Sed rate (ESR) cost in St. Louis, MO
In St. Louis, MO-IL, 11 hospitals list a cash price for sed rate (ESR, erythrocyte sedimentation rate): from $5.86 to $164.88, with a median of $39.00. The lowest listed price is at Ranken Jordan Home for Convalescent Crippled Children Hospital — $33.14 less than the median here. Across Missouri, the median is $37.77 at 22 hospitals.
Cash prices at 11 facilities across 10 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 Apr 24, 2026 and Apr 24, 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 St. Louis, MO-IL.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ranken Jordan Home for Convalescent Crippled Children Hospital lowest Maryland Heights, MO · (314) 872-6400 Sed Rate by Modified Westergren | $5.86 | $7.32 | — | 20% | Apr 24, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Hospital St Louis Saint Louis, MO Sedimentation Rate Automated | $12.35 | $19.00 | $2.43–$6.08 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital South Saint Louis, MO · (314) 525-1000 Sedimentation Rate Automated | $12.35 | $19.00 | $2.43–$6.08 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Washington Washington, MO Sedimentation Rate Automated | $12.35 | $19.00 | $2.43–$4.57 | 35% | — source file |
| Gateway Regional Medical Center Granite City, IL · (618) 798-3000 SED RATE, AUTOMATED | $16.00 | $26.66 | $26.66 | 40% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Jefferson Festus, MO Sedimentation Rate Automated | $39.00 | $60.00 | $2.43–$6.08 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln Troy, MO · (636) 528-8551 Sedimentation Rate Automated | $44.20 | $68.00 | $2.70–$3.83 | 35% | — source file |
| St Elizabeths Hospital of the Hospital Sisters of the Third Order of St Francis O'Fallon, IL HC SED RATE AUTO | $53.28 | $74.00 | $2.70–$74.00 | 28% | — source file |
| St Josephs Hospital Hospital Sisters Third Order of St Francis Breese, IL · (618) 526-4511 HC SED RATE AUTO | $64.80 | $90.00 | $2.70–$90.00 | 28% | — source file |
| Hshs Holy Family Hospital Greenville, IL · (618) 664-1230 HC SED RATE AUTO | $65.52 | $91.00 | $2.70–$91.00 | 28% | — source file |
| St Josephs Hospital of the Hospital Sisters of the Third Order of St Francis Highland, IL · (618) 651-2600 HC SED RATE AUTO | $164.88 | $229.00 | $5.40–$229.00 | 28% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $5.86, median $39.00, highest $164.88 — a 28.1× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 8 facilities here, median $59.04. 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 5 of 10 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.