Lead test cost in Washington, DC
In Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, 19 hospitals list a cash price for blood lead test: from $4.50 to $323.25, with a median of $94.00. The lowest listed price is at Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center — $89.50 less than the median here. Across District of Columbia, the median is $131.68 at 3 hospitals.
- The median here, $94.00, is 103% above the US median of $46.28.
- That is 7.8× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($12.11).
- 3 of 19 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Cash prices at 19 facilities across 16 cities for code 83655, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Oct 29, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Dec 30, 2024 and Sep 1, 2026.
Lowest$4.50Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center
Median$94.00half of hospitals charge less
Highest$323.25in this market
Difference71.8×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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV.
median
Lowest $4.50Highest $612.00
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center lowest Woodbridge, VA · (703) 523-1000 Chgl (Qu) Heavy Metals Group # 3, S/O File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $4.50 | $9.00 | — | 50% |
| Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center Woodbridge, VA · (703) 523-1000 Chgl (Qu) Heavy Metals Panel (Venous), S/O File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $5.50 | $11.00 | — | 50% |
| Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center Woodbridge, VA · (703) 523-1000 Chgl (Qu) Heavy Metals Panel, Random Urine, S/O File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $6.00 | $12.00 | — | 50% |
| Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center Woodbridge, VA · (703) 523-1000 Chgl (Qu) Lead (Venous), Osha And Zinc Protoporphyrin Eval, S/O File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $6.50 | $13.00 | — | 50% |
| Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center Woodbridge, VA · (703) 523-1000 Chgl (Qu) Lead And Zinc Protoporphyrin Evaluation, S/O File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $8.00 | $16.00 | — | 50% |
| Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center Woodbridge, VA · (703) 523-1000 Chgl (Qu) Lead, Urine, S/O File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $10.00 | $20.00 | — | 50% |
| Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center Woodbridge, VA · (703) 523-1000 Chgl (Qu) Lead (Venous), S/O File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $11.00 | $22.00 | — | 50% |
| Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center Woodbridge, VA · (703) 523-1000 Chgl (Qu) Lead, Capillary, S/O File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $11.50 | $23.00 | — | 50% |
| Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center Woodbridge, VA · (703) 523-1000 Chgl (Qu) Lead, 24-Hour Urine, S/O File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $14.00 | $28.00 | — | 50% |
| Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center Woodbridge, VA · (703) 523-1000 Chgl Lc-Lead,Blood, Filter Paper File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $34.50 | $69.00 | — | 50% |
| Children's National Hospital Washington, DC · (202) 476-5000 HEAVEY METAL RANDOM UR LEAD File of Apr 2, 2026 · source file | $39.00 | $78.00 | $12.11–$545.85 | 50% |
| Frederick Health Hospital Frederick, MD · (240) 566-3300 LEAD QUANTITATIVE+2 more lines at this price File of Mar 17, 2025 · source file | $50.07 | $51.09 | $50.07–$51.09 | 2% |
| Mary Washington Hospital Fredericksburg, VA · (540) 741-1100 Assay of lead File of Dec 30, 2024 · source file | $55.50 | $111.00 | $12.00–$270.00 | 50% |
| Stafford Hospital Stafford, VA · (540) 741-9000 Assay of lead File of Dec 30, 2024 · source file | $55.50 | $111.00 | $12.00–$270.00 | 50% |
| Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center Woodbridge, VA · (703) 523-1000 Chgl Lead Blood Adult+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $65.00 | $130.00 | — | 50% |
| MedStar Montgomery Medical Center Olney, MD · (301) 774-8882 LEAD File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $66.13 | $67.48 | $66.13–$67.48 | 2% |
| Jefferson Medical Center Ranson, WV · (304) 728-1600 ASSAY OF LEAD File of Jul 12, 2026 · source file | $66.50 | $133.00 | — | 50% |
| Children's National Hospital Washington, DC · (202) 476-5000 HEAVY METALS TIMED UR LEAD File of Apr 2, 2026 · source file | $70.50 | $141.00 | $12.11–$545.85 | 50% |
| MedStar Southern Hospital Center Clinton, MD · (301) 868-8000 LEAD File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $71.86 | $73.33 | $71.86–$73.33 | 2% |
| Inova Alexandria Hospital Alexandria, VA · (703) 504-3167 HC LEAD File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $94.00 | $188.00 | $12.11–$146.64 | 50% |
| Inova Mount Vernon Hospital Alexandria, VA · (703) 664-7105 HC LEAD File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $94.00 | $188.00 | $12.11–$146.64 | 50% |
| Inova Fairfax Hospital Falls Church, VA · (703) 698-1110 HC LEAD File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $94.00 | $188.00 | $12.11–$146.64 | 50% |
| Inova Fair Oaks Hospital Fairfax, VA · (703) 391-4170 HC LEAD File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $94.00 | $188.00 | $12.11–$146.64 | 50% |
| Inova Loudoun Hospital Leesburg, VA · (703) 858-6600 HC LEAD File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $94.00 | $188.00 | $12.11–$146.64 | 50% |
| Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center Woodbridge, VA · (703) 523-1000 Chgl Lead Blood (P)+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $95.50 | $191.00 | — | 50% |
| Children's National Hospital Washington, DC · (202) 476-5000 Lead Level, Venous File of Apr 2, 2026 · source file | $97.00 | $194.00 | $12.11–$545.85 | 50% |
| MedStar Georgetown Hospital Northwest Washington, DC · (202) 784-3000 LEAD File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $131.68 | $202.59 | $12.11–$182.33 | 35% |
| Children's National Hospital Washington, DC · (202) 476-5000 Lead Capillary File of Apr 2, 2026 · source file | $144.00 | $288.00 | $12.11–$545.85 | 50% |
| MedStar Washington Hospital Center Washington, DC · (202) 877-7000 LEAD File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $156.46 | $240.70 | $12.11–$204.60 | 35% |
| Fauquier Health Warrenton, VA · (540) 316-5000 Lead File of Jul 14, 2026 · source file | $162.80 | $407.00 | $15.22 | 60% |
| Children's National Hospital Washington, DC · (202) 476-5000 HEAVY METALS BLOOD LEAD File of Apr 2, 2026 · source file | $167.00 | $334.00 | $12.11–$545.85 | 50% |
| Children's National Hospital Washington, DC · (202) 476-5000 Lead, 24hr Urine File of Apr 2, 2026 · source file | $252.50 | $505.00 | $12.11–$545.85 | 50% |
| Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center Fredericksburg, VA · (540) 498-4000 LEAD URINE+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $260.28 | $260.28 | $49.45–$234.25 | — |
| Reston Hospital Center Reston, VA · (703) 689-9000 Lead +1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $323.25 | $323.25 | $12.11–$290.93 | — |
| Stonesprings Hospital Center Dulles, VA · (571) 349-4000 LEAD BLOOD+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $323.25 | $323.25 | $12.11–$229.51 | — |
| Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center Woodbridge, VA · (703) 523-1000 Chgl Embryotoxicity Assay File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $612.00 | $1,224.00 | — | 50% |
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.
No cash discount This line's cash price equals the hospital's full list price. Many hospitals still reduce bills for uninsured patients: ask the billing office for its self-pay discount in writing. More
Outpatient: lowest $4.50, median $94.00, highest $323.25 — a 71.8× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 12 facilities here, median $94.00. 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 13 of 17 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 lead test is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Lead test explained.