Sed rate (ESR) cost in San Francisco, CA
In San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA, 22 hospitals list a cash price for sed rate (ESR, erythrocyte sedimentation rate): from $33.00 to $108.00, with a median of $56.00. The lowest listed price is at Chinese Hospital — $23.00 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $56.00 at 169 hospitals.
- The median here, $56.00, is 47% above the US median of $38.00.
- That is 20.7× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($2.70).
- San Francisco, CA ranks 5th of 5 metro areas in California by median, cheapest first.
- 10 of 22 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Cash prices at 22 facilities across 17 cities for code 85652, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Oct 29, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Mar 26, 2026 and Jul 22, 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 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese Hospital lowest San Francisco, CA · (415) 677-2480 Red blood cell sedimentation rate, to detect inflammation, automated File of Jul 22, 2026 · source file | $33.00 | $33.00 | $0.89–$260.90 | — |
| Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley Pleasanton, CA · (925) 847-3000 HC Esr Automated File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $54.00 | $135.00 | — | 60% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Francisco San Francisco, CA · (415) 833-2646 SEDIMENTATION RATE RBC AUTOMATED File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $56.00 | $100.00 | $3.00–$8.00 | 44% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Redwood City Redwood City, CA · (650) 299-2000 SEDIMENTATION RATE RBC AUTOMATED File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $56.00 | $100.00 | $3.00–$8.00 | 44% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Fremont Fremont, CA · (510) 784-4000 SEDIMENTATION RATE RBC AUTOMATED File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $56.00 | $100.00 | $3.00–$8.00 | 44% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Oakland/Richmond Oakland, CA · (510) 752-1000 SEDIMENTATION RATE RBC AUTOMATED File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $56.00 | $100.00 | $3.00–$8.00 | 44% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Leandro San Leandro, CA · (510) 454-1000 SEDIMENTATION RATE RBC AUTOMATED File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $56.00 | $100.00 | $3.00–$8.00 | 44% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - South San Francisco South San Francisco, CA · (650) 742-3200 SEDIMENTATION RATE RBC AUTOMATED File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $56.00 | $100.00 | $3.00–$8.00 | 44% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Antioch Antioch, CA · (925) 813-6500 SEDIMENTATION RATE RBC AUTOMATED File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $56.00 | $100.00 | $3.00–$8.00 | 44% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Rafael San Rafael, CA · (415) 444-2000 SEDIMENTATION RATE RBC AUTOMATED File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $56.00 | $100.00 | $3.00–$8.00 | 44% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Walnut Creek Walnut Creek, CA · (925) 295-4000 SEDIMENTATION RATE RBC AUTOMATED File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $56.00 | $100.00 | $3.00–$8.00 | 44% |
| Kaiser Fnd Hospital - Richmond Campus Richmond, CA · (510) 752-1000 SEDIMENTATION RATE RBC AUTOMATED File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $56.00 | $100.00 | $3.00–$8.00 | 44% |
| California Pacific Medical Center- Van Ness Campus San Francisco, CA · (415) 600-6000 HCHG CORE SEDIMENTATION RATE AUTO+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $101.00 | $101.00 | — | — |
| Alta Bates Summit Medical Center - Herrick Campus Berkeley, CA · (510) 204-4444 HCHG SEDIMENTATION RATE AUTOMATED File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $101.00 | $101.00 | — | — |
| Novato Community Hospital Novato, CA · (415) 209-1300 HCHG SEDIMENTATION RATE AUTOMATED File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $101.00 | $101.00 | — | — |
| Mills Health Center San Mateo, CA · (650) 696-5400 HCHG CORE SEDIMENTATION RATE AUTO+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $101.00 | $101.00 | — | — |
| Mills-Peninsula Medical Center Burlingame, CA · (650) 696-5400 HCHG CORE SEDIMENTATION RATE AUTO+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $101.00 | $101.00 | — | — |
| Eden Medical Center Castro Valley, CA · (510) 537-1234 HCHG CORE SEDIMENTATION RATE AUTO+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $101.00 | $101.00 | — | — |
| Alta Bates Summit Medical Center - Alta Bates Camp Berkeley, CA · (510) 204-4444 HCHG SEDIMENTATION RATE AUTOMATED File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $101.00 | $101.00 | — | — |
| Sutter Delta Medical Center Antioch, CA · (925) 779-7200 HCHG CORE SEDIMENTATION RATE AUTO+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $101.00 | $101.00 | — | — |
| California Pacific Medical Ctr-Davies Campus Hospital San Francisco, CA · (415) 600-6000 HCHG CORE SEDIMENTATION RATE AUTO+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $101.00 | $101.00 | — | — |
| MarinHealth Medical Center Greenbrae, CA · (415) 925-7900 RED BLOOD CELL SEDIMENTATION RATE; TO DETECT INFLAMMATION; AUTOMATED File of Mar 26, 2026 · source file | $108.00 | $180.00 | $2.70–$2,330.00 | 40% |
| MarinHealth Medical Center Greenbrae, CA · (415) 925-7900 RBC SED RATE AUTOMATED File of Mar 26, 2026 · source file | $114.48 | $190.80 | $2.70–$2,330.00 | 40% |
Outpatient: lowest $33.00, median $56.00, highest $108.00 — a 3.3× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 20 facilities here, median $75.00. 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 12 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 sed rate (ESR) is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Sed rate (ESR) explained.