Uric acid test cost in San Diego, CA — inpatient
In San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA, 10 hospitals list a cash price for uric acid blood test as an inpatient: from $13.20 to $106.81, with a median of $64.50. The lowest listed price is at UC San Diego Medical Center — $51.30 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $61.20 at 103 hospitals.
Cash prices at 10 facilities across 6 cities for code 84550, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 1, 2026 and May 29, 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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UC San Diego Medical Center lowest San Diego, CA · (619) 543-6222 Uric Acid Level, Blood | $13.20 | $24.00 | $2.88–$32.40 | 45% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Clairemont Mesa San Diego, CA ASSAY OF BLOOD/URIC ACID | $29.12 | $56.00 | $3.00–$10.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Zion San Diego, CA ASSAY OF BLOOD/URIC ACID | $29.12 | $56.00 | $3.00–$10.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Marcos San Marcos, CA · (760) 528-6295 ASSAY OF BLOOD/URIC ACID | $29.12 | $56.00 | $3.00–$10.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Sharp Memorial Hospital San Diego, CA · (858) 939-3400 HC ASSAY OF URIC ACID BLOOD - URIC ACID | $64.50 | $86.00 | $25.54–$70.52 | 25% | — source file |
| Sharp Coronado Hospital and Healthcare Center Coronado, CA · (619) 435-6251 HC ASSAY OF URIC ACID BLOOD - URIC ACID | $64.50 | $86.00 | $5.44–$77.40 | 25% | — source file |
| Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center Chula Vista, CA · (619) 502-5800 HC ASSAY OF URIC ACID BLOOD - URIC ACID | $64.50 | $86.00 | $12.04–$77.40 | 25% | — source file |
| Grossmont Hospital La Mesa, CA · (619) 465-0711 HC ASSAY OF URIC ACID BLOOD - URIC ACID | $64.50 | $86.00 | $24.08–$90.43 | 25% | — source file |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Rsp Uric Acid Blood 301 | $75.00 | $100.00 | — | 25% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Rsp Uric Acid Serum 301 | $75.00 | $100.00 | — | 25% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Rch Uric Acid Blood | $75.00 | $100.00 | — | 25% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Tri-City Medical Center Oceanside, CA · (760) 724-8411 Uric Acid | $106.81 | $178.02 | $124.61–$138.68 | 40% | May 29, 2026 source file |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Rch Lab-Uric Acid | $122.25 | $163.00 | — | 25% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Rch Liv-Uric Acid Blood | $126.75 | $169.00 | — | 25% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
Inpatient: lowest $13.20, median $64.50, highest $106.81 — a 8.1× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 11 facilities here, median $64.50 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 6 of 9 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.
1 row held back from this comparison
It is priced below $1 or below a tenth of the national median for code 84550 ($36.00). Such a line is almost always a physician's fee billed separately, an assistant's share or a placeholder — a real charge, but not the price of the procedure itself.
| Tri-City Medical Center Oceanside, CAUric Acid LC | $2.48 | file |