Cortisol test cost in Merced, CA — inpatient
In Merced, CA, 2 hospitals list a cash price for cortisol blood test, total as an inpatient: from $20.99 to $283.00, with a median of $152.00. The lowest listed price is at Mercy Medical Center — $131.01 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $98.80 at 190 hospitals.
Cash prices at 2 facilities across 2 cities for code 82533, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 29, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Feb 28, 2026 and Apr 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 Merced, CA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercy Medical Center lowest Merced, CA · (209) 564-5000 H-CORTISOL AM DRAW 7540 File of Feb 28, 2026 · source file | $20.99 | $40.75 | $24.45–$38.31 | 48% |
| Mercy Medical Center Merced, CA · (209) 564-5000 RL-A-CORT TMS 2003250 File of Feb 28, 2026 · source file | $21.63 | $42.00 | $25.20–$39.48 | 49% |
| Mercy Medical Center Merced, CA · (209) 564-5000 BM-CORTISOL TOTAL File of Feb 28, 2026 · source file | $120.00 | $233.00 | $139.80–$219.02 | 48% |
| Mercy Medical Center Merced, CA · (209) 564-5000 CORTISOL AM PM DRAW File of Feb 28, 2026 · source file | $128.24 | $249.00 | $149.40–$234.06 | 48% |
| Memorial Hospital Los Banos Los Banos, CA · (209) 826-0591 HCHG CORTISOL TOTAL+3 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $283.00 | $283.00 | — | — |
| Mercy Medical Center Merced, CA · (209) 564-5000 SJM-CORTISOL AM File of Feb 28, 2026 · source file | $357.93 | $695.00 | $417.00–$653.30 | 48% |
Inpatient: lowest $20.99, median $152.00, highest $283.00 — a 13.5× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 2 facilities here, median $152.00 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At the one hospital here that publishes insurer rates for this code, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated and 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 cortisol test measures the main stress hormone made by the adrenal glands. It is used when adrenal insufficiency (Addison's disease) or excess cortisol (Cushing's syndrome) is suspected.
What the price covers
The price usually covers running the test. The blood draw (36415) is often billed as a separate line.
2 rows held back from this comparison
They are priced below $1 or below a tenth of the national median for code 82533 ($91.15). 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.
| Hospital | Cash price | File |
|---|---|---|
| Mercy Medical Center Merced, CARL-A-CORTISOL 70030 | $4.10 | file |
| Mercy Medical Center Merced, CAH-CORTISOL RANDOM 7539 | $4.64 | file |