Lactic acid test cost in San Diego, CA
In San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA, 18 hospitals list a cash price for lactate (lactic acid) blood test: from $11.00 to $233.86, with a median of $141.75. The lowest listed price is at Paradise Valley Hospital — $130.75 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $141.75 at 209 hospitals.
Cash prices at 18 facilities across 11 cities for code 83605, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 29, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Mar 30, 2026 and Sep 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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paradise Valley Hospital lowest National City, CA · (619) 470-4321 Lactic Acid, LC004770+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $11.00 | $57.85 | $10.80–$110.88 | 81% |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas Encinitas, CA · (760) 753-6501 HC Lactic Acid File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $19.70 | $78.82 | $6.31–$63.06 | 75% |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego San Diego, CA · (619) 294-8111 HC Lactic Acid File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $19.70 | $78.82 | $6.31–$63.06 | 75% |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla La Jolla, CA · (858) 626-4123 HC Lactic Acid File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $19.70 | $78.82 | $6.31–$63.06 | 75% |
| Scripps Green Hospital La Jolla, CA · (858) 554-3600 HC Lactic Acid File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $19.70 | $78.82 | $6.31–$63.06 | 75% |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital Chula Vista San Diego, CA · (619) 294-8111 HC Lactic Acid File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $19.70 | $78.82 | $6.31–$63.06 | 75% |
| Scripps Green Hospital La Jolla, CA · (858) 554-3600 HC Lactic Acid/Arterial File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $20.73 | $82.94 | $6.64–$66.35 | 75% |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital Chula Vista San Diego, CA · (619) 294-8111 HC Lactic Acid/Arterial File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $20.73 | $82.94 | $6.64–$66.35 | 75% |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego San Diego, CA · (619) 294-8111 HC Lactic Acid/Arterial File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $20.73 | $82.94 | $6.64–$66.35 | 75% |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla La Jolla, CA · (858) 626-4123 HC Lactic Acid/Arterial File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $20.73 | $82.94 | $6.64–$66.35 | 75% |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas Encinitas, CA · (760) 753-6501 HC Lactic Acid/Arterial File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $20.73 | $82.94 | $6.64–$66.35 | 75% |
| UC San Diego Medical Center San Diego, CA · (619) 543-6222 Lactic Acid Level File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $103.40 | $188.00 | $11.57–$253.80 | 45% |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Rch Lactate+12 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $127.50 | $170.00 | — | 25% |
| Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center Chula Vista, CA · (619) 502-5800 HC ASSAY OF LACTIC ACID - POCT LACTIC ACID (LACTATE)+1 more line at this price source file | $141.75 | $189.00 | $1.15–$735.00 | 25% |
| Sharp Memorial Hospital San Diego, CA · (858) 939-3400 HC ASSAY OF LACTIC ACID - POCT LACTIC ACID (LACTATE)+1 more line at this price source file | $141.75 | $189.00 | $0.09–$151.20 | 25% |
| Grossmont Hospital La Mesa, CA · (619) 465-0711 HC ASSAY OF LACTIC ACID - POCT LACTIC ACID (LACTATE)+1 more line at this price source file | $141.75 | $189.00 | $1.00–$185.22 | 25% |
| Sharp Coronado Hospital and Healthcare Center Coronado, CA · (619) 435-6251 HC ASSAY OF LACTIC ACID - POCT LACTIC ACID (LACTATE)+1 more line at this price source file | $141.75 | $189.00 | $1.00–$151.20 | 25% |
| Tri-City Medical Center Oceanside, CA · (760) 724-8411 Lactic Acid (Venous)+2 more lines at this price File of May 29, 2026 · source file | $168.29 | $280.49 | $9.50–$221.31 | 40% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Clairemont Mesa San Diego, CA · (619) 528-5000 ASSAY OF LACTATE source file | $175.76 | $338.00 | $8.00–$25.00 | 48% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Marcos San Marcos, CA · (760) 528-6295 ASSAY OF LACTATE source file | $175.76 | $338.00 | $8.00–$25.00 | 48% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Zion San Diego, CA · (619) 528-5000 ASSAY OF LACTATE source file | $175.76 | $338.00 | $8.00–$25.00 | 48% |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Rch Lab-Whole Blood Lactic Acid Istat File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $194.25 | $259.00 | — | 25% |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Rch Lab-Csf Lactic Acid+2 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $207.75 | $277.00 | — | 25% |
| Palomar Medical Center Poway Poway, CA · (858) 485-6511 Blood Gas Lactic Acid File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $233.86 | $389.77 | — | 40% |
| Palomar Medical Center Escondido Escondido, CA Blood Gas Lactic Acid File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $233.86 | $389.77 | — | 40% |
| Palomar Medical Center Escondido Escondido, CA Venous Lactic Acid (ABL)+2 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $245.56 | $409.27 | — | 40% |
| Palomar Medical Center Poway Poway, CA · (858) 485-6511 Lactic Acid Cerebrospinal Fluid+2 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $245.56 | $409.27 | — | 40% |
Outpatient: lowest $11.00, median $141.75, highest $233.86 — a 21.3× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 17 facilities here, median $141.75. 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 12 of 15 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.