Urine dipstick, automated cost in Washington, DC
In Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, 18 hospitals list a cash price for urinalysis without microscope exam, automated: from $8.01 to $169.48, with a median of $33.00. The lowest listed price is at Frederick Health Hospital — $24.99 less than the median here. Across District of Columbia, the median is $29.00 at 3 hospitals.
- The median here, $33.00, is 27% above the US median of $26.07.
- That is 14.7× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($2.25).
- 3 of 18 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Cash prices at 18 facilities across 15 cities for code 81003, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Oct 29, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Dec 30, 2024 and Sep 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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frederick Health Hospital lowest Frederick, MD · (240) 566-3300 URINALYSIS AUTO W/O MICROSCO File of Mar 17, 2025 · source file | $8.01 | $8.17 | $8.01–$8.17 | 2% |
| MedStar Montgomery Medical Center Olney, MD · (301) 774-8882 URINALYSIS,BY DIP AUTO+2 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $10.58 | $10.80 | $10.58–$10.80 | 2% |
| MedStar Southern Hospital Center Clinton, MD · (301) 868-8000 UR INALYSIS,AUTOMATED WO MICRO+2 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $11.50 | $11.73 | $11.50–$11.73 | 2% |
| Mary Washington Hospital Fredericksburg, VA · (540) 741-1100 Urinalysis auto w/o scope File of Dec 30, 2024 · source file | $16.00 | $32.00 | $2.00–$270.00 | 50% |
| Stafford Hospital Stafford, VA · (540) 741-9000 Urinalysis auto w/o scope File of Dec 30, 2024 · source file | $16.00 | $32.00 | $2.00–$270.00 | 50% |
| Jefferson Medical Center Ranson, WV · (304) 728-1600 URINALYSIS AUTO W/O SCOPE File of Jul 12, 2026 · source file | $19.00 | $38.00 | — | 50% |
| MedStar Georgetown Hospital Northwest Washington, DC · (202) 784-3000 URINE DIP TAB AUTO NONMICRO+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $24.40 | $37.54 | $2.25–$33.79 | 35% |
| Children's National Hospital Washington, DC · (202) 476-5000 Urine Macroscopic+1 more line at this price File of Apr 2, 2026 · source file | $29.00 | $58.00 | $2.25–$101.36 | 50% |
| Inova Loudoun Hospital Leesburg, VA · (703) 858-6600 HC URINALYSIS AUTO W/O MICRO File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $33.00 | $66.00 | $2.25–$51.48 | 50% |
| Inova Mount Vernon Hospital Alexandria, VA · (703) 664-7105 HC URINALYSIS AUTO W/O MICRO File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $33.00 | $66.00 | $2.25–$51.48 | 50% |
| Inova Alexandria Hospital Alexandria, VA · (703) 504-3167 HC URINALYSIS AUTO W/O MICRO File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $33.00 | $66.00 | $2.25–$51.48 | 50% |
| Inova Fairfax Hospital Falls Church, VA · (703) 698-1110 HC URINALYSIS AUTO W/O MICRO File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $33.00 | $66.00 | $2.25–$51.48 | 50% |
| Inova Fair Oaks Hospital Fairfax, VA · (703) 391-4170 HC URINALYSIS AUTO W/O MICRO File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $33.00 | $66.00 | $2.25–$51.48 | 50% |
| Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center Woodbridge, VA · (703) 523-1000 Dipstick Urine+7 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $53.50 | $107.00 | — | 50% |
| MedStar Washington Hospital Center Washington, DC · (202) 877-7000 UR INALYSIS AUTOMATED WO MICRO+3 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $70.63 | $108.66 | $2.25–$92.36 | 35% |
| Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center Fredericksburg, VA · (540) 498-4000 UA W O MICRO AUTO File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $131.76 | $131.76 | $25.03–$118.58 | — |
| Stonesprings Hospital Center Dulles, VA · (571) 349-4000 UA W O MICRO AUTO+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $166.11 | $166.11 | $2.25–$141.19 | — |
| Reston Hospital Center Reston, VA · (703) 689-9000 UA W O MICRO AUTO File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $169.48 | $169.48 | $120.33 | — |
Outpatient: lowest $8.01, median $33.00, highest $169.48 — a 21.2× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 12 facilities here, median $33.00. 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 13 of 16 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 urine dipstick, automated is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Urine dipstick, automated explained.