Lactic acid test cost in Buffalo, NY
In Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY, 8 hospitals list a cash price for lactate (lactic acid) blood test: from $19.79 to $111.00, with a median of $35.75. The lowest listed price is at Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center — $15.96 less than the median here. Across New York, the median is $40.19 at 112 hospitals.
Cash prices at 8 facilities across 4 cities for code 83605, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Oct 2, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 1, 2026 and Oct 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 Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center lowest Niagara Falls, NY · (716) 278-4000 ASSAY OF LACTIC ACID source file | $19.79 | $28.27 | $10.68–$15.76 | 30% |
| Mount St. Mary's Hospital Lewiston, NY · (716) 297-4800 Assay of Lactic Acid - POCT Lactic Acid (Lactate)+3 more lines at this price source file | $26.00 | $26.00 | $8.68–$26.00 | — |
| Sisters of Charity Hospital Buffalo, NY · (716) 862-1000 HC Assay of Lactic Acid - Lactate+3 more lines at this price source file | $26.00 | $26.00 | $8.68–$26.00 | — |
| Mercy Hospital of Buffalo Buffalo, NY · (716) 826-7000 Assay of Lactic Acid - Lactic Acid, Arterial, Whole Blood+3 more lines at this price source file | $26.00 | $26.00 | $8.68–$26.00 | — |
| Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center Niagara Falls, NY · (716) 278-4000 LACTIC ACID LEVEL source file | $30.42 | $43.45 | $10.68–$15.76 | 30% |
| Erie County Medical Center Buffalo, NY · (716) 898-3936 LACTATE File of Aug 25, 2026 · source file | $45.49 | $108.11 | $8.68–$97.29 | 58% |
| Bertrand Chaffee Hospital Springville, NY · (716) 592-2871 ASSAY OF LACTIC ACID+1 more line at this price File of Oct 1, 2026 · source file | $51.00 | $60.00 | $7.71–$60.00 | 15% |
| Roswell Park Cancer Institute Buffalo, NY Lactic Acid File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $63.80 | $63.80 | — | — |
| Kaleida Health Buffalo, NY · (716) 859-8620 Lactate Poc+3 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $111.00 | $111.00 | — | — |
Outpatient: lowest $19.79, median $35.75, highest $111.00 — a 5.6× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 7 facilities here, median $45.49. 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 2 of 6 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at none is it 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 lactic acid test measures lactate in the blood. It is used mainly in the emergency department and hospital to look for sepsis, shock or poor blood flow to tissues.
What the price covers
The price usually covers running the test. The blood draw (36415) is often billed as a separate line.