Lactic acid test cost in San Luis Obispo, CA
In San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA, 1 hospital lists a cash price for lactate (lactic acid) blood test: from $18.04 to $18.04, with a median of $18.04. Across California, the median is $141.75 at 209 hospitals.
Cash prices at 1 facility 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 Feb 28, 2026 and Feb 28, 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 Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| French Hospital Medical Center lowest San Luis Obispo, CA · (805) 543-5353 LACTATE LACTIC ACID | $18.04 | $46.00 | $11.57–$46.00 | 61% | Feb 28, 2026 source file |
| French Hospital Medical Center San Luis Obispo, CA · (805) 543-5353 LACTATE/LACTIC ACID NONL | $103.49 | $264.00 | $11.57–$258.72 | 61% | Feb 28, 2026 source file |
| French Hospital Medical Center San Luis Obispo, CA · (805) 543-5353 RL-A-MAYO DLAC PLASMA | $121.92 | $311.00 | $11.57–$304.78 | 61% | Feb 28, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $18.04, median $18.04, highest $18.04.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 1 facility here, median $37.24. 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 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 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.
2 rows held back from this comparison
They are priced below $1 or below a tenth of the national median for code 83605 ($81.90). 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.
| French Hospital Medical Center San Luis Obispo, CARL-A-LBCORP FL 20504 | $3.12 | file |
| French Hospital Medical Center San Luis Obispo, CARL-A-LP RATIO 2007935B | $7.37 | file |