ACTH test cost in San Diego, CA
In San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA, 6 hospitals list a cash price for ACTH blood test: from $15.86 to $178.88, with a median of $108.44. The lowest listed price is at Palomar Medical Center Escondido and 1 other hospital — $92.58 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $67.76 at 113 hospitals.
Cash prices at 6 facilities across 5 cities for code 82024, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 29, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 1, 2026 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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palomar Medical Center Escondido lowest Escondido, CA Adrenocorticotropic Hormone | $15.86 | $26.43 | — | 40% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Palomar Medical Center Poway lowest Poway, CA · (858) 485-6511 Adrenocorticotropic Hormone | $15.86 | $26.43 | — | 40% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Paradise Valley Hospital National City, CA · (619) 470-4321 ACTH | $38.00 | $193.10 | $38.62–$193.10 | 80% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Clairemont Mesa San Diego, CA · (619) 528-5000 ADRENOCORTICOTROPIC HORMONE ACTH | $178.88 | $344.00 | $27.00–$80.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Zion San Diego, CA · (619) 528-5000 ADRENOCORTICOTROPIC HORMONE ACTH | $178.88 | $344.00 | $27.00–$80.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Marcos San Marcos, CA · (760) 528-6295 ADRENOCORTICOTROPIC HORMONE ACTH | $178.88 | $344.00 | $27.00–$80.00 | 48% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $15.86, median $108.44, highest $178.88 — a 11.3× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 5 facilities here, median $178.88. 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 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 1 it is 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 ACTH test measures the pituitary hormone that tells the adrenal glands to make cortisol. It is used with cortisol to find the cause of too much or too little cortisol.
What the price covers
The price usually covers running the test. The blood draw (36415) is often billed as a separate line.
7 rows held back from this comparison
They are priced below $1 or below a tenth of the national median for code 82024 ($151.20). Such a line is almost always a physician's fee billed separately, an assistant's share or a placeholder — a real charge, but not the price of the procedure itself.
| Palomar Medical Center Poway Poway, CAACTH Plasma (Q211) | $5.79 | file |
| Palomar Medical Center Escondido Escondido, CAACTH Plasma (Q211) | $5.79 | file |
| Sharp Memorial Hospital San Diego, CAHC ASSAY OF ACTH - ACTH | $9.00 | file |
| Sharp Coronado Hospital and Healthcare Center Coronado, CAHC ASSAY OF ACTH - ACTH | $9.00 | file |
| Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center Chula Vista, CAHC ASSAY OF ACTH - ACTH | $9.00 | file |
| Grossmont Hospital La Mesa, CAHC ASSAY OF ACTH - ACTH | $9.00 | file |
| UC San Diego Medical Center San Diego, CAAdrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) level | $11.52 | file |