Cortisol test cost in Santa Cruz, CA — inpatient
In Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA, 3 hospitals list a cash price for cortisol blood test, total as an inpatient: from $64.20 to $368.10, with a median of $283.00. The lowest listed price is at Watsonville Community Hospital — $218.80 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $98.80 at 195 hospitals.
Cash prices at 3 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 Sep 15, 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 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Watsonville Community Hospital lowest Watsonville, CA · (831) 724-4741 Q11281 CORT TOT LCMS File of Sep 15, 2026 · source file | $64.20 | $107.00 | $16.30–$567.20 | 40% |
| Watsonville Community Hospital Watsonville, CA · (831) 724-4741 CORTISOL TOTAL+1 more line at this price File of Sep 15, 2026 · source file | $252.75 | $421.25 | $16.30–$567.20 | 40% |
| Sutter Maternity & Surgery Center of Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA · (831) 477-2200 HCHG CORE CORTISOL (AM DRAW)+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $283.00 | $283.00 | — | — |
| Dominican Hospital Santa Cruz, CA · (831) 462-7700 CORTISOL TOTAL File of Feb 28, 2026 · source file | $368.10 | $818.00 | $654.40–$695.30 | 55% |
Inpatient: lowest $64.20, median $283.00, highest $368.10 — a 5.7× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 3 facilities here, median $283.00 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 2 of 2 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 1 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 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.
1 row held back from this comparison
It is priced below $1 or below a tenth of the national median for code 82533 ($92.72). 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Watsonville Community Hospital Watsonville, CAQ367 CORTIS TOTAL IA | $5.58 | file |