go back

Manual Blood Sedimentation Rate Test (ESR)

Washington, DC rates for HCPCS 85651

This blood test measures how quickly red blood cells settle to the bottom of a test tube over a set period of time, using a manual laboratory method rather than an automated instrument. A faster settling rate can be a sign of inflammation somewhere in the body, though it does not point to a specific cause.

Rates data updated July 2026.

How much does Manual Blood Sedimentation Rate Test (ESR) cost?

$3.24

Typical negotiated rate. In Washington, DC, July 2026.

Insurers have agreed to pay about $3.24 for this service. The price depends on where it is billed: about $3.24 from a physician practice, and about $23.99 from a hospital or other facility. The two figures are alternatives, not parts of one bill.

These are rates insurers have negotiated with providers, not the amount a patient is billed. What you owe depends on your plan's deductible and coinsurance. Based on rates published by 5 insurance carriers under federal price transparency rules.

Where it's billed changes the price

Billed byTypicalRange
Physician practiceA doctor's office, clinic or independent provider$3.24$3.24 to $3.24
FacilityA hospital or hospital-owned outpatient department$23.99$5.13 to $26.30

How much rates vary

Facilitymedian $24 · 10th to 90th $3 to $26Professionalmedian $3 · 10th to 90th $3 to $12
$5$10$20$50$100facility $24professional $3

Distribution of negotiated rates across all payers (price axis is log-scale). Each curve is scaled to its own total: facility and professional rates are different services, shown together to compare where they cluster. Need provider-level prices or 24+ months of history? Contact us.

Rates by insurance carrier

Insurance Carrier
Aetna
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$3.24
Median
$23.99
Typical High
$39.81
Aetna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$3.24
Median
$3.24
Typical High
$3.24
CareFirst
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$10.00
Median
$17.78
Typical High
$39.81
Cigna
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$6.92
Median
$7.24
Typical High
$16.22
Cigna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$2.29
Median
$5.25
Typical High
$32.36
Kaiser Permanente
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$7.41
Median
$7.41
Typical High
$8.71
United
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$2.09
Median
$5.13
Typical High
$9.55
United
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$2.57
Median
$3.09
Typical High
$5.50

Where Washington, DC sits

The same service costs 9.5 times more in West Virginia than in Washington, DC. Every bar is a state, most expensive first. Touch or drag across it to read any state, then open that state for its carriers and full range.

Washington, DC· 51st of 51

$3.24

WV $30.90DC $3.24

Median negotiated rate in each state, from every insurer that publishes one. States where no insurer publishes a rate for this service are not shown.