Iron test cost in San Diego, CA — inpatient
In San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA, 10 hospitals list a cash price for iron blood test (serum iron) as an inpatient: from $42.75 to $106.81, with a median of $53.56. The lowest listed price is at Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego — $10.81 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $44.20 at 102 hospitals.
Cash prices at 10 facilities across 6 cities for code 83540, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 1, 2026 and May 29, 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 Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego lowest San Diego, CA Scripps Nicu-Iron | $42.75 | $57.00 | — | 25% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Marcos San Marcos, CA ASSAY OF IRON | $44.20 | $85.00 | $5.00–$15.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Clairemont Mesa San Diego, CA ASSAY OF IRON | $44.20 | $85.00 | $5.00–$15.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Zion San Diego, CA ASSAY OF IRON | $44.20 | $85.00 | $5.00–$15.00 | 48% | — source file |
| UC San Diego Medical Center San Diego, CA Iron level liver | $48.62 | $88.40 | $6.47–$119.34 | 45% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Sharp Coronado Hospital and Healthcare Center Coronado, CA HC ASSAY OF IRON - IRON | $58.50 | $78.00 | $23.17–$62.40 | 25% | — source file |
| Sharp Memorial Hospital San Diego, CA HC ASSAY OF IRON - IRON | $58.50 | $78.00 | $11.70–$725.00 | 25% | — source file |
| Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center Chula Vista, CA HC ASSAY OF IRON - IRON | $58.50 | $78.00 | $23.17–$15,436.00 | 25% | — source file |
| Grossmont Hospital Corporation La Mesa, CA HC ASSAY OF IRON - IRON | $58.50 | $78.00 | $11.70–$70.20 | 25% | — source file |
| UC San Diego Medical Center San Diego, CA Iron Level | $86.35 | $157.00 | $6.47–$211.95 | 45% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA Rch Iron | $88.50 | $118.00 | — | 25% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA Rsp Iron 301 | $88.50 | $118.00 | — | 25% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA Rch Scrlj-Iron | $88.50 | $118.00 | — | 25% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA Rsp Iron | $88.50 | $118.00 | — | 25% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| UC San Diego Medical Center San Diego, CA Iron level urine | $92.58 | $168.32 | $6.47–$227.23 | 45% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Tri-City Medical Center Oceanside, CA Iron Level | $106.81 | $178.02 | $124.61–$138.68 | 40% | May 29, 2026 source file |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA Rch Liv-Iron | $134.25 | $179.00 | — | 25% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA Rch Lab-Iron | $144.00 | $192.00 | — | 25% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
Inpatient: lowest $42.75, median $53.56, highest $106.81 — a 2.5× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 11 facilities here, median $48.62 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 6 of 9 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 serum iron test measures the iron carried in the blood. It is usually ordered with iron-binding capacity and ferritin to check for iron deficiency or iron overload.
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 83540 ($49.95). 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.
| Tri-City Medical Center Oceanside, CAIron LC | $2.48 | file |