Hemoglobin test cost in Boston, MA
In Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH, 25 hospitals list a cash price for hemoglobin blood test: from $3.97 to $224.00, with a median of $25.50. The lowest listed price is at Boston Medical Center South — $21.53 less than the median here. Across Massachusetts, the median is $16.50 at 32 hospitals.
Cash prices at 25 facilities across 19 cities for code 85018, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 29, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Jan 28, 2026 and Sep 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 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 · (508) 427-3000 HC Chg Blood Count Hemoglobin | $3.97 | $8.83 | $2.09–$394.86 | 55% | — source file |
| Melrosewakefield Healthcare Melrose, MA · (781) 979-3000 HC Hemoglobin - Hemoglobin | $6.30 | $9.00 | $3.15–$530.75 | 30% | — source file |
| Lowell General Hospital Lowell, MA · (978) 937-6000 HC Hemoglobin - Hemoglobin | $6.30 | $9.00 | $3.15–$9.74 | 30% | — source file |
| Tufts Medical Center Boston, MA · (617) 636-5000 HC Hemoglobin - Hemoglobin | $6.30 | $9.00 | $2.36–$10.29 | 30% | — source file |
| Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital Brockton, MA · (508) 941-7000 HEMOGLOBIN (HGB) | $7.00 | $10.00 | $2.32–$7.60 | 30% | Jan 28, 2026 source file |
| Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital Brockton, MA · (508) 941-7000 POC; HEMOGLOBIN (QW) | $7.00 | $10.00 | $2.32–$7.60 | 30% | Jan 28, 2026 source file |
| Boston Medical Center Boston, MA · (617) 638-8000 HC Hemoglobin | $12.60 | $28.00 | $2.05–$512.54 | 55% | — source file |
| Boston Medical Center Boston, MA · (617) 638-8000 HC Chg Blood Count Hemoglobin | $12.60 | $28.00 | $2.05–$512.54 | 55% | — source file |
| Cambridge Health Alliance Cambridge, MA · (617) 665-1000 HC Hemoglobin | $14.00 | $14.00 | $2.09–$16.37 | — | — source file |
| Southcoast Hospitals Group - Tobey Hospital Campus Wareham, MA · (508) 679-3131 HC Hemoglobin | $14.50 | $29.00 | $2.37–$22.07 | 50% | — source file |
| Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Milton Milton, MA · (617) 696-4600 CHG BLOOD COUNT HEMOGLOBIN | $16.00 | $16.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Mount Auburn Hospital Cambridge, MA · (617) 492-3500 CHG BLOOD COUNT HEMOGLOBIN | $17.00 | $17.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital - Needham Needham, MA · (781) 453-3002 CHG BLOOD COUNT HEMOGLOBIN | $20.00 | $20.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Shriners Childrens - Boston Boston, MA · (617) 722-3000 HEMOGLOBIN | $23.00 | $23.00 | $2.05–$817.41 | — | — source file |
| Emerson Hospital Concord, MA · (978) 369-1400 HEMOGLOBIN (Hgb) BLOOD COUNT | $25.50 | $34.00 | $2.25–$34.00 | 25% | May 18, 2026 source file |
| Emerson Hospital Concord, MA · (978) 369-1400 HEMOGLOBIN AUTO | $25.50 | $34.00 | $2.25–$34.00 | 25% | May 18, 2026 source file |
| Emerson Hospital Concord, MA · (978) 369-1400 HEMOGLOBIN | $25.50 | $34.00 | $2.25–$34.00 | 25% | May 18, 2026 source file |
| Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital - Plymouth Plymouth, MA · (508) 746-2000 CHG BLOOD COUNT HEMOGLOBIN | $38.00 | $38.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Anna Jaques Hospital Newburyport, MA · (978) 463-1000 CHG BLOOD COUNT HEMOGLOBIN | $40.00 | $40.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| New England Baptist Hospital Boston, MA · (617) 754-5800 CHG BLOOD COUNT HEMOGLOBIN | $40.00 | $40.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Boston, MA · (617) 667-7000 CHG BLOOD COUNT HEMOGLOBIN | $52.00 | $52.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Lahey Hospital & Medical Center, Burlington Burlington, MA · (781) 744-5100 CHG BLOOD COUNT HEMOGLOBIN | $58.00 | $58.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Portsmouth Regional Hospital Portsmouth, NH · (603) 436-5110 HEMOGLOBIN | $60.00 | $60.00 | $15.42–$57.00 | — | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Exeter Hospital Exeter, NH · (603) 778-7311 CHG BLOOD COUNT HEMOGLOBIN | $74.00 | $74.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Winchester Hospital Winchester, MA · (781) 729-9000 CHG BLOOD COUNT HEMOGLOBIN | $102.00 | $102.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Plaistow Fser Plaistow, NH · (603) 421-2100 HEMOGLOBIN | $182.00 | $182.00 | $38.22–$172.90 | — | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Parkland Medical Center Derry, NH · (603) 421-2100 HEMOGLOBIN | $182.00 | $182.00 | $38.22–$172.90 | — | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Seabrook Emergency Seabrook, NH · (603) 436-5110 HEMOGLOBIN | $224.00 | $224.00 | $57.57–$212.80 | — | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Dover Emergency Room Dover, NH · (603) 436-5110 HEMOGLOBIN | $224.00 | $224.00 | $57.57–$212.80 | — | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $3.97, median $25.50, highest $224.00 — a 56.4× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 20 facilities here, median $18.50. 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 10 of 15 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
A hemoglobin test measures the oxygen-carrying protein in red blood cells. It is used to check for anemia or bleeding and to follow treatment.
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 85018 ($24.60). 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.
| Boston Medical Center Brighton Boston, MAHC Chg Blood Count Hemoglobin | $1.07 | file |