Skip to main content
PricedCare

Basic metabolic panel (blood test) in Boston, MA-NH costs $16 to $183. Here's every hospital's price.

6 hospitals in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH 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 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, 6 hospitals list a cash price for basic metabolic panel (blood test) (CPT 80048). The lowest is $16 at Boston Medical Center-Brighton, the median is $25 and the highest is $183 at Cambridge Health Alliance. The most expensive hospital lists 11 times the cheapest for the same code.

The Boston, MA-NH median of $25 is 65% below 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 $7 to $513. 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 January 2026 and April 2026. 35 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.

$16
lowest cash price in Boston, MA-NH
Boston Medical Center-Brighton · 13 mi
$8 below the median
$25
median cash price
6 hospitals
11×
highest ÷ lowest
same procedure, same metro
6/41
hospitals with a cash price
35 don't · see who

Sorted by cash price

Hospital facility fee only
1
Boston Medical Center-Brighton

Brighton · 13 mi · File Mar 2026

$16
list $36 · lowest of 2 lines
2
Tufts Medical Center

Boston · 12 mi · File Apr 2026

$22
list $31 · lowest of 3 lines
3
Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital

Brockton · 30 mi · File Jan 2026

$25
list $35 · lowest of 2 lines
4
Boston Medical Center

Boston · 13 mi · File Mar 2026

$64
list $142
5
Franciscan Children's Hospital & Rehab Center

Brighton · 13 mi · File Apr 2026

$69
list $87
6
Cambridge Health Alliance

Cambridge · 11 mi · File Mar 2026

$183
list $183
1

What's in the price

The hospital facility fee for CPT 80048. The doctor, anesthesia and lab work usually bill separately.

2

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.

3

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 Boston, MA-NH without a price for this procedure

Listed so you know who to call. The reason is what we found on their website.

Questions people ask