Lactic acid test cost in San Jose, CA
In San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA, 6 hospitals list a cash price for lactate (lactic acid) blood test: from $13.81 to $295.20, with a median of $190.89. The lowest listed price is at Good Samaritan Hospital — $177.08 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $141.75 at 209 hospitals.
Cash prices at 6 facilities across 6 cities for code 83605, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 27, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Mar 31, 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 Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good Samaritan Hospital lowest Los Gatos, CA · (408) 559-2011 LACTIC ACID BODY FL | $13.81 | $13.81 | $2.07–$13.81 | — | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Lucile Salter Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford Palo Alto, CA · (650) 497-8000 HC Pclact-Lactate (Cg4) | $50.00 | $100.00 | $48.59 | 50% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Good Samaritan Hospital Los Gatos, CA · (408) 559-2011 LACTIC ACID | $162.56 | $162.56 | $24.38–$162.56 | — | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| El Camino Hospital Mountain View, CA · (650) 940-7000 HC LACTATE POCT-EPOC | $176.25 | $705.00 | — | 75% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| El Camino Hospital Mountain View, CA · (650) 940-7000 HC LACTIC ACID | $176.25 | $705.00 | — | 75% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Santa Clara Santa Clara, CA · (408) 236-6400 ASSAY OF LACTATE | $205.52 | $367.00 | $11.00–$35.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Jose San Jose, CA · (408) 972-7000 ASSAY OF LACTATE | $205.52 | $367.00 | $11.00–$35.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Lucile Salter Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford Palo Alto, CA · (650) 497-8000 HC Lactic Acid | $226.50 | $453.00 | $220.11 | 50% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Stanford Health Care Stanford, CA · (650) 723-4000 HC Lactate | $295.20 | $738.00 | — | 60% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Stanford Health Care Stanford, CA · (650) 723-4000 HC Lacwb Lactate | $295.20 | $738.00 | — | 60% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Stanford Health Care Stanford, CA · (650) 723-4000 HC Pclact-Lactate (Cg4) | $295.20 | $738.00 | — | 60% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Stanford Health Care Stanford, CA · (650) 723-4000 HC Splac Lactate Sepsis Protcl | $295.20 | $738.00 | — | 60% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Stanford Health Care Stanford, CA · (650) 723-4000 Lactic Acid, Fluid | $295.20 | $738.00 | — | 60% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Lucile Salter Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford Palo Alto, CA · (650) 497-8000 HC Lactate | $369.00 | $738.00 | $358.59 | 50% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Lucile Salter Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford Palo Alto, CA · (650) 497-8000 HC Lacwb Lactate | $369.00 | $738.00 | $358.59 | 50% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Lucile Salter Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford Palo Alto, CA · (650) 497-8000 HC Splac Lactate Sepsis Protcl | $369.00 | $738.00 | $358.59 | 50% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Lucile Salter Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford Palo Alto, CA · (650) 497-8000 HC Lactic Acid, Fluid | $369.00 | $738.00 | $358.59 | 50% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $13.81, median $190.89, highest $295.20 — a 21.4× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 4 facilities here, median $205.52. 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 0 of 4 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.