Sed rate (ESR) cost in Akron, OH
In Akron, OH, 3 hospitals list a cash price for sed rate (ESR, erythrocyte sedimentation rate): from $12.35 to $75.00, with a median of $42.75. The lowest listed price is at Akron General Medical Center — $30.40 less than the median here. Across Ohio, the median is $30.31 at 86 hospitals.
Cash prices at 3 facilities across 2 cities for code 85652, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Nov 11, 2025 and Jul 14, 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 Akron, OH.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Akron General Medical Center lowest Akron, OH · (330) 344-6000 SEDIMENTATION RATE AUTO | $12.35 | $19.00 | $0.95–$11.35 | 35% | Jun 15, 2026 source file |
| Children's Hospital Medical Center of Akron Akron, OH · (330) 543-8290 HB ERYTHROCYTE SEDIMNTATION RATE | $42.75 | $57.00 | $19.38–$56.37 | 25% | Nov 11, 2025 source file |
| Children's Hospital Medical Center of Akron Akron, OH · (330) 543-8290 HB ERYTHROCYTE SEDIMENTATION RATE MV | $42.75 | $57.00 | $19.38–$56.37 | 25% | Nov 11, 2025 source file |
| University Hospitals Portage Medical Center Ravenna, OH · (330) 297-2300 HC RBC SED RATE, AUTO - SEDIMENTATION RATE, AUTOMATED | $75.00 | $100.00 | $2.05–$90.00 | 25% | Jul 14, 2026 source file |
| Children's Hospital Medical Center of Akron Akron, OH · (330) 543-8290 HB RBC SED RATE, AUTO | $78.00 | $104.00 | $35.36–$102.86 | 25% | Nov 11, 2025 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $12.35, median $42.75, highest $75.00 — a 6.1× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 2 facilities here, median $43.68. 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 2 of 3 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
The sed rate measures how quickly red blood cells settle in a tube. A fast rate is a general sign of inflammation; it is used for conditions such as giant cell arteritis and polymyalgia rheumatica and to follow them.
What the price covers
The price usually covers running the test. The blood draw (36415) is often billed as a separate line.