Vitamin D Test
This blood test measures 25-hydroxyvitamin D, the storage form that best reflects how much vitamin D the body actually has. It is ordered when deficiency is suspected for a reason, and routine testing of everyone is not recommended.
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What it is
Vitamin D exists in the body in several forms, and this test targets one of them: 25-hydroxyvitamin D, usually written 25(OH)D. That form is measured because it is the one that reflects overall stores, from sunlight, diet and supplements combined, rather than the short-lived active form the body regulates minute to minute. The result speaks to whether there is enough vitamin D on hand for the body to absorb calcium and maintain bone, muscle and nerve function. MedlinePlus notes that routine vitamin D testing is not recommended for everyone, which is unusual to say about a common blood test and is the key thing to know about this one.
Why it is done
- To investigate bone pain, muscle weakness or a bone condition such as osteoporosis or rickets where low vitamin D could be the explanation
- To check people at higher risk of deficiency, including those with very limited sun exposure or with conditions that impair absorption
- To monitor someone taking vitamin D supplements, where the question is whether the dose has moved the level
- To follow up on an abnormal calcium or bone result found on other testing
What to expect
A single blood draw from the arm, with no fasting and no preparation. Most laboratories return the result within a few days. Because vitamin D stores change slowly, a repeat test is usually spaced by months rather than weeks. Levels vary with the season and with sun exposure, so the time of year the sample was taken is part of how a clinician reads the number.
Questions worth asking
- What diagnosis is this being ordered under? Coverage for vitamin D testing is frequently limited to specific conditions, and a screening order can be denied outright.
- If coverage is uncertain, will the lab ask me to sign a form accepting responsibility for the cost, and what is the cash price if it does?
- Was a single 25-hydroxyvitamin D test ordered, or a more expensive assay that separates the D2 and D3 forms?
- If a recheck is planned after starting a supplement, how far out is it and will that second test be covered?
What Vitamin D Test costs by state
- Vitamin D Test cost in Texas — 105 hospitals, median $236.58
- Vitamin D Test cost in California — 91 hospitals, median $96.50
- Vitamin D Test cost in Florida — 82 hospitals, median $117.74
- Vitamin D Test cost in Ohio — 68 hospitals, median $170.40
- Vitamin D Test cost in Illinois — 51 hospitals, median $150.00
- Vitamin D Test cost in Virginia — 41 hospitals, median $201.60
- Vitamin D Test cost in Tennessee — 37 hospitals, median $52.05
- Vitamin D Test cost in Wisconsin — 35 hospitals, median $150.00
- Vitamin D Test cost in Pennsylvania — 33 hospitals, median $149.40
- Vitamin D Test cost in Washington — 33 hospitals, median $124.21
- Vitamin D Test cost in Iowa — 30 hospitals, median $132.00
- Vitamin D Test cost in Michigan — 27 hospitals, median $120.00
- Vitamin D Test cost in Indiana — 26 hospitals, median $237.60
- Vitamin D Test cost in Georgia — 25 hospitals, median $283.00
- Vitamin D Test cost in Arizona — 24 hospitals, median $14.77
- Vitamin D Test cost in Kentucky — 23 hospitals, median $219.60
- Vitamin D Test cost in New Jersey — 23 hospitals, median $32.56
- Vitamin D Test cost in New York — 23 hospitals, median $29.60
- Vitamin D Test cost in Missouri — 21 hospitals, median $104.50
- Vitamin D Test cost in Minnesota — 18 hospitals, median $47.38
- Vitamin D Test cost in Oklahoma — 18 hospitals, median $131.17
- Vitamin D Test cost in West Virginia — 18 hospitals, median $71.50
- Vitamin D Test cost in North Carolina — 15 hospitals, median $224.53
- Vitamin D Test cost in Nebraska — 13 hospitals, median $233.10
- Vitamin D Test cost in Oregon — 12 hospitals, median $90.75
- Vitamin D Test cost in Arkansas — 11 hospitals, median $81.25
- Vitamin D Test cost in Colorado — 11 hospitals, median $99.18
- Vitamin D Test cost in Kansas — 11 hospitals, median $295.10
- Vitamin D Test cost in Mississippi — 11 hospitals, median $129.92
- Vitamin D Test cost in South Carolina — 11 hospitals, median $82.80
- Vitamin D Test cost in Maine — 7 hospitals, median $206.45
- Vitamin D Test cost in South Dakota — 7 hospitals, median $132.00
- Vitamin D Test cost in Alaska — 5 hospitals, median $185.64
- Vitamin D Test cost in Nevada — 4 hospitals, median $83.03
- Vitamin D Test cost in North Dakota — 4 hospitals, median $132.00
- Vitamin D Test cost in Wyoming — 4 hospitals, median $99.02
- Vitamin D Test cost in Hawaii — 2 hospitals, median $65.28
- Vitamin D Test cost in Maryland — 2 hospitals, median $24.00
- Vitamin D Test cost in Montana — 2 hospitals, median $68.80
- Vitamin D Test cost in New Mexico — 2 hospitals, median not published by hospital
- Vitamin D Test cost in Louisiana — 1 hospitals, median $85.54
- Vitamin D Test cost in New Hampshire — 1 hospitals, median $457.30
Vitamin D Test prices at hospitals
- Vitamin D Test at Banner Heart Hospital, Mesa — $7.48
- Vitamin D Test at HCA FLORIDA CITRUS HOSPITAL, Inverness — $7.95
- Vitamin D Test at Banner Casa Grande Medical Center, Casa Grande — $10.06
- Vitamin D Test at HCA FLORIDA GULF COAST HOSPITAL, PANAMA CITY — $11.05
- Vitamin D Test at Banner Baywood Medical Center, Mesa — $11.30
- Vitamin D Test at HCA FLORIDA CAPITAL HOSPITAL, TALLAHASSEE — $12.70
- Vitamin D Test at Banner Desert Medical Center, Mesa — $13.35
- Vitamin D Test at Banner Boswell Medical Center, Sun City — $13.44
- Vitamin D Test at Banner Del Webb Medical Center, Sun City West — $13.71
- Vitamin D Test at Banner University Medical Center South, Tucson — $13.88
- Vitamin D Test at Banner Estrella Medical Center, Phoenix — $14.06
- Vitamin D Test at Banner Thunderbird Medical Center, Glendale — $14.06
- Vitamin D Test at Banner University Medical Center Phoenix, Phoenix — $14.24
- Vitamin D Test at HCA FLORIDA ORANGE PARK HOSPITAL, MIDDLEBURG — $14.26
- Vitamin D Test at Banner University Medical Center Tucson, Tucson — $14.42
- Vitamin D Test at Banner Gateway Medical Center, Gilbert — $14.77
- Vitamin D Test at Banner Ironwood Medical Center, San Tan Valley — $15.40
- Vitamin D Test at Banner Goldfield Medical Center, Apache Junction — $16.91
- Vitamin D Test at Claiborne Medical Center, Tazewell — $17.08
- Vitamin D Test at Banner Ocotillo Medical Center, Chandler — $17.44
See every published price for Vitamin D Test: the full national range, the state and hospital breakdowns, and which hospitals charge the least.
Vitamin D Test cost — see all prices →Sources
- MedlinePlus: Vitamin D Test (opens in a new tab, leaves healthcosts.net)
- Wikipedia (opens in a new tab, leaves healthcosts.net)