What Blood Work Actually Costs Without Insurance
A lipid panel costs $40 here, with no appointment needed. The median hospital charge for the identical test is $220.
A lipid panel costs $40 at our office in Southlake, and you do not need an appointment to get one.
The median charge for that same test at a hospital outpatient lab is around $220. Some bill $600. It is the identical test, run on the identical machine, frequently at the same Quest or Labcorp facility your sample would have gone to anyway.
That gap is not a rumor. Hospital outpatient labs have been measured at roughly 400 percent higher for a blood count and 531 percent higher for a metabolic panel than an office or standalone lab. The markup happens between the draw and the bill, and nothing about the test changes.
What we charge
These are published, the same for everybody paying cash, and you pay only for the labs themselves.
| Test | Price |
|---|---|
| Complete blood count | $25 |
| Comprehensive metabolic panel | $40 |
| Lipid panel | $40 |
| Hemoglobin A1c | $25 |
| Thyroid, TSH and free T4 | $45 |
| Vitamin D | $55 |
| Vitamin B12 | $40 |
| Ferritin | $30 |
| PSA | $45 |
The full list, including the advanced cardiac markers, is on our self-pay pricing page.
Annual physical panel, which is the CBC, metabolic panel, lipids, A1c and thyroid together: $120. Ordered separately those come to $175. Through a hospital you would be looking at several hundred.
How it works
Pick your tests. Choose individual tests or a panel from the menu. If you already know what you need, like a repeat A1c or your yearly cholesterol, that is all it takes.
We handle the order. No appointment and no online account to set up.
We draw them here. No second trip, no separate facility, and no bill arriving three weeks later from a company you have never heard of.
You pay the lab price. Only the labs. There is no consultation fee folded in.
Your results come to you. If you want to go over them with one of our providers, book a visit. It is priced separately on our self-pay page, and a telehealth visit is often the easiest way to review labs.
Compared with ordering online yourself
You can order a lot of blood work yourself in Texas through companies like Ulta Lab Tests, Walk-In Lab or Labcorp OnDemand. Here is how we compare.
On price we are at parity. Our $25 CBC sits alongside their $23 to $28. Our $40 metabolic panel sits alongside their $23 to $44. On some tests they are a few dollars cheaper, on others we are.
The draw is here in Southlake. No account to create, no requisition to print, and no hunting for whichever draw site the company contracts with. You come to our office on E Kirkwood Blvd, with free parking at the door.
The next step is easy if you need one. When a self-ordered result comes back high, you are left finding a doctor from scratch. Here, the practice that drew your labs is right here to book with.
If you have insurance, read this before you pay cash
Self-pay is not automatically cheaper.
If you have a plan with a deductible you have not met, labs run through insurance still count toward that deductible. Paying cash instead means they do not count, and you may be better off billing it even if you pay the full amount either way.
We are in network with most major carriers, and for most people using the insurance is the right answer. Ask us and we will help you think it through.
Who this is for
Uninsured. The cash price is the whole price, published in advance.
People who already know what they need. A repeat A1c, a yearly lipid panel, a vitamin D check. There is no reason to pay for an appointment just to get a test you already know you want.
High deductible, early in the year. Sometimes paying cash comes out ahead. Sometimes it does not. Worth five minutes with a calculator before you decide.
Between jobs or between plans. Chronic conditions do not pause for a coverage gap. A diabetic who needs an A1c in March should not wait until June because the insurance card changed.
Anyone who has been quoted something absurd. If a hospital or another office has given you a number that seems wrong, it may well be. Bring it in.
A note on estimates
If you are uninsured or paying without using insurance, you have a right to a written Good Faith Estimate of what your care will cost. Federal law requires it. Ask when you set up your draw or book a visit and we will put it in writing beforehand.
Getting your labs drawn
Call us at (817) 970-3400 to set up a lab draw at our office on E Kirkwood Blvd in Southlake, with free parking directly in front. If you would like a visit as well, you can book online. We see patients age 16 and older.
See the full self-pay price list.
Common questions
Do I need an appointment or a doctor's order to get labs?
No appointment needed. Pick the tests you want, or one of our panels, and we handle the order and draw you here. Call (817) 970-3400 and we will set up a time.
Does the lab price include a consultation?
No, and that is deliberate. You pay for the labs and nothing else. If you want someone to go through your results with you, book a visit, which is priced separately, so nobody pays for a conversation they did not need.
What if a result comes back abnormal?
Your results come to you. If something looks off, or you would simply like it explained, book a visit and we will go through it with you and put a plan together. A telehealth visit is often the easiest way to review labs.
Why is the hospital so much more expensive for the same test?
Because a hospital outpatient lab applies its chargemaster markup on top, and often sends the sample to the same Quest or Labcorp facility anyway. Studies have found hospital outpatient labs running roughly 400 percent higher for a blood count and 530 percent higher for a metabolic panel than an office or standalone lab.
Can I use my insurance instead?
Usually, and often you should. We are in network with most major carriers, and labs run through insurance may cost you less depending on your deductible. Cash pricing is there for people who are uninsured or who would rather not run it through a plan.
This article is general health information for adults age 16 and older, not medical advice for your situation, and reading it does not create a patient relationship. For advice about your own health, book a visit. If you think you are having an emergency, call 911.