Syphilis test (treponemal) cost in Santa Cruz, CA
In Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA, 3 hospitals list a cash price for syphilis antibody test (Treponema pallidum): from $7.20 to $106.00, with a median of $7.20. The lowest listed price is at Dominican Hospital and 1 other hospital. Across California, the median is $19.28 at 186 hospitals.
Cash prices at 3 facilities across 2 cities for code 86780, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Oct 2, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Feb 28, 2026 and Sep 28, 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 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dominican Hospital lowest Santa Cruz, CA · (831) 462-7700 RL-A-FTA CSF G 55273 File of Feb 28, 2026 · source file | $7.20 | $16.00 | $7.36–$126.18 | 55% |
| Watsonville Community Hospital lowest Watsonville, CA · (831) 724-4741 TREMPONEMA PALLIDUM File of Sep 28, 2026 · source file | $7.20 | $12.00 | $4.32–$110.81 | 40% |
| Dominican Hospital Santa Cruz, CA · (831) 462-7700 TREPONEMA PALLIDUM AB File of Feb 28, 2026 · source file | $27.45 | $61.00 | $11.40–$126.18 | 55% |
| Sutter Maternity & Surgery Center of Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA · (831) 477-2200 HCHG CORE TREPONEMA PALLIDUM File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $106.00 | $106.00 | — | — |
Outpatient: lowest $7.20, median $7.20, highest $106.00 — a 14.7× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 3 facilities here, median $7.20. 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 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 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
A treponemal antibody test detects antibodies to the bacterium that causes syphilis. Many labs now screen with it first and confirm with an RPR (86592).
What the price covers
The price usually covers running the test. The blood draw (36415) is often billed as a separate line.
4 rows held back from this comparison
They are priced below $1 or below a tenth of the national median for code 86780 ($49.68). 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Watsonville Community Hospital Watsonville, CAQ4112 FTA-ABS IFA | $3.60 | file |
| Watsonville Community Hospital Watsonville, CAQ34323 T PALLAD AB | $3.60 | file |
| Watsonville Community Hospital Watsonville, CATREPONEMA PALLIDUM | $3.60 | file |
| Dominican Hospital Santa Cruz, CARL-A-MHA 50777 | $4.50 | file |