Sed rate (ESR) cost in Milwaukee, WI
In Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI, 17 hospitals list a cash price for sed rate (ESR, erythrocyte sedimentation rate): from $22.79 to $51.29, with a median of $47.50. The lowest listed price is at Ascension SE Wisconsin Hospital and 3 other hospitals — $24.71 less than the median here. Across Wisconsin, the median is $36.96 at 80 hospitals.
Cash prices at 17 facilities across 11 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 21, 2025 and Mar 23, 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 Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ascension SE Wisconsin Hospital lowest Franklin, WI HC RBC SEDIMENTATION RATE AUTOMATED | $22.79 | $43.00 | $2.83–$12.70 | 47% | — source file |
| Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare - Southeast Wisconsin lowest Franklin, WI HC RBC SEDIMENTATION RATE AUTOMATED | $22.79 | $43.00 | $2.83–$12.70 | 47% | — source file |
| Ascension St. Francis Hospital lowest Milwaukee, WI · (414) 647-5000 HC RBC SEDIMENTATION RATE AUTOMATED | $22.79 | $43.00 | $2.83–$12.70 | 47% | — source file |
| Ascension SE Wisconsin Hospital lowest Milwaukee, WI · (414) 447-2130 HC RBC SEDIMENTATION RATE AUTOMATED | $22.79 | $43.00 | $2.83–$12.70 | 47% | — source file |
| Columbia St. Mary's Glendale, WI SED RATE AUTO | $31.27 | $59.00 | $2.62–$6.59 | 47% | — source file |
| Columbia St. Mary's Hospital Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI · (414) 585-1374 HC RBC SEDIMENTATION RATE AUTOMATED | $36.57 | $69.00 | $2.84–$12.33 | 47% | — source file |
| Columbia St. Mary's Hospital Ozaukee Mequon, WI HC RBC SEDIMENTATION RATE AUTOMATED | $36.57 | $69.00 | $2.84–$12.33 | 47% | — source file |
| Columbia St. Mary's Hospital Ozaukee Mequon, WI HC RBC SEDIMENTATION RATE AUTOMATED | $36.57 | $69.00 | $2.84–$12.33 | 47% | — source file |
| Columbia St. Mary's Hospital Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI · (414) 585-1374 HC RBC SEDIMENTATION RATE AUTOMATED | $36.57 | $69.00 | $2.84–$12.33 | 47% | — source file |
| Aurora Psychiatric Hospital Wauwatosa, WI · (414) 454-6600 SED RATE AUTOMATED | $47.50 | $95.00 | $2.16–$80.75 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Aurora Medical Center Grafton Grafton, WI · (262) 329-1000 SED RATE AUTOMATED | $47.50 | $95.00 | $2.16–$80.75 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Aurora Medical Center Summit Summit, WI · (262) 434-1600 SED RATE AUTOMATED | $47.50 | $95.00 | $2.16–$80.75 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Aurora Medical Center Washington County Hartford, WI · (262) 673-2300 SED RATE AUTOMATED | $47.50 | $95.00 | $2.16–$80.75 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Aurora Medical Center Kenosha Kenosha, WI · (262) 948-5600 SED RATE AUTOMATED | $47.50 | $95.00 | $2.16–$80.75 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Aurora Sinai Medical Center of Aurora Health Care Metro Milwaukee, WI SED RATE AUTOMATED | $47.50 | $95.00 | $2.16–$80.75 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Aurora St Lukes Medical Center of Aurora Health Care Metro Milwaukee, WI · (414) 649-6000 SED RATE AUTOMATED | $47.50 | $95.00 | $2.16–$80.75 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Aurora St Lukes South Shore of Aurora Health Care Metro Cudahy, WI SED RATE AUTOMATED | $47.50 | $95.00 | $2.16–$80.75 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Aurora West Allis Medical Center West Allis, WI · (414) 328-6000 SED RATE AUTOMATED | $47.50 | $95.00 | $2.16–$80.75 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Children's Hospital of Wisconsin Milwaukee, WI · (414) 266-3954 HBC ERYTHROCYTE SEDIMENTATION RATE NB | $51.29 | $93.25 | $65.28–$88.59 | 45% | Mar 23, 2026 source file |
| Children's Hospital of Wisconsin Milwaukee, WI · (414) 266-3954 HBC ERYTHROCYTE SEDIMENTATION RATE APPLTN | $51.29 | $93.25 | $65.28–$88.59 | 45% | Mar 23, 2026 source file |
| Children's Hospital of Wisconsin Milwaukee, WI · (414) 266-3954 HBC ERYTHROCYTE SEDIMENTATION RATE KN | $51.29 | $93.25 | $65.28–$88.59 | 45% | Mar 23, 2026 source file |
| Children's Hospital of Wisconsin Milwaukee, WI · (414) 266-3954 HBC ERYTHROCYTE SEDIMENTATION RATE MQ | $51.29 | $93.25 | $65.28–$88.59 | 45% | Mar 23, 2026 source file |
| Children's Hospital of Wisconsin Milwaukee, WI · (414) 266-3954 HBC ERYTHROCYTE SEDIMENTATION RATE NB | $51.29 | $93.25 | $65.28–$88.59 | 45% | Mar 23, 2026 source file |
| Children's Hospital of Wisconsin Milwaukee, WI · (414) 266-3954 HBC ERYTHROCYTE SEDIMENTATION RATE | $51.29 | $93.25 | $65.28–$88.59 | 45% | Mar 23, 2026 source file |
| Children's Hospital of Wisconsin Milwaukee, WI · (414) 266-3954 HBC ERYTHROCYTE SEDIMENTATION RATE | $51.29 | $93.25 | $65.28–$88.59 | 45% | Mar 23, 2026 source file |
| Children's Hospital of Wisconsin Milwaukee, WI · (414) 266-3954 HBC ERYTHROCYTE SEDIMENTATION RATE APPLTN | $51.29 | $93.25 | $65.28–$88.59 | 45% | Mar 23, 2026 source file |
| Children's Hospital of Wisconsin Milwaukee, WI · (414) 266-3954 HBC ERYTHROCYTE SEDIMENTATION RATE KN | $51.29 | $93.25 | $65.28–$88.59 | 45% | Mar 23, 2026 source file |
| Children's Hospital of Wisconsin Milwaukee, WI · (414) 266-3954 HBC ERYTHROCYTE SEDIMENTATION RATE MQ | $51.29 | $93.25 | $65.28–$88.59 | 45% | Mar 23, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $22.79, median $47.50, highest $51.29 — a 2.3× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 13 facilities here, median $47.50. 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 10 of 17 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 1 it is 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.