CEA test cost in San Antonio, TX
In San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX, 16 hospitals list a cash price for carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) test: from $37.25 to $953.82, with a median of $953.82. The lowest listed price is at University Health System — $916.57 less than the median here. Across Texas, the median is $155.72 at 298 hospitals.
Cash prices at 16 facilities across 5 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 Oct 14, 2025 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 Antonio-New Braunfels, TX.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University Health System lowest San Antonio, TX · (210) 358-2000 HC CARCINOEMBRYONIC ANTIGEN - CEA (CARCINOEMBRYONI File of Oct 14, 2025 · source file | $37.25 | $149.00 | $15.93–$372.50 | 75% |
| Medina Regional Hospital Hondo, TX · (830) 426-7700 CEA, FLUID File of Jul 29, 2026 · source file | $40.56 | $45.06 | $10.81–$86.15 | 10% |
| Santa Rosa Hospital - Westover Hills San Antonio, TX · (210) 703-8211 HC 82378 CARCINOEMBRYONIC ANTIGEN+1 more line at this price File of Jan 13, 2026 · source file | $68.64 | $208.00 | $2.42–$197.60 | 67% |
| Guadalupe Regional Medical Center Seguin, TX · (830) 379-2411 CARCINOEMBRYONIC ANTIGEN (CEA) source file | $70.50 | $141.00 | $18.96–$141.00 | 50% |
| Medina Regional Hospital Hondo, TX · (830) 426-7700 CARCINOEMBRYONIC ANTIGEN (CEA) File of Jul 29, 2026 · source file | $140.03 | $155.58 | $30.34–$155.58 | 10% |
| Warm Springs Rehabilitation Hospital of San Antonio San Antonio, TX Carcinoembryonic Antigen (CEA) File of Aug 6, 2026 · source file | $259.20 | $259.20 | $13.27–$233.28 | — |
| Methodist Hospital Atascosa Jourdanton, TX · (830) 769-3515 CEA+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $953.82 | $953.82 | $15.93–$810.75 | — |
| Methodist Hospital Stone Oak San Antonio, TX · (210) 638-2101 Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) +1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $953.82 | $953.82 | $15.93–$810.75 | — |
| Methodist Hospital Helotes, TX · (210) 575-4000 Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) +1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $953.82 | $953.82 | $15.93–$953.82 | — |
| Methodist Texsan Hospital Rehab San Antonio, TX CEA+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $953.82 | $953.82 | $15.93–$810.75 | — |
| Metropolitan Methodist San Antonio, TX · (210) 575-4000 Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) +1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $953.82 | $953.82 | $15.93–$810.75 | — |
| Stone Oak Rehab San Antonio, TX Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) +1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $953.82 | $953.82 | $15.93–$810.75 | — |
| Northeast Methodist San Antonio, TX · (210) 638-2101 Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) +1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $953.82 | $953.82 | $15.93–$810.75 | — |
| Methodist Texsan Hospital San Antonio, TX · (210) 638-2101 Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) +1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $953.82 | $953.82 | $15.93–$810.75 | — |
| Methodist Hospital Landmark San Antonio, TX · (210) 638-2101 Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) +1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $953.82 | $953.82 | $15.93–$810.75 | — |
| Methodist Specialty and Transplant San Antonio, TX · (210) 575-4000 Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) +1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $953.82 | $953.82 | $15.93–$639.06 | — |
| Methodist Hospital Westover Hills San Antonio, TX · (210) 638-2101 CEA+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $953.82 | $953.82 | $15.93–$810.75 | — |
Outpatient: lowest $37.25, median $953.82, highest $953.82 — a 25.6× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 6 facilities here, median $164.85. 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 4 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 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.