Lead test cost in San Diego, CA — inpatient
In San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA, 9 hospitals list a cash price for blood lead test as an inpatient: from $4.82 to $53.56, with a median of $5.62. The lowest listed price is at UC San Diego Medical Center — $0.80 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $21.84 at 85 hospitals.
Cash prices at 9 facilities across 5 cities for code 83655, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 1, 2026 and Apr 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 | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UC San Diego Medical Center lowest San Diego, CA · (619) 543-6222 Lead level | $4.82 | $8.76 | $1.05–$38.12 | 45% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Sharp Coronado Hospital and Healthcare Center Coronado, CA · (619) 435-6251 HC ASSAY OF LEAD - LEAD BLOOD | $5.62 | $7.49 | $0.47–$7.34 | 25% | — source file |
| Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center Chula Vista, CA · (619) 502-5800 HC ASSAY OF LEAD - LEAD BLOOD | $5.62 | $7.49 | $0.47–$5.99 | 25% | — source file |
| Grossmont Hospital La Mesa, CA · (619) 465-0711 HC ASSAY OF LEAD - LEAD BLOOD | $5.62 | $7.49 | $2.22–$6.74 | 25% | — source file |
| Sharp Memorial Hospital San Diego, CA · (858) 939-3400 HC ASSAY OF LEAD - LEAD BLOOD | $5.62 | $7.49 | $2.22–$7.34 | 25% | — source file |
| Sharp Coronado Hospital and Healthcare Center Coronado, CA · (619) 435-6251 HC ASSAY OF LEAD - LEAD URINE | $8.18 | $10.91 | $1.64–$8.40 | 25% | — source file |
| Sharp Memorial Hospital San Diego, CA · (858) 939-3400 HC ASSAY OF LEAD - LEAD URINE | $8.18 | $10.91 | $3.24–$8.95 | 25% | — source file |
| Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center Chula Vista, CA · (619) 502-5800 HC ASSAY OF LEAD - LEAD URINE | $8.18 | $10.91 | $3.05–$304.79 | 25% | — source file |
| Grossmont Hospital La Mesa, CA · (619) 465-0711 HC ASSAY OF LEAD - LEAD URINE | $8.18 | $10.91 | $1.53–$22,634.00 | 25% | — source file |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Rch Lab-Lead | $43.50 | $58.00 | — | 25% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Clairemont Mesa San Diego, CA ASSAY OF LEAD | $53.56 | $103.00 | $8.00–$25.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Marcos San Marcos, CA · (760) 528-6295 ASSAY OF LEAD | $53.56 | $103.00 | $8.00–$25.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Zion San Diego, CA ASSAY OF LEAD | $53.56 | $103.00 | $8.00–$25.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Rch Lead | $66.75 | $89.00 | — | 25% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
Inpatient: lowest $4.82, median $5.62, highest $53.56 — a 11.1× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 10 facilities here, median $8.81 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 5 of 8 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 blood lead test measures lead in the blood. It is used to screen young children and for adults exposed at work.
What the price covers
The price usually covers running the test. The blood draw (36415) is often billed as a separate line.
1 row held back from this comparison
It is priced below $1 or below a tenth of the national median for code 83655 ($41.40). 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.
| UC San Diego Medical Center San Diego, CALead level blood | $3.40 | file |