Basic metabolic panel (blood test) in Birmingham, AL costs $32 to $640. Here's every hospital's price.
6 hospitals in the Birmingham, AL 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 Birmingham, AL metro area, 6 hospitals list a cash price for basic metabolic panel (blood test) (CPT 80048). The lowest is $32 at Grandview Medical Center, the median is $615 and the highest is $640 at Baptist Health Brookwood Hospital. The most expensive hospital lists 20 times the cheapest for the same code.
The Birmingham, AL median of $615 is 779% above the national median of $70 across 566 US hospitals with a cash price for this code.
6 of these hospitals also publish the rates they negotiated with insurers, from $6 to $194. 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 March 2026 and April 2026. 8 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 onlyBirmingham · 6 mi · File Apr 2026
Birmingham · 3 mi · File Mar 2026
Alabaster · 15 mi · File Apr 2026
Jasper · 36 mi · File Apr 2026
Birmingham · 3 mi · File Apr 2026
Birmingham · 2 mi · File Apr 2026
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 Birmingham, AL without a price for this procedure
Listed so you know who to call. The reason is what we found on their website.
- Bibb Medical CenterNo price file found
- Medical West, An Affiliate of UAB Health Systemcode not in file
- St Vincent's BirminghamFile could not be read
- St Vincent's ChiltonFile could not be read
- St Vincent's St ClairFile could not be read
- St Vincents BlountFile could not be read
- St. Vincent's EastFile could not be read
- University of Alabama HospitalFile could not be read