Sed rate (ESR) cost in Buffalo, NY
In Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY, 1 hospital lists a cash price for sed rate (ESR, erythrocyte sedimentation rate): from $11.52 to $11.52, with a median of $11.52. Across New York, the median is $16.02 at 38 hospitals.
Cash prices at 1 facility for code 85652, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 22, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Aug 25, 2026 and Aug 25, 2026.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erie County Medical Center Buffalo, NY · (716) 898-3936 SEDIMENTATION RATE | $11.52 | $12.07 | $2.02–$35.99 | 5% | Aug 25, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $11.52, median $11.52, highest $11.52.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 1 facility here, median $11.52. 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 the one hospital here that publishes insurer rates for this code, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated. 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.
3 rows held back from this comparison
They are priced below $1 or below a tenth of the national median for code 85652 ($33.00). 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.
| Mount St. Mary's Hospital Lewiston, NYHC RBC Sed Rate, Auto - Sedimentation Rate, Automated | $2.00 | file |
| Sisters of Charity Hospital Buffalo, NYHC RBC Sed Rate, Auto - Sedimentation Rate, Automated | $2.00 | file |
| Mercy Hospital of Buffalo Buffalo, NYHC RBC Sed Rate, Auto - Sedimentation Rate, Automated | $2.00 | file |