CEA test cost in Tucson, AZ
In Tucson, AZ, 8 hospitals list a cash price for carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) test: from $12.88 to $240.24, with a median of $116.74. The lowest listed price is at Tucson Medical Center Rincon Hospital and 1 other hospital — $103.86 less than the median here. Across Arizona, the median is $54.84 at 54 hospitals.
Cash prices at 8 facilities across 2 cities for code 82378, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 27, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Mar 2, 2026 and Apr 30, 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 Tucson, AZ.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tucson Medical Center Rincon Hospital lowest Tucson, AZ · (520) 324-1399 HC Cea | $12.88 | $46.00 | $18.96–$38.31 | 72% | Apr 30, 2026 source file |
| Tucson Medical Center lowest Tucson, AZ · (520) 324-1399 HC Cea | $12.88 | $46.00 | $18.96–$38.31 | 72% | Apr 30, 2026 source file |
| Tucson Medical Center Rincon Hospital Tucson, AZ · (520) 324-1399 HC Carcinoembryonic Ag | $16.24 | $58.00 | $18.96–$38.31 | 72% | Apr 30, 2026 source file |
| Tucson Medical Center Tucson, AZ · (520) 324-1399 HC Carcinoembryonic Ag | $16.24 | $58.00 | $18.96–$38.31 | 72% | Apr 30, 2026 source file |
| Tucson Medical Center Rincon Hospital Tucson, AZ · (520) 324-1399 HC Cea Fluid | $18.51 | $66.08 | $18.96–$38.31 | 72% | Apr 30, 2026 source file |
| Tucson Medical Center Tucson, AZ · (520) 324-1399 HC Cea Fluid | $18.51 | $66.08 | $18.96–$38.31 | 72% | Apr 30, 2026 source file |
| Banner University Med Center South Tucson, AZ · (520) 874-2000 LAB AG CARCINOEMBRYONIC MAYO NS | $51.32 | $329.00 | $18.96–$263.20 | 84% | Mar 2, 2026 source file |
| Banner University Medical Center Tucson Tucson, AZ · (520) 874-4189 LAB AG CARCINOEMBRYONIC MAYO NS | $53.30 | $329.00 | $18.96–$263.20 | 84% | Mar 2, 2026 source file |
| Northwest Medical Center Sahuarita Sahuarita, AZ · (520) 416-7100 CARCINOEMBRYONIC AG | $180.18 | $1,001.00 | $18.20–$600.60 | 82% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Northwest Medical Center Houghton Tucson, AZ · (520) 416-7100 CARCINOEMBRYONIC AG | $180.18 | $1,001.00 | $18.20–$600.60 | 82% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Northwest Hospital Tucson, AZ · (520) 469-8100 CARCINOEMBRYONIC AG | $240.24 | $1,001.00 | $18.20–$900.90 | 76% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Oro Valley Hospital Tucson, AZ · (520) 901-3500 CARCINOEMBRYONIC AG | $240.24 | $1,001.00 | $18.20–$900.90 | 76% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $12.88, median $116.74, highest $240.24 — a 18.7× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 8 facilities here, median $206.83. 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 8 of 8 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 2 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
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.
4 rows held back from this comparison
They are priced below $1 or below a tenth of the national median for code 82378 ($111.00). 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.
| Banner University Med Center South Tucson, AZLAB AG CARCINOEMBRYONIC | $8.89 | file |
| Banner University Medical Center Tucson Tucson, AZLAB AG CARCINOEMBRYONIC | $9.23 | file |
| Banner University Med Center South Tucson, AZLAB AG CARCINOEMBRYONIC ARUP NS | $10.61 | file |
| Banner University Medical Center Tucson Tucson, AZLAB AG CARCINOEMBRYONIC ARUP NS | $11.02 | file |