Sed rate (ESR) cost in Memphis, TN
In Memphis, TN-MS-AR, 12 hospitals list a cash price for sed rate (ESR, erythrocyte sedimentation rate): from $4.18 to $49.68, with a median of $19.60. The lowest listed price is at Methodist Lebonheur Childrens Hosp — $15.42 less than the median here. Across Tennessee, the median is $8.14 at 38 hospitals.
Cash prices at 12 facilities across 7 cities for code 85652, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 25, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Feb 27, 2026 and Feb 28, 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 Memphis, TN-MS-AR.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Methodist Lebonheur Childrens Hosp lowest Memphis, TN HC RBC Sed Rate, Auto - Sedimentation Rate, Automated | $4.18 | $19.00 | — | 78% | — source file |
| Methodist Olive Branch Hospital Olive Branch, MS · (662) 932-9000 HC RBC Sed Rate, Auto - Sedimentation Rate, Automated | $8.14 | $37.00 | — | 78% | — source file |
| Methodist Lebonheur Germantown Hosp Germantown, TN HC RBC Sed Rate, Auto - Sedimentation Rate, Automated | $8.14 | $37.00 | $1.13–$20.17 | 78% | — source file |
| Methodist University Hospital Memphis, TN · (901) 516-8274 HC RBC Sed Rate, Auto - Sedimentation Rate, Automated | $8.14 | $37.00 | — | 78% | — source file |
| Methodist South Hospital Memphis, TN HC RBC Sed Rate, Auto - Sedimentation Rate, Automated | $8.14 | $37.00 | $1.13–$20.17 | 78% | — source file |
| Methodist North Hospital Memphis, TN HC RBC Sed Rate, Auto - Sedimentation Rate, Automated | $8.14 | $37.00 | $1.13–$20.17 | 78% | — source file |
| Baptist Memorial Hospital-Crittenden West Memphis, AR · (870) 394-7800 SEDIMENTATION RATE AUTO | $31.05 | $207.00 | $2.56–$165.60 | 85% | Feb 27, 2026 source file |
| Baptist Memorial Hospital-DeSoto Southaven, MS · (662) 772-4000 SEDIMENTATION RATE AUTO | $38.20 | $191.00 | $2.56–$171.90 | 80% | Feb 27, 2026 source file |
| Baptist Memorial Hospital-Collierville Collierville, TN SEDIMENTATION RATE AUTO | $43.47 | $207.00 | $2.56–$186.30 | 79% | Feb 27, 2026 source file |
| Baptist Memorial Hospital-Memphis Memphis, TN · (901) 226-5000 SEDIMENTATION RATE AUTO | $43.47 | $207.00 | $2.56–$186.30 | 79% | Feb 28, 2026 source file |
| Baptist Memorial Hospital-Women's Memphis, TN SEDIMENTATION RATE AUTO | $43.47 | $207.00 | $2.56–$186.30 | 79% | Feb 27, 2026 source file |
| Baptist Memorial Hospital-Tipton Covington, TN · (901) 476-2621 SEDIMENTATION RATE AUTO | $49.68 | $207.00 | $2.35–$186.30 | 76% | Feb 27, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $4.18, median $19.60, highest $49.68 — a 11.9× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 12 facilities here, median $19.60. 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 9 of 9 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.