AST liver test cost in Kansas City, MO
In Kansas City, MO-KS, 5 hospitals list a cash price for AST (aspartate aminotransferase) enzyme test: from $5.00 to $146.48, with a median of $29.28. The lowest listed price is at St Joseph Medical Center — $24.28 less than the median here. Across Missouri, the median is $33.48 at 30 hospitals.
Cash prices at 5 facilities across 3 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 Mar 6, 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 Kansas City, MO-KS.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Joseph Medical Center lowest Kansas City, MO · (816) 942-4400 Hc Transferase Aspartate Amino (Ast) (Sgot) | $5.00 | $126.22 | $4.66–$126.22 | 96% | Mar 17, 2026 source file |
| NKC Health North Kansas City, MO · (816) 691-2000 ASPARTATE AMINOTRANSFERASE | $21.75 | $75.00 | $4.80–$61.35 | 71% | Mar 6, 2026 source file |
| Children's Mercy Hospital Kansas Overland Park, KS · (913) 696-8000 SGOT (AST) CMH | $29.28 | $61.00 | $4.66–$54.90 | 52% | — source file |
| Children's Mercy Hospital Kansas City, MO · (816) 234-3000 SGOT (AST) CMH | $29.28 | $61.00 | $5.44–$54.90 | 52% | — source file |
| AdventHealth South Overland Park Overland Park, KS · (913) 373-2000 HC AST (SGOT) SERUM/PLASMA | $146.48 | $146.48 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| AdventHealth South Overland Park Overland Park, KS · (913) 373-2000 HC NON ALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE PANEL - AST | $146.48 | $146.48 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| AdventHealth South Overland Park Overland Park, KS · (913) 373-2000 HC AST - LIVER FIBROSIS CHRONIC VIRAL HEPATITIS FIBROMETER PANEL - ARUP | $146.48 | $146.48 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $5.00, median $29.28, highest $146.48 — a 29.3× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 4 facilities here, median $29.28. 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 4 of 4 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.