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National price data · 1,580 hospitals

Drug screening test cost

What a drug screening test costs across the U.S. — and the fair price to aim for.

Pillar 1 · The BaseRate™ CompositeHow 1.00× Fair BaseRate Works: Raw price averages unfairly penalize hospitals in high-wage cities or trauma centers treating sicker patients. We adjust for local CMS hospital wage levels and patient complexity first. A 1.00× score means right at the fair price average, 0.85× means 15% cheaper than fair market, and 1.30× means 30% above fair market.Near Fair BaseRate Benchmark
1.00×vs. Fair Market Price
Position vs. 1.00× Fair PriceRight at U.S. Average (0%) 1.00× (center of the bar) is the U.S. fair price average after accounting for local hospital wages and patient complexity. Left of center (<1.00×) is below fair price; right of center (>1.00×) is above fair price.

Typical commercial prices here match the fair market benchmark (1.00×) after accounting for local nurse/doctor wages and patient complexity.

Pillar 2 · VeriRate™ Data TrustHow VeriRate™ (0–100) Works: Hospitals are legally required to publish machine-readable price files, but some bury fake $0.01 numbers or omit cash discounts. VeriRate audits each file across 5 checks (hover any badge below to see what it tests).86/100 · Verified
86/100Hover Any Check Below to See How Prices Were Audited
File Completeness90Provenance (File Completeness): Checks whether the hospital published a complete, up-to-date machine-readable price file with valid CPT and MS-DRG billing codes instead of leaving blanks.
Price Logic88Coherence (Price Logic): Checks whether the hospital’s numbers make basic sense — e.g., self-pay cash price is lower than gross list price, with no fake $0.01 or $999,999 placeholder numbers.
Peer Alignment86Concordance (Peer Alignment): Checks whether reported prices sit in a realistic range compared to Medicare and nearby hospitals rather than wild 100× unit errors.
Clean Billing83Regularity (Clean Billing): Checks whether rates are structured consistently across procedures without erratic statistical spikes or hidden unbundled facility fees.
Real Cash Discount84Cash Honesty (Real Cash Discount): Checks whether the hospital offers a genuine self-pay cash discount that beats or matches commercial insurance rates instead of billing full sticker price.
Pillar 3 · Clinical Quality & ER SpeedChecks whether higher hospital prices actually buy better clinical quality — combining CMS Star Ratings, hospital safety scores, and emergency room wait times.Regional Value Leader
CMS Star RatingNot RatedOfficial CMS Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating (1 to 5 stars) summarizing mortality, safety of care, readmissions, and patient experience.
Safety ScoreNot ScoredComposite patient safety score (0–100) derived from CMS hospital-acquired infection rates (CLABSI, CAUTI, MRSA, C. diff), surgical complications, and HCAHPS surveys.
Typical ER WaitNo ER DataMedian minutes patients spent in the emergency department before leaving from the visit, as reported to CMS Timely and Effective Care.

Balances commercial hospital prices against CMS clinical safety, infection control, and patient experience.

Behavioral Pricing FingerprintMedian-Gamed · High Captive Markup

Loss-Leader / Captive Ancillary Cross-Subsidizer

Baptist Health Medical Center - Jacksonville prices routine shoppable procedures near 2.7× Medicare (p50 1.00×) while skewing captive emergency, lab, and upper-quartile codes to 4.2× Medicare (p75 1.71×, +71% upper-tail jump). Patients scheduling elective outpatient care can capture competitive rates, but emergency and ancillary bills require strict line-item auditing.

#96 of 165 in FL · 57th State Percentile#1,859 of 3,385 in U.S. · 54th National Percentile
Advantage

Where They're Good (Patient & Payer Edge)

  • Bottom-quartile procedures (Q25) price at 0.62× the peer BaseRate benchmark
  • Self-pay cash beats commercial insurance on 32% of shoppable procedures (99/100 Cash Honesty)
  • 4-Star CMS clinical rating with 77% patient recommendation (67/100 safety score)
  • IRS 501(c)(3) charity care provides free care up to 200% FPL and discounted care up to 400% FPL (32.2% AGB cap)
Watchout

Where You Can Get Burned (Markup Traps)

  • Outpatient surgery & OR suites carry a 3.4× markup over Medicare rates
  • Captive ER (1.4×) & laboratory (1.6×) services average 1.56× higher multiples than routine shoppable care (2.7×)
  • Upper-quartile procedures (Q75 1.71×) jump +71% above the median procedure ratio (Q50 1.00×)
  • Unnegotiated chargemaster list prices average 12.8× Medicare (14¢ true HCRIS cost per $1 gross)
Front-Door ShoppableElective / Imaging
2.7× Medicare

Pre-scheduled outpatient procedures where patients can comparison-shop.

Back-Door Captive & ER1.56× Divergence
4.2× Medicare

Emergency, inpatient DRG, lab, and specialty drug lines billed after admission.

Quantile Tail Spread+71% Upper Tail
Q25 0.62× · Q50 1.00× · Q75 1.71×

Detects median-gaming when upper-quartile codes spike above the p50 median.

Select any lens to inspect department markups, federal cost accounting, or insurer discounts.
Department & Integrity Multiples (vs. CMS Medicare Cost Anchor) Green ≤1.3× · Teal 1.3–1.8× · Amber 1.8–2.5× · Rose >2.5×
Front-Door Shoppable CareFront-Door Shoppable
2.7× MedicareFair
Outpatient Surgery & ORBack-Door Captive
3.4× MedicareElevated
Diagnostic Imaging (CT/MRI)Front-Door Shoppable
1.5× MedicareGood
Back-Door Captive ER VisitsBack-Door Captive
1.4× MedicareGood
Inpatient Lab & PathologyBack-Door Captive
1.6× MedicareGood
Specialty & Infusion Drugs (J-Codes)Back-Door Captive
1.2× MedicareGood
Self-Pay Cash Honesty & 501(r)Integrity & Outcomes
32% Cash Edge · 99/100Good
CMS Clinical Safety & Star ValueIntegrity & Outcomes
4 CMS · 67/100Fair
National Geographic Price Intelligence · 50-State + DC/PR Cartogram

National State Price Index Heatmap · Drug screening test

State commercial price index vs. U.S. median (1.00×) and average Medicare multiple across all 53 priced states & territories

<0.93× Below Fair Price 0.93–1.05× Near Average 1.05–1.18× Elevated >1.18× High-Cost State
PR0.77×1.1× MedRI0.80×0.8× MedNV0.88×0.9× MedCA0.96×1.0× MedKS0.97×1.0× MedMI0.97×1.0× MedWV0.97×1.0× MedAL0.98×1.0× MedCO0.98×1.0× MedCT0.98×1.0× MedHI0.98×1.0× MedID0.98×1.0× MedIN0.98×1.0× MedKY0.98×1.0× MedLA0.98×1.0× MedMN0.98×1.0× MedMS0.98×1.0× MedNJ0.98×1.0× MedNY0.98×1.0× MedOH0.98×1.0× MedUT0.98×1.0× MedIL0.99×1.0× MedNC0.99×1.0× MedAZ1.00×1.0× MedIA1.00×1.0× MedND1.00×1.0× MedPA1.00×1.0× MedTN1.00×1.0× MedGA1.01×1.0× MedME1.01×1.0× MedNH1.01×1.0× MedOK1.01×1.0× MedVA1.01×1.0× MedNE1.02×1.0× MedSC1.02×1.0× MedSD1.02×1.0× MedFL1.03×1.0× MedMA1.03×1.0× MedMO1.03×1.0× MedNM1.03×1.0× MedTX1.03×1.0× MedWI1.03×1.0× MedWY1.09×1.1× MedWA1.11×1.1× MedDE1.12×1.1× MedVT1.13×1.1× MedAK1.15×1.8× MedMD1.20×1.2× MedMT1.22×1.2× MedAR1.24×1.3× MedOR1.30×1.3× MedDC1.31×1.9× Med
5 Lowest-Price States (Confounder-Isolated Value Leaders)
PR0.77×(1.1×)RI0.80×(0.8×)NV0.88×(0.9×)CA0.96×(1.0×)KS0.97×(1.0×)
5 Highest-Markup States (Strict Bill Audit Recommended)
DC1.31×(1.9×)OR1.30×(1.3×)AR1.24×(1.3×)MT1.22×(1.2×)MD1.20×(1.2×)
The BaseRate high confidence
$117
the fair national price for a drug screening test
typically $101–$151 across 1,580 hospitals · how we calculate it
modeled estimate · not a bill or quote
1,580
hospitals priced
50
states
1.5×
price spread — where shopping matters
1×
vs. Medicare

Across 1,580 hospitals in 50 states, a drug screening test has a fair BaseRate of $117 and typically costs $101–$151. The cheapest state is RI; the priciest is OR.

Cheapest hospitals for a drug screening test

Drug screening test cost by state

AL $114 29 hospitals AR $144 19 hospitals AZ $116 12 hospitals CA $111 80 hospitals CO $114 40 hospitals CT $114 6 hospitals DE $130 6 hospitals FL $119 96 hospitals GA $117 59 hospitals HI $114 12 hospitals IA $116 44 hospitals ID $114 10 hospitals IL $115 61 hospitals IN $114 45 hospitals KS $113 20 hospitals KY $114 35 hospitals LA $114 35 hospitals MA $120 14 hospitals ME $117 18 hospitals MI $112 33 hospitals MN $114 45 hospitals MO $120 41 hospitals MS $114 19 hospitals MT $142 2 hospitals NC $115 32 hospitals ND $116 6 hospitals NE $118 12 hospitals NH $117 8 hospitals NJ $114 44 hospitals NM $120 7 hospitals NV $102 18 hospitals NY $114 55 hospitals OH $114 74 hospitals OK $117 37 hospitals OR $151 14 hospitals PA $116 69 hospitals RI $93 5 hospitals SC $118 31 hospitals SD $118 4 hospitals TN $116 53 hospitals TX $120 171 hospitals UT $114 34 hospitals VA $117 31 hospitals VT $131 4 hospitals WA $129 30 hospitals WI $119 41 hospitals WV $113 13 hospitals WY $126 4 hospitals
Inline Bill X-Ray & 501(r) Calculator 501(c)(3) Nonprofit · Free Care ≤200% FPL · AGB Cap 36.3%

Audit a Bill or Quote at U.S. Hospital Benchmark (Zero PHI Required)

Fair BaseRate™ $117
Medicare Rate $68
Self-Pay Cash Request Quote
Insurer Median $116
Pre-filled with U.S. Hospital Benchmark’s charged/list benchmark
Screened against 2026 HHS Federal Poverty Guidelines
2026 FPL: $15,650 + $5,500 per additional person
Step 1 · 501(r) Charity Care Check 501(r) AGB Cap: $101 (274% FPL)

Statutory 501(r) AGB Cap Limits Bill to $101

At 274% FPL (201%–400% FPL tier), 26 U.S.C. § 501(r)(5) caps FAP-eligible bills at Amounts Generally Billed (36.3% of gross = $101).

Step 2 · Cash vs. Insurance Arbitrage Request Prompt-Pay Quote

Compare Prompt-Pay Cash Rate Against Remaining Deductible

Ask U.S. Hospital Benchmark's billing desk for their written 45 CFR § 180 discounted self-pay cash price and Good Faith Estimate under the No Surprises Act.

Step 3 · Fair BaseRate Target +$161 Above Fair BaseRate

Negotiate Toward $117 Fair BaseRate ($68 Medicare)

Your bill ($278) is $161 above the denoised Fair BaseRate ($117) and 4.1× the $68 Medicare rate.

1-Click Factual Dispute Summary: Copy a citation-backed benchmark memo (with CMS CCN, CPT code, Medicare reference, Fair BaseRate, and 26 U.S.C. § 501(r) calculations) to paste into patient-portal messages or billing appeals.