Lab tests CPT 83605 Inpatient — admitted to hospital

Lactic acid test cost in Waterloo, IA — inpatient

In Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA, 4 hospitals list a cash price for lactate (lactic acid) blood test as an inpatient: from $64.28 to $90.64, with a median of $79.95. The lowest listed price is at Allen Hospital — $15.67 less than the median here. Across Iowa, the median is $75.00 at 77 hospitals.

Cash prices at 4 facilities across 3 cities for code 83605, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 29, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Jan 28, 2026 and Jun 29, 2026.

Lowest$64.28Allen Hospital

Median$79.95half of hospitals charge less

Highest$90.64in this market

Difference1.4×highest vs lowest

Where each hospital's price falls

Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA.

median

Lowest $64.28Highest $90.64

Hospitals, cheapest first

Hospital	Cash price	List price	Insurers pay	Off list
Allen Hospital lowest Waterloo, IA · (319) 235-3941 HC LACTATE File of Jan 28, 2026 · source file	$64.28	$80.35	$51.99	20%
MercyOne Waterloo Medical Center Waterloo, IA · (319) 272-8000 HC Lactic Acid+2 more lines at this price File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file	$79.95	$123.00	$11.21–$123.00	35%
Sartori Memorial Hospital Cedar Falls, IA · (319) 268-3000 HC Lactic Acid CSF+2 more lines at this price File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file	$79.95	$123.00	$11.21–$123.00	35%
Grundy County Memorial Hospital Grundy Center, IA · (319) 824-5421 LACTIC ACID /ALL EXCEPT/J/QC/Z/V1 File of Jun 29, 2026 · source file	$90.64	$113.30	$73.00–$113.00	20%

Hospital The hospital that published the price, its city and the line exactly as written in its price file.

Cash price The hospital's own price for a patient paying without insurance (“discounted cash” in its price file). Hospitals must publish it under federal law, 45 CFR 180.50. Call to confirm it before booking. More

List price The hospital's full chargemaster price (“gross charge”) before any discount. Almost nobody pays it; the gap to the cash price shows what the self-pay discount is worth. More

Insurers pay The lowest and highest rates this hospital has agreed with insurance plans for the same item, from its price file. If the cash price is below what your plan pays and you have not met your deductible, paying cash can cost you less. More

Off list How much lower the cash price is than the list price.

Inpatient: lowest $64.28, median $79.95, highest $90.64 — a 1.4× difference within the same market.

As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 5 facilities here, median $79.95 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.

Cash or insurance?

At 3 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.