Basic metabolic panel (blood test) in Baltimore, MD costs $20 to $55. Here's every hospital's price.
8 hospitals in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD metro area publish a cash price for basic metabolic panel (blood test) (CPT 80048). We read their files every month so you don't have to.
Across the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD metro area, 8 hospitals list a cash price for basic metabolic panel (blood test) (CPT 80048). The lowest is $20 at Luminis Health Anne Arundel Medical Center, INC, the median is $32 and the highest is $55 at Mount Washington Pediatric Hospital. The most expensive hospital lists 2.8 times the cheapest for the same code.
The Baltimore, MD median of $32 is 54% below the national median of $70 across 576 US hospitals with a cash price for this code.
5 of these hospitals also publish the rates they negotiated with insurers, from $21 to $37. With insurance you pay a share of the negotiated rate, which is sometimes higher than the cash price; you may ask for the cash price instead.
The files behind these prices are dated between November 2025 and July 2026. 15 other hospitals in the metro area have no readable price for this code: some publish no file, some block automated reading, some leave the code out. They are listed below so you can call them.
Sorted by cash price
Hospital facility fee onlyAnnapolis · 22 mi · File Jan 2026
Baltimore · 8 mi · File Jul 2026
Rosedale · 5 mi · File Apr 2026
Baltimore · 4 mi · File Apr 2026
Baltimore · 4 mi · File Apr 2026
Baltimore · 7 mi · File Nov 2025
What's in the price
The hospital facility fee for CPT 80048. The doctor, anesthesia and lab work usually bill separately.
Cash vs. insured
Cash is what you pay without insurance. With insurance you pay a share of the negotiated rate, which can be higher than cash. You may ask for the cash price.
What to say on the phone
"I'd like the self-pay price for CPT 80048, in writing, and whether it covers facility, physician and anesthesia."
About basic metabolic panel (blood test)
CPT 80048 is a basic metabolic panel: eight blood tests in one draw covering blood sugar, kidney function (creatinine, urea), sodium, potassium, chloride, bicarbonate and calcium. It is one of the most commonly ordered lab tests, done at check-ups, before surgery and when monitoring medications.
What the price covers
The price is for the laboratory analysis of one blood sample. It does not include the blood draw (36415, usually a small separate charge), the visit that ordered it, or any other tests run from the same sample.
Why prices vary
Lab tests are where hospital pricing looks most absurd: the same automated panel, which costs a laboratory a few dollars to run, lists at $10 in one hospital and $500 in another. Independent laboratories and direct-to-consumer lab services are almost always cheaper than hospital labs for routine panels. If a hospital's cash price is high, ask whether the sample can go to an outside lab.
Questions to ask
- What is the self-pay price for 80048, and is the blood draw extra?
- Can the sample be sent to an independent laboratory instead?
- If my doctor ordered a comprehensive panel (80053), is the basic one enough?
Hospitals in Baltimore, MD without a price for this procedure
Listed so you know who to call. The reason is what we found on their website.
- Carroll Hospital CenterWebsite blocks automated reading
- Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical CenterWebsite blocks automated reading
- Johns Hopkins Hospital, TheNo website on record
- Johns Hopkins Howard County Medical CenterWebsite blocks automated reading
- Kennedy Krieger Institutecode not in file
- Levindale Hebrew Geriatric Center and HospitalWebsite blocks automated reading
- Northwest Hospital CenterWebsite blocks automated reading
- Saint Agnes Hospitalcode not in file
- Sinai Hospital of BaltimoreWebsite blocks automated reading
- Umd Rehabilitation & Orthopaedic InstituteWebsite blocks automated reading
- Umd Upper Chesapeake Medical CenterWebsite blocks automated reading
- University of Maryland Medical CenterWebsite blocks automated reading
- University of MD Baltimore Washington Medical CenterWebsite blocks automated reading
- University of MD Medical Center Midtown CampusWebsite blocks automated reading
- University of MD St Joseph Medical CenterWebsite blocks automated reading