Lab tests CPT 84132 Inpatient — admitted to hospital

Potassium test cost in Columbia, SC — inpatient

In Columbia, SC, 4 hospitals list a cash price for potassium blood test as an inpatient: from $28.50 to $70.00, with a median of $32.50. The lowest listed price is at MUSC Health Columbia Medical Center Northeast and 1 other hospital — $4.00 less than the median here. Across South Carolina, the median is $41.74 at 38 hospitals.

Cash prices at 4 facilities across 3 cities for code 84132, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 28, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 1, 2026 and Apr 1, 2026.

Lowest$28.50MUSC Health Columbia Medical Center Northeast + 1 more
Median$32.50half of hospitals charge less
Highest$70.00in this market
Difference2.5×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 Columbia, SC.

median
Lowest $28.50Highest $70.00

Hospitals, cheapest first

HospitalCash priceList priceInsurers payOff list
MUSC Health Columbia Medical Center Northeast lowest Columbia, SC · (803) 256-5300 HB POTASSIUM FLUID+2 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file $28.50 $57.00 — 50%
Musc Health Columbia Medical Center Downtown lowest Columbia, SC · (803) 256-5300 HB POTASSIUM+2 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file $28.50 $57.00 — 50%
Kershaw Medical Center Camden, SC · (803) 432-4311 HB POTASSIUM BLOOD GAS VENOUS File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file $36.50 $73.00 — 50%
Kershaw Medical Center Camden, SC · (803) 432-4311 HB POTASSIUM File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file $63.00 $126.00 — 50%
Lexington Medical Center West Columbia, SC · (803) 791-2000 Hc Potassium, Serum File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file $70.00 $70.00 — —
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

Inpatient: lowest $28.50, median $32.50, highest $70.00 — a 2.5× difference within the same market.

As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 4 facilities here, median $32.50 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.

What it is

A potassium test measures the level of potassium in the blood. Doctors check it for people on diuretics or blood pressure drugs, with kidney disease, an irregular heartbeat, or vomiting and diarrhea.

What the price covers

The price usually covers running the test. The blood draw (36415) is often billed as a separate line.