Lab tests CPT 84550 Inpatient — admitted to hospital

Uric acid test cost in Baltimore, MD — inpatient

In Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD, 4 hospitals list a cash price for uric acid blood test as an inpatient: from $4.56 to $25.60, with a median of $6.91. The lowest listed price is at Greater Baltimore Medical Center — $2.35 less than the median here. Across Maryland, the median is $6.34 at 6 hospitals.

Cash prices at 4 facilities across 2 cities for code 84550, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 22, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between — and —.

Lowest$4.56Greater Baltimore Medical Center
Median$6.91half pay less
Highest$25.60in this market
Difference5.6×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 Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD.

median
Lowest $4.56Highest $25.60

Hospitals, cheapest first

HospitalCash price List priceInsurers payOff listFile date
Greater Baltimore Medical Center lowest Towson, MD · (443) 849-2000 HC Uric Acid $4.56 $4.65 $4.56–$4.65 2% —
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Mercy Medical Center Baltimore, MD · (410) 332-9237 HC ASSAY OF URIC ACID, BLOOD $6.42 $6.55 $6.55–$6.42 2% —
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Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital Baltimore, MD · (410) 578-5050 URIC ACID $7.39 $7.54 $7.39–$7.54 2% —
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The Kennedy Krieger Institute Baltimore, MD · (443) 923-9301 HC URIC ACID; BLOOD $25.60 $32.00 $20.42–$32.00 20% —
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Inpatient: lowest $4.56, median $6.91, highest $25.60 — a 5.6× difference within the same market.

As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 4 facilities here, median $6.91 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.

Cash or insurance?

At 3 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 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

A uric acid test measures uric acid in the blood. It is used to diagnose and monitor gout, to look into kidney stones and to watch levels during some cancer treatments.

What the price covers

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