How much does urinalysis, automated with microscopy cost in California?
CPT 81001 — the fair price, every hospital's price, and the Medicare benchmark for California.
Estimates only. Educational estimates from public Medicare
benchmarks and hospital-published prices — not a guarantee, and not legal, medical, or financial advice.
81001 Urinalysis, automated with microscopy
Ask to pay
$6
About 2.0× what Medicare pays — most hospitals accept a self-pay rate in this range.
Typical
$83
Medicare $3
Ask $6
$0 lowboxed = typical rangehigh $1,073
What Medicare paysⓘ
$3
Typical price near you
$83
Cash / self-pay price
$83
Prices near you — 92 facilities, lowest first
| Facility | Type | Price | vs Medicare | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adventist Health Glendale (Glendale) lowest ⚠ likely error | Hospital | $0cash | 0.1× | ★★★★★ |
| Adventist Health Simi Valley (Simi Valley) ⚠ likely error | Hospital | $0cash | 0.1× | — |
| Adventist Health White Memorial (Los Angeles) ⚠ likely error | Hospital | $0cash | 0.2× | — |
| Eisenhower Medical Center (Rancho Mirage) | Hospital | $2cash | 0.5× | ★★★★★ |
| Dignity Mercy Medical Center Redding (Redding) | Hospital | $2cash | 0.5× | — |
| Centinela Hospital Medical Center (Inglewood) | Hospital | $3cash | 0.9× | — |
| UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center (Santa Monica) | Hospital | $3negotiated | 1.1× | ★★★★★ |
| Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $3negotiated | 1.1× | ★★★★★ |
| Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center (Pomona) | Hospital | $4cash | 1.1× | ★★★★★ |
| Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (Torrance) | Hospital | $5negotiated | 1.6× | — |
| Los Angeles General Medical Center (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $5negotiated | 1.6× | ★★★★★ |
| Dignity St. John's Regional Medical Center (Oxnard) | Hospital | $6cash | 1.8× | — |
| UC Davis Medical Center (Sacramento) | Hospital | $23cash | 7.1× | ★★★★★ |
| MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center (Laguna Hills) | Hospital | $23cash | 7.3× | ★★★★★ |
| MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center (Fountain Valley) | Hospital | $23cash | 7.3× | — |
| MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center (Long Beach) | Hospital | $23cash | 7.3× | ★★★★★ |
| Natividad Medical Center (Salinas) | Hospital | $25cash | 7.9× | — |
| Dignity Mercy General Hospital (Sacramento) | Hospital | $28cash | 8.7× | ★★★★★ |
| Adventist Health Bakersfield (Bakersfield) | Hospital | $30cash | 9.5× | — |
| Dignity Mercy San Juan Medical Center (Carmichael) | Hospital | $35cash | 11.0× | — |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas (Encinitas) | Hospital | $35cash | 11.2× | ★★★★★ |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla (La Jolla) | Hospital | $35cash | 11.2× | ★★★★★ |
| Scripps Green Hospital (La Jolla) | Hospital | $35cash | 11.2× | ★★★★★ |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital Chula Vista (Chula Vista) | Hospital | $35cash | 11.2× | — |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego (San Diego) | Hospital | $35cash | 11.2× | ★★★★★ |
| UCSF Medical Center (San Francisco) | Hospital | $40cash | 12.6× | ★★★★★ |
| Dignity St. Mary Medical Center (Long Beach) | Hospital | $45cash | 14.1× | — |
| Dignity Dominican Hospital (Santa Cruz) | Hospital | $50cash | 15.6× | — |
| Tri-City Medical Center (Oceanside) | Hospital | $60cash | 19.0× | — |
| Loma Linda University Medical Center (Loma Linda) | Hospital | $61cash | 19.2× | ★★★★★ |
| Loma Linda University Medical Center – Murrieta (Murrieta) | Hospital | $61cash | 19.2× | — |
| Dignity Glendale Memorial Hospital (Glendale) | Hospital | $64cash | 20.2× | — |
| UC San Diego Health - Hillcrest & Jacobs Medical Center (San Diego) | Hospital | $65cash | 20.5× | — |
| UCI Health – Los Alamitos (Los Alamitos) | Hospital | $69cash | 21.7× | — |
| UCI Health – Placentia Linda (Placentia) | Hospital | $69cash | 21.7× | — |
| UCI Medical Center (Orange) | Hospital | $69cash | 21.7× | ★★★★★ |
| UCI Health – Fountain Valley (Fountain Valley) | Hospital | $69cash | 21.7× | — |
| Providence Little Company of Mary Torrance (Torrance) | Hospital | $69cash | 21.9× | ★★★★★ |
| Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian (Newport Beach) | Hospital | $70cash | 21.9× | ★★★★★ |
| Providence St. Mary Medical Center (Apple Valley) | Hospital | $70cash | 22.0× | — |
| Kaweah Health Medical Center (Visalia) | Hospital | $70cash | 22.1× | — |
| Riverside University Health System Medical Center (Moreno Valley) | Hospital | $72cash | 22.6× | — |
| Dignity St. Bernardine Medical Center (San Bernardino) | Hospital | $80cash | 25.3× | — |
| Kaiser Permanente Sacramento Medical Center (Sacramento) | Hospital | $83cash | 26.1× | ★★★★★ |
| Kaiser Permanente Fresno Medical Center (Fresno) | Hospital | $83cash | 26.1× | — |
| Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Medical Center (San Francisco) | Hospital | $83cash | 26.1× | ★★★★★ |
| Sharp Memorial Hospital (San Diego) | Hospital | $83cash | 26.3× | ★★★★★ |
| Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center (Chula Vista) | Hospital | $83cash | 26.3× | — |
| Sharp Coronado Hospital (Coronado) | Hospital | $83cash | 26.3× | ★★★★★ |
| Sharp Grossmont Hospital (La Mesa) | Hospital | $83cash | 26.3× | ★★★★★ |
| Community Regional Medical Center (Fresno) | Hospital | $84cash | 26.5× | — |
| Clovis Community Medical Center (Clovis) | Hospital | $84cash | 26.5× | — |
| Highland Hospital – Alameda Health System (Oakland) | Hospital | $88cash | 27.9× | — |
| Providence Mission Hospital (Mission Viejo) | Hospital | $90cash | 28.5× | ★★★★★ |
| USC Arcadia Hospital (Arcadia) | Hospital | $91cash | 28.6× | — |
| Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $93cash | 29.4× | ★★★★★ |
| Kaiser Permanente Fontana Medical Center (Fontana) | Hospital | $93cash | 29.4× | — |
| Kaiser Permanente San Diego Zion Medical Center (San Diego) | Hospital | $93cash | 29.4× | ★★★★★ |
| Dignity St. Joseph's Medical Center (Stockton) | Hospital | $106cash | 33.6× | — |
| Rady Children's Hospital (San Diego) | Hospital | $114cash | 36.0× | — |
| Dignity Northridge Hospital Medical Center (Northridge) | Hospital | $114cash | 36.1× | ★★★★★ |
| Providence St. Joseph Hospital (Orange) | Hospital | $117cash | 36.9× | ★★★★★ |
| Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center (Burbank) | Hospital | $125cash | 39.5× | — |
| Sutter Santa Rosa Regional Hospital (Santa Rosa) | Hospital | $132cash | 41.6× | — |
| Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley (Pleasanton) | Hospital | $136cash | 42.9× | — |
| Providence Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital (Santa Rosa) | Hospital | $138cash | 43.6× | — |
| Dignity Bakersfield Memorial Hospital (Bakersfield) | Hospital | $139cash | 44.0× | — |
| Sutter Roseville Medical Center (Roseville) | Hospital | $141cash | 44.5× | ★★★★★ |
| Sutter CPMC Van Ness Campus (San Francisco) | Hospital | $141cash | 44.5× | — |
| Sutter Memorial Medical Center (Modesto) | Hospital | $141cash | 44.5× | — |
| Sutter Medical Center Sacramento (Sacramento) | Hospital | $141cash | 44.5× | ★★★★★ |
| Sutter Eden Medical Center (Castro Valley) | Hospital | $141cash | 44.5× | — |
| Sutter Mills-Peninsula Medical Center (Burlingame) | Hospital | $141cash | 44.5× | ★★★★★ |
| Sutter Alta Bates Summit Medical Center (Oakland) | Hospital | $141cash | 44.5× | — |
| Providence St. Jude Medical Center (Fullerton) | Hospital | $143cash | 45.1× | ★★★★★ |
| Dignity California Hospital Medical Center (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $144cash | 45.4× | — |
| Keck Hospital of USC (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $145cash | 45.7× | ★★★★★ |
| Providence Holy Cross Medical Center (Mission Hills) | Hospital | $151cash | 47.6× | — |
| Stanford Health Care (Stanford) | Hospital | $170cash | 53.8× | ★★★★★ |
| John Muir Health Concord Medical Center (Concord) | Hospital | $201cash | 63.3× | — |
| John Muir Health Walnut Creek Medical Center (Walnut Creek) | Hospital | $201cash | 63.3× | ★★★★★ |
| Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center (Tarzana) | Hospital | $213cash | 67.1× | ★★★★★ |
| Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford (Palo Alto) | Hospital | $213cash | 67.2× | — |
| UCI Health – Lakewood (Lakewood) | Hospital | $223cash | 70.4× | — |
| Providence Queen of the Valley Medical Center (Napa) | Hospital | $232cash | 73.2× | — |
| Dignity Sequoia Hospital (Redwood City) | Hospital | $259cash | 81.8× | ★★★★★ |
| Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $288cash | 90.9× | ★★★★★ |
| Riverside Community Hospital (Riverside) gross charge | Hospital | $477cash | 150.6× | — |
| JFK Memorial Hospital (Indio) gross charge | Hospital | $502cash | 158.5× | — |
| Desert Regional Medical Center (Palm Springs) gross charge | Hospital | $670cash | 211.5× | — |
| Los Robles Health System (Thousand Oaks) gross charge | Hospital | $943cash | 297.5× | — |
| Good Samaritan Hospital (San Jose) gross charge | Hospital | $1,073cash | 338.5× | — |
Prices from each hospital's public machine-readable file; imaging & surgery-center prices are published self-pay rates (often the cheapest option). vs Medicare is how many times the Medicare rate each facility charges. 8 unusually low/high prices excluded from the typical price as likely data errors.
💬 What to say — negotiation scripts
- For 81001 (Urinalysis, automated with microscopy), Medicare's benchmark rate is $3.17. A fair self-pay target for this line is $6.34. If I was charged more than that, please reduce it toward this benchmark.
- Your own published cash / self-pay price for 81001 is $83.25, and negotiated rates at nearby facilities run $35.36–$141.00. Please apply a rate in that range to my bill rather than the gross charge.
- Please send a fully itemized bill listing every CPT/HCPCS/DRG code and its individual charge, so I can review each line against published rates.
- Separately, what is your financial assistance / charity care policy, and am I eligible? Please send me the application and the income thresholds.
See urinalysis, automated with microscopy prices in another area
What should 81001 cost in California?
For urinalysis, automated with microscopy (CPT 81001) in California, a fair self-pay price is around $83, with hospitals ranging from $35 to $141 across 92 facilities. Medicare's benchmark rate is $3, the floor to negotiate toward. The card above lists each hospital's price, cheapest first, with CMS quality stars.
Frequently asked questions
How much does urinalysis, automated with microscopy cost in California?
A fair self-pay price for urinalysis, automated with microscopy (CPT 81001) in California is around $83, with hospital prices ranging from $35 to $141 across 92 facilities. These are estimates from hospital-published prices, not a guarantee.
What is the Medicare rate for CPT 81001?
Medicare pays about $3 for urinalysis, automated with microscopy (CPT 81001). That's the negotiation floor — a fair cash-pay target is roughly 1.5–2× it, well below typical gross charges.
Can I negotiate the price of urinalysis, automated with microscopy?
Yes. Under the federal Hospital Price Transparency rule hospitals must publish these rates, so you can ask to pay the cash or negotiated rate instead of the gross charge. Paste your bill on the home page for a ready-to-send appeal letter and the exact numbers to cite.
Got a bill for this?
If you were charged more than the fair price, you can usually negotiate it down. Paste your itemized bill to get a personalized appeal letter, the exact numbers to cite, an AI negotiation coach, and a charity-care eligibility check — free.
Compare other procedures in California
Screening mammogram, bilateralDiagnostic mammogram, unilateralDiagnostic mammogram, bilateralDEXA bone density scanColonoscopy, diagnosticScreening colonoscopy (average risk)Chest X-ray, 2 viewsChest X-ray, 1 view
Prices last refreshed September 2026 from each hospital's official CMS machine-readable file. Medicare rate: CY2025 OPPS/PFS/CLFS. Estimates only — not a guarantee.