Lab tests CPT 87493 Outpatient

C. diff test cost in San Antonio, TX

In San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX, 2 hospitals list a cash price for C. difficile toxin gene test (stool PCR): from $73.25 to $143.88, with a median of $108.57. The lowest listed price is at University Health System — $35.32 less than the median here. Across Texas, the median is $209.30 at 100 hospitals.

Cash prices at 2 facilities for code 87493, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 24, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Oct 14, 2025 and Jan 13, 2026.

Lowest$73.25University Health System
Median$108.57half pay less
Highest$143.88in this market
Difference2.0×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 San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX.

median
Lowest $73.25Highest $143.88

Hospitals, cheapest first

HospitalCash price List priceInsurers payOff listFile date
University Health System lowest San Antonio, TX · (210) 358-2000 HC C DIFFICILE PCR $73.25 $293.00 $31.31–$732.50 75% Oct 14, 2025
source file
Santa Rosa Hospital - Westover Hills San Antonio, TX HC 87493 CLOSTRIDIUM DIFFICILE, PCR $143.88 $436.00 $18.64–$414.20 67% Jan 13, 2026
source file

Outpatient: lowest $73.25, median $108.57, highest $143.88 — a 2.0× difference within the same market.

As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 1 facility here, median $73.25. 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 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 it is

This stool test looks for the toxin gene of Clostridioides difficile, a cause of severe diarrhea, often after antibiotics or a hospital stay.

What the price covers

The price usually covers running the stool test; the collection kit is often included.