Sed rate (ESR) cost in Birmingham, AL — inpatient
In Birmingham, AL, 1 hospital lists a cash price for sed rate (ESR, erythrocyte sedimentation rate) as an inpatient: from $23.64 to $23.64, with a median of $23.64. Across Alabama, the median is $20.32 at 6 hospitals.
Cash prices at 1 facility for code 85652, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between — and —.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Birmingham, AL.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Children's Hospital of Alabama lowest Birmingham, AL · (205) 939-9100 HC RBC Sed Rate, Auto - Sedimentation Rate, Automated | $23.64 | $54.98 | $37.39–$49.48 | 57% | — source file |
| The Children's Hospital of Alabama lowest Birmingham, AL · (205) 939-9100 HC RBC Sed Rate, Auto - Sedimentation Rate, Automated | $23.64 | $54.98 | $54.98 | 57% | — source file |
| The Children's Hospital of Alabama lowest Birmingham, AL · (205) 939-9100 HC RBC Sed Rate, Auto - Sedimentation Rate, Automated | $23.64 | $54.98 | $37.39–$49.48 | 57% | — source file |
Inpatient: lowest $23.64, median $23.64, highest $23.64.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 1 facility here, median $23.64 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At the one hospital here that publishes insurer rates for this code, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated and 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.