Sed rate (ESR) cost in Macon, GA
In Macon-Bibb County, GA, 2 hospitals list a cash price for sed rate (ESR, erythrocyte sedimentation rate): from $36.00 to $42.00, with a median of $39.00. The lowest listed price is at Central Georgia Rehabilitation — $3.00 less than the median here. Across Georgia, the median is $39.00 at 32 hospitals.
Cash prices at 2 facilities 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 19, 2025 and Nov 19, 2025.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Macon-Bibb County, GA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Georgia Rehabilitation lowest Macon, GA HC RBC SEDIMENTATION RATE AUTOMATED | $36.00 | $72.00 | $1.58–$66.96 | 50% | Nov 19, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Navicent the Medical Center Macon, GA · (478) 633-1000 HC RBC SEDIMENTATION RATE AUTOMATED | $42.00 | $84.00 | $1.58–$78.12 | 50% | Nov 19, 2025 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $36.00, median $39.00, highest $42.00 — a 1.2× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 2 facilities here, median $39.00. 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 2 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.