CEA test cost in Boston, MA
In Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH, 25 hospitals list a cash price for carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) test: from $31.81 to $901.50, with a median of $124.00. The lowest listed price is at Boston Medical Center South — $92.19 less than the median here. Across Massachusetts, the median is $94.63 at 32 hospitals.
Cash prices at 25 facilities across 19 cities for code 82378, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 29, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Jan 28, 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 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Medical Center South lowest Brockton, MA · (508) 427-3000 HC Chg Carcinoembryonic Antigen Cea | $31.81 | $70.68 | $16.72–$394.86 | 55% | — source file |
| Boston Medical Center South lowest Brockton, MA · (508) 427-3000 HC Carcinoembryonic Antigen Cea | $31.81 | $70.68 | $16.72–$394.86 | 55% | — source file |
| Boston Medical Center Brighton Boston, MA · (617) 789-3000 HC Carcinoembryonic Antigen Cea | $36.17 | $80.37 | $16.72–$475.07 | 55% | — source file |
| Boston Medical Center Brighton Boston, MA · (617) 789-3000 HC Chg Carcinoembryonic Antigen Cea | $36.17 | $80.37 | $16.72–$475.07 | 55% | — source file |
| Lowell General Hospital Lowell, MA · (978) 937-6000 HC Carcinoembryonic Antigen - Cea (Carcinoembryoni | $53.20 | $76.00 | $26.60–$77.91 | 30% | — source file |
| Melrosewakefield Healthcare Melrose, MA · (781) 979-3000 HC Carcinoembryonic Antigen - Cea (Carcinoembryoni | $53.20 | $76.00 | $26.60–$530.75 | 30% | — source file |
| Tufts Medical Center Boston, MA · (617) 636-5000 HC Carcinoembryonic Antigen - Cea (Carcinoembryoni | $53.20 | $76.00 | $19.96–$82.30 | 30% | — source file |
| Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital Brockton, MA · (508) 941-7000 CARCINOEMBRYONIC ANTIGEN | $54.60 | $78.00 | $18.58–$60.81 | 30% | Jan 28, 2026 source file |
| Emerson Hospital Concord, MA · (978) 369-1400 REF CARCINOEMBRYONIC ANTIGEN | $57.00 | $76.00 | $18.01–$80.59 | 25% | May 18, 2026 source file |
| Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital - Plymouth Plymouth, MA · (508) 746-2000 CHG CARCINOEMBRYONIC ANTIGEN CEA | $65.00 | $65.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Southcoast Hospitals Group - Tobey Hospital Campus Wareham, MA · (508) 679-3131 HC Carcinoembryonic Antigen | $76.50 | $153.00 | $18.96–$116.43 | 50% | — source file |
| Boston Medical Center Boston, MA · (617) 638-8000 HC Chg Carcinoembryonic Antigen Cea | $83.25 | $185.00 | $16.40–$512.54 | 55% | — source file |
| Boston Medical Center Boston, MA · (617) 638-8000 HC Carcinoembryonic Antigen Cea | $83.25 | $185.00 | $16.40–$512.54 | 55% | — source file |
| Cambridge Health Alliance Cambridge, MA · (617) 665-1000 HC Carcinoembryonic Agent | $97.50 | $97.50 | $16.72–$130.87 | — | — source file |
| Winchester Hospital Winchester, MA · (781) 729-9000 CHG CARCINOEMBRYONIC ANTIGEN CEA | $102.00 | $102.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Emerson Hospital Concord, MA · (978) 369-1400 CEA TO NEPS | $110.25 | $147.00 | $18.01–$147.00 | 25% | May 18, 2026 source file |
| Emerson Hospital Concord, MA · (978) 369-1400 CARCINOEMBRYONIC ANTIGEN | $110.25 | $147.00 | $18.01–$147.00 | 25% | May 18, 2026 source file |
| Lahey Hospital & Medical Center, Burlington Burlington, MA · (781) 744-5100 CHG CARCINOEMBRYONIC ANTIGEN CEA | $124.00 | $124.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Milton Milton, MA · (617) 696-4600 CHG CARCINOEMBRYONIC ANTIGEN CEA | $127.00 | $127.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Anna Jaques Hospital Newburyport, MA · (978) 463-1000 CHG CARCINOEMBRYONIC ANTIGEN CEA | $144.00 | $144.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital - Needham Needham, MA · (781) 453-3002 CHG CARCINOEMBRYONIC ANTIGEN CEA | $153.00 | $153.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| New England Baptist Hospital Boston, MA · (617) 754-5800 CHG CARCINOEMBRYONIC ANTIGEN CEA | $155.00 | $155.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Boston, MA · (617) 667-7000 CHG CARCINOEMBRYONIC ANTIGEN CEA | $178.00 | $178.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Mount Auburn Hospital Cambridge, MA · (617) 492-3500 CHG CARCINOEMBRYONIC ANTIGEN CEA | $188.00 | $188.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Exeter Hospital Exeter, NH · (603) 778-7311 CHG CARCINOEMBRYONIC ANTIGEN CEA | $372.00 | $372.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Dover Emergency Room Dover, NH · (603) 436-5110 CEA | $665.00 | $665.00 | $170.91–$631.75 | — | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Seabrook Emergency Seabrook, NH · (603) 436-5110 CEA | $665.00 | $665.00 | $170.91–$631.75 | — | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Portsmouth Regional Hospital Portsmouth, NH · (603) 436-5110 CEA | $665.00 | $665.00 | $170.91–$631.75 | — | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Plaistow Fser Plaistow, NH · (603) 421-2100 Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) | $901.50 | $901.50 | $31.19–$77.09 | — | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Plaistow Fser Plaistow, NH · (603) 421-2100 CEA | $901.50 | $901.50 | $189.31–$856.42 | — | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Parkland Medical Center Derry, NH · (603) 421-2100 Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) | $901.50 | $901.50 | $31.19–$77.09 | — | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Parkland Medical Center Derry, NH · (603) 421-2100 CEA | $901.50 | $901.50 | $189.31–$856.42 | — | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $31.81, median $124.00, highest $901.50 — a 28.3× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 21 facilities here, median $97.50. 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 10 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
A CEA test measures a protein that can be high in colorectal and some other cancers. It is used to follow treatment and watch for recurrence, not to screen healthy people.
What the price covers
The price usually covers running the test. The blood draw (36415) is often billed as a separate line.