AST liver test cost in Boston, MA
In Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH, 8 hospitals list a cash price for AST (aspartate aminotransferase) enzyme test: from $8.68 to $50.10, with a median of $13.30. The lowest listed price is at Boston Medical Center South — $4.62 less than the median here. Across Massachusetts, the median is $26.00 at 19 hospitals.
Cash prices at 8 facilities across 5 cities for code 84450, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between — and —.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Medical Center South lowest Brockton, MA HC Chg Transferase Aspartate Amino Ast Sgot | $8.68 | $19.28 | $4.57–$394.86 | 55% | — source file |
| Boston Medical Center Brighton Boston, MA HC Chg Transferase Aspartate Amino Ast Sgot | $9.86 | $21.92 | $4.57–$475.07 | 55% | — source file |
| Lowell General Hospital Lowell, MA HC Transferase Aspartate Amino (Ast) (Sgot) - Ast | $13.30 | $19.00 | $6.65–$21.26 | 30% | — source file |
| Tufts Medical Center Boston, MA HC Transferase Aspartate Amino (Ast) (Sgot) - Ast | $13.30 | $19.00 | $4.99–$22.47 | 30% | — source file |
| Melrosewakefield Healthcare Melrose, MA HC Transferase Aspartate Amino (Ast) (Sgot) - Ast | $13.30 | $19.00 | $6.65–$530.75 | 30% | — source file |
| Boston Medical Center Boston, MA HC Chg Transferase Aspartate Amino Ast Sgot | $18.90 | $42.00 | $4.48–$512.54 | 55% | — source file |
| Cambridge Health Alliance Cambridge, MA HC Asparate Aminotran -Sgot So | $23.00 | $23.00 | $4.57–$35.68 | — | — source file |
| Cambridge Health Alliance Cambridge, MA HC Asparate Aminotran -Sgot | $23.00 | $23.00 | $4.57–$35.68 | — | — source file |
| Shriners Childrens - Boston Boston, MA TRANSFERASE (AST) (SGOT) | $50.10 | $50.10 | $4.48–$817.41 | — | — source file |
| Cambridge Health Alliance Cambridge, MA HC (POC) Asparate Aminotran | $93.00 | $93.00 | $4.57–$93.00 | — | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $8.68, median $13.30, highest $50.10 — a 5.8× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 7 facilities here, median $13.30. 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 8 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
AST is an enzyme found in the liver, muscles and heart. It is measured together with ALT to look for liver injury, and the ratio between them gives clues to the cause.
What the price covers
The price usually covers running the test. The blood draw (36415) is often billed as a separate line.