Sed rate (ESR) cost in Pittsburgh, PA
In Pittsburgh, PA, 11 hospitals list a cash price for sed rate (ESR, erythrocyte sedimentation rate): from $11.13 to $110.40, with a median of $51.00. The lowest listed price is at UPMC Washington — $39.87 less than the median here. Across Pennsylvania, the median is $22.40 at 55 hospitals.
Cash prices at 11 facilities across 6 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 Mar 6, 2026 and Mar 6, 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 Pittsburgh, PA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UPMC Washington lowest Washington, PA · (724) 225-7000 ESR- AUTOMATED | $11.13 | $15.90 | $1.89–$11.45 | 30% | — source file |
| Uniontown Hospital Uniontown, PA · (724) 430-5000 RED BLOOD CELL SEDIMENTATION RATE; TO DETECT INFLAMMATION; AUTOMATED | $18.00 | $36.00 | $2.55–$171.55 | 50% | — source file |
| UPMC Jameson New Castle, PA · (724) 656-4100 SED RATE AUTOMATED | $18.00 | $30.00 | $2.67–$38.14 | 40% | — source file |
| Uniontown Hospital Uniontown, PA · (724) 430-5000 RBC SED RATE AUTOMATED | $18.50 | $37.00 | $2.55–$171.55 | 50% | — source file |
| Highlands Hospital Connellsville, PA · (724) 628-1500 .SED RATE (POLYMED CO) | $32.40 | $54.00 | $18.20–$42.12 | 40% | — source file |
| Highlands Hospital Connellsville, PA · (724) 628-1500 SED RATE (MINIISED) | $32.40 | $54.00 | $18.20–$42.12 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC St Margaret Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 784-4000 SED RATE AUTOMATED | $45.00 | $75.00 | $2.33–$78.11 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 647-2345 SED RATE AUTOMATED | $51.00 | $85.00 | $2.67–$74.68 | 40% | Mar 6, 2026 source file |
| UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 641-4010 HC SED RATE RBC AUTO | $52.80 | $88.00 | $2.53–$80.96 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Childrens Hospital of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 692-5325 SED RATE AUTOMATED | $63.60 | $106.00 | $2.41–$95.40 | 40% | Mar 6, 2026 source file |
| UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 232-8111 SED RATE AUTOMATED | $69.60 | $116.00 | $2.25–$104.40 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC East Monroeville, PA · (412) 357-3000 SED RATE AUTOMATED | $85.20 | $142.00 | $2.67–$113.60 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Passavant - McCandless Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 367-6700 HC SED RATE RBC AUTO | $110.40 | $184.00 | $2.51–$156.40 | 40% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $11.13, median $51.00, highest $110.40 — a 9.9× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 10 facilities here, median $51.90. 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 11 of 11 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.