Hepatitis B core antibody cost in Lexington, KY — inpatient
In Lexington-Fayette, KY, 3 hospitals list a cash price for hepatitis B core antibody test (total) as an inpatient: from $11.25 to $17.33, with a median of $13.20. The lowest listed price is at Saint Joseph East — $1.95 less than the median here. Across Kentucky, the median is $74.08 at 71 hospitals.
Cash prices at 3 facilities for code 86704, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 27, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Feb 28, 2026 and Apr 1, 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 Lexington-Fayette, KY.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint Joseph East lowest Lexington, KY · (859) 967-5000 HC LAB HEP B CORE AB TOTAL File of Feb 28, 2026 · source file | $11.25 | $28.00 | $25.48 | 60% |
| Saint Joseph Hospital Lexington, KY · (859) 313-1000 HC LAB HEP B CORE AB TOTAL File of Feb 28, 2026 · source file | $13.20 | $28.00 | $25.48 | 53% |
| University of Kentucky Hospital Lexington, KY · (859) 257-2278 Hc 051-Hep B Core Ab Test, Total - Hepatitis B Core Antibody, Total-So+ File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $17.33 | $43.32 | — | 60% |
| University of Kentucky Hospital Lexington, KY · (859) 257-2278 Hc Hep B Core Ab Test, Total - Hepatitis B Core Antibody, Total File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $69.92 | $174.80 | — | 60% |
Inpatient: lowest $11.25, median $13.20, highest $17.33 — a 1.5× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 8 facilities here, median $123.73 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 2 of 2 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 2 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
A hepatitis B core antibody test shows whether a person has ever been infected with hepatitis B. It is part of hepatitis B screening together with the surface antigen and surface antibody tests.
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 86704 ($66.60). 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.
| Hospital | Cash price | File |
|---|---|---|
| University of Kentucky Hospital Lexington, KYHc Hepatitis B Virus Core Antibodies (Total) 20091-So+ | $5.78 | file |