Lab tests CPT 84450 Inpatient — admitted to hospital

AST liver test cost in Grand Rapids, MN — inpatient

In Grand Rapids, MN, 2 hospitals list a cash price for AST (aspartate aminotransferase) enzyme test as an inpatient: from $6.80 to $58.38, with a median of $32.59. The lowest listed price is at Grand Itasca Clinic and Hospital — $25.79 less than the median here. Across Minnesota, the median is $38.13 at 50 hospitals.

Cash prices at 2 facilities across 2 cities for code 84450, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Jan 1, 2026 and Jan 28, 2026.

Lowest$6.80Grand Itasca Clinic and Hospital
Median$32.59half pay less
Highest$58.38in this market
Difference8.6×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 Grand Rapids, MN.

median
Lowest $6.80Highest $58.38

Hospitals, cheapest first

HospitalCash price List priceInsurers payOff listFile date
Grand Itasca Clinic and Hospital lowest Grand Rapids, MN · (218) 326-3401 HC LIVER FIBROSIS AST $6.80 $16.00 $7.28–$15.92 58% Jan 28, 2026
source file
Grand Itasca Clinic and Hospital Grand Rapids, MN · (218) 326-3401 HC AST $21.18 $49.83 $22.67–$49.58 57% Jan 28, 2026
source file
Essentia Health Deer River Deer River, MN · (218) 246-4200 TRANSFERASE; ASPARTATE AMINO (AST) (SGOT) $58.38 $79.00 $31.76–$79.00 26% Jan 1, 2026
source file

Inpatient: lowest $6.80, median $32.59, highest $58.38 — a 8.6× difference within the same market.

As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 2 facilities here, median $32.59 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.

Cash or insurance?

At 2 of 2 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 1 it is 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.