | $13.00 | — | 68% | — source file |
| The Ochsner West Campus Extended Care Hospital Jefferson, LA HC URINE W/O MICRO, AUTO | $4.81 | $13.00 | — | 63% | — source file |
| Ochsner Clinic Foundation New Orleans, LA · (504) 842-3000 HC POC UA DIPSTICK | $6.82 | $31.00 | — | 78% | — source file |
| St Charles Parish Hospital Luling, LA · (985) 785-3644 HC URINE W/O MICRO, AUTO | $8.37 | $31.00 | — | 73% | — source file |
| Ochsner Medical Center – Kenner Kenner, LA · (504) 464-8065 HC SPECIFIC GRAVITY, URINE | $8.68 | $31.00 | — | 72% | — source file |
| Ochsner Medical Center – Kenner Kenner, LA · (504) 464-8065 HC POC URINE W/O MICRO, AUTO | $8.68 | $31.00 | — | 72% | — source file |
| Ochsner Medical Center – Kenner Kenner, LA · (504) 464-8065 HC POC UA DIPSTICK | $8.68 | $31.00 | — | 72% | — source file |
| St Charles Surgical Hospital New Orleans, LA · (504) 529-6600 LCMC URINALYSIS (DIP ONLY) | $15.16 | $43.00 | $2.20–$19.69 | 65% | — source file |
| St Charles Surgical Hospital New Orleans, LA · (504) 529-6600 POC UA DIPSTICK | $15.16 | $43.00 | $2.20–$19.69 | 65% | — source file |
| Ochsner Medical Center – Kenner Kenner, LA · (504) 464-8065 HC URINE W/O MICRO, AUTO | $34.72 | $124.00 | — | 72% | — source file |
Inpatient: lowest $3.74, median $6.59, highest $15.16 — a 4.1× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 13 facilities here, median $5.40 — 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 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.