Lab tests CPT 86696 Inpatient — admitted to hospital

Herpes (HSV-2) blood test cost in Santa Maria, CA — inpatient

In Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA, 1 hospital lists a cash price for herpes blood test, HSV-2 antibody as an inpatient: from $9.47 to $9.47, with a median of $9.47. Across California, the median is $26.68 at 134 hospitals.

Cash prices at 1 facility for code 86696, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 27, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Feb 28, 2026 and Feb 28, 2026.

Lowest$9.47Dignity Health
Median$9.47half pay less
Highest$9.47in this market
Difference1.0×highest vs lowest

Where each hospital's price falls

Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA.

median
Lowest $9.47Highest $67.95

Hospitals, cheapest first

HospitalCash price List priceInsurers payOff listFile date
Dignity Health lowest Santa Maria, CA · (805) 739-3100 RL-A-HERPIICSF 50359 $9.47 $22.11 $13.93–$21.67 57% Feb 28, 2026
source file
Dignity Health Santa Maria, CA · (805) 739-3100 RL-A-HSV2 INHIB 2012135 $67.95 $158.75 $100.02–$155.58 57% Feb 28, 2026
source file

Inpatient: lowest $9.47, median $9.47, highest $9.47.

As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 1 facility here, median $9.47 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.

Cash or insurance?

At the one hospital here that publishes insurer rates for this code, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated and 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

This blood test looks for antibodies to herpes simplex virus type 2, the usual cause of genital herpes.

What the price covers

The price usually covers running the test. The blood draw (36415) is often billed as a separate line.

1 row held back from this comparison

It is priced below $1 or below a tenth of the national median for code 86696 ($72.03). Such a line is almost always a physician's fee billed separately, an assistant's share or a placeholder — a real charge, but not the price of the procedure itself.

Dignity Health Santa Maria, CARL-A-HERP PAN 2 51152B $5.78 file