Iron test cost in San Luis Obispo, CA — inpatient
In San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA, 1 hospital lists a cash price for iron blood test (serum iron) as an inpatient: from $12.55 to $12.55, with a median of $12.55. Across California, the median is $44.20 at 161 hospitals.
Cash prices at 1 facility for code 83540, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 27, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Feb 28, 2026 and Feb 28, 2026.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dignity Community Care San Luis Obispo, CA · (805) 543-5353 IRON | $12.55 | $32.00 | $8.64–$31.36 | 61% | Feb 28, 2026 source file |
Inpatient: lowest $12.55, median $12.55, highest $12.55.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 1 facility here, median $7.61 — 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. 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 ($54.60). 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.
| Dignity Community Care San Luis Obispo, CARL-A-FEIBC 20420A | $1.84 | file |