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Manual Blood Sedimentation Rate Test (ESR)

South Carolina 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?

$7.94

Typical negotiated rate. In South Carolina, July 2026.

Insurers have agreed to pay about $7.94 for this service. The price depends on where it is billed: about $3.47 from a physician practice, and about $20.42 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 6 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$3.47$3.31 to $4.47
FacilityA hospital or hospital-owned outpatient department$20.42$12.59 to $74.13

How much rates vary

Facilitymedian $20 · 10th to 90th $5 to $93Professionalmedian $3 · 10th to 90th $3 to $8
$2$5$10$20$50$100$200facility $20professional $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
$6.03
Median
$19.50
Typical High
$95.50
Aetna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$3.31
Median
$3.39
Typical High
$7.94
Ambetter
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$3.63
Median
$4.27
Typical High
$7.94
BCBS
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$8.32
Median
$33.11
Typical High
$67.61
BCBS
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$3.16
Median
$6.03
Typical High
$8.91
Cigna
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$8.13
Median
$19.50
Typical High
$102.33
Cigna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$1.95
Median
$2.51
Typical High
$5.75
Medcost
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$3.24
Median
$4.47
Typical High
$10.96
United
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$2.14
Median
$4.27
Typical High
$5.13
United
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$2.34
Median
$3.63
Typical High
$5.01

Where South Carolina 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.

South Carolina· 7th of 51

$7.94

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.