Ammonia test cost in San Diego, CA
In San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA, 18 hospitals list a cash price for ammonia blood test: from $14.00 to $180.96, with a median of $70.49. The lowest listed price is at Paradise Valley Hospital — $56.49 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $180.96 at 206 hospitals.
Cash prices at 18 facilities across 11 cities for code 82140, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 29, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Mar 30, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paradise Valley Hospital lowest National City, CA · (619) 470-4321 AMMONIA - 82140 - 17400150C | $14.00 | $14.57 | $4.37–$153.62 | 4% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Paradise Valley Hospital lowest National City, CA · (619) 470-4321 AMMONIA LC | $14.00 | $14.57 | $4.37–$153.62 | 4% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Paradise Valley Hospital lowest National City, CA · (619) 470-4321 AMMONIA - 82140 - 1320316 | $14.00 | $153.62 | $4.37–$153.62 | 91% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Scripps Green Hospital La Jolla, CA · (858) 554-3600 HC Ammonia | $18.29 | $73.15 | $5.85–$58.52 | 75% | Mar 30, 2026 source file |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital Chula Vista San Diego, CA · (619) 294-8111 HC Ammonia | $18.29 | $73.15 | $5.85–$58.52 | 75% | Mar 30, 2026 source file |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego San Diego, CA · (619) 294-8111 HC Ammonia | $18.29 | $73.15 | $5.85–$58.52 | 75% | Mar 30, 2026 source file |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla La Jolla, CA · (858) 626-4123 HC Ammonia | $18.29 | $73.15 | $5.85–$58.52 | 75% | Mar 30, 2026 source file |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas Encinitas, CA · (760) 753-6501 HC Ammonia | $18.29 | $73.15 | $5.85–$58.52 | 75% | Mar 30, 2026 source file |
| UC San Diego Medical Center San Diego, CA · (619) 543-6222 Ammonia Level | $64.35 | $117.00 | $14.04–$157.95 | 45% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Palomar Medical Center Poway Poway, CA · (858) 485-6511 Ammonia Level | $66.72 | $111.20 | — | 40% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Palomar Medical Center Escondido Escondido, CA Ammonia Level | $66.72 | $111.20 | — | 40% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Rch Scrmer Hc-Ammonia | $74.25 | $99.00 | — | 25% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Rch Scrmer Cv-Ammonia | $74.25 | $99.00 | — | 25% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Scripps Nicu-Laboratory-Chemistry | $74.25 | $99.00 | — | 25% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Rch Scrlj-Ammonia | $95.25 | $127.00 | — | 25% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Rch Scren-Ammonia | $95.25 | $127.00 | — | 25% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Rsp Ammonia 301 | $100.50 | $134.00 | — | 25% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center Chula Vista, CA · (619) 502-5800 HC ASSAY OF AMMONIA - AMMONIA | $120.75 | $161.00 | $1.00–$128.80 | 25% | — source file |
| Sharp Memorial Hospital San Diego, CA · (858) 939-3400 HC ASSAY OF AMMONIA - AMMONIA | $120.75 | $161.00 | $1.00–$144.90 | 25% | — source file |
| Grossmont Hospital La Mesa, CA · (619) 465-0711 HC ASSAY OF AMMONIA - AMMONIA | $120.75 | $161.00 | $1.00–$120.75 | 25% | — source file |
| Sharp Coronado Hospital and Healthcare Center Coronado, CA · (619) 435-6251 HC ASSAY OF AMMONIA - AMMONIA | $120.75 | $161.00 | $1.15–$128.80 | 25% | — source file |
| Tri-City Medical Center Oceanside, CA · (760) 724-8411 Ammonia Level | $122.34 | $203.90 | $12.75–$160.88 | 40% | May 29, 2026 source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Clairemont Mesa San Diego, CA · (619) 528-5000 ASSAY OF AMMONIA | $180.96 | $348.00 | $10.00–$30.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Zion San Diego, CA · (619) 528-5000 ASSAY OF AMMONIA | $180.96 | $348.00 | $10.00–$30.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Marcos San Marcos, CA · (760) 528-6295 ASSAY OF AMMONIA | $180.96 | $348.00 | $10.00–$30.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Rch Lab-Timed Urine Ammonia | $200.25 | $267.00 | — | 25% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Rch Liv-Ammonia Blood | $200.25 | $267.00 | — | 25% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Rch Lab-Urine Ammonia | $200.25 | $267.00 | — | 25% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Rch Lab-Ammonia Blood | $214.50 | $286.00 | — | 25% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Rch Ammonia Blood | $294.75 | $393.00 | — | 25% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $14.00, median $70.49, highest $180.96 — a 12.9× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 17 facilities here, median $74.25. 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 11 of 15 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 ammonia test measures ammonia in the blood. It is used for confusion or drowsiness in people with liver disease and for some rare inherited disorders in newborns.
What the price covers
The price usually covers running the test. The blood draw (36415) is often billed as a separate line.
1 row held back from this comparison
It is priced below $1 or below a tenth of the national median for code 82140 ($91.63). 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.
| Tri-City Medical Center Oceanside, CAAmmonia LC | $4.97 | file |