Herpes (HSV-2) blood test cost in Cincinnati, OH
In Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN, 14 hospitals list a cash price for herpes blood test, HSV-2 antibody: from $36.30 to $226.00, with a median of $37.20. The lowest listed price is at Bethesda North and 1 other hospital — $0.90 less than the median here. Across Ohio, the median is $66.30 at 129 hospitals.
- The median here, $37.20, is 44% below the US median of $66.08.
- That is 1.9× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($19.35).
- Cincinnati, OH has the lowest median of 3 metro areas in Ohio with at least 10 hospitals pricing this code.
- 2 of 14 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Cash prices at 14 facilities across 9 cities for code 86696, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 29, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 1, 2026 and Jul 1, 2026.
Lowest$36.30Bethesda North + 1 more
Median$37.20half of hospitals charge less
Highest$226.00in this market
Difference6.2×highest vs lowest
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN.
median
Lowest $36.30Highest $226.00
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bethesda North lowest Cincinnati, OH · (513) 865-1111 HC Hsv Type 2 Ab File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $36.30 | $48.40 | — | 25% |
| McCullough-Hyde Memorial Hospital lowest Oxford, OH · (513) 523-2111 HC Hsv Type 2 Ab File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $36.30 | $48.40 | — | 25% |
| Mercy Health Kings Mills Hospital Mason, OH · (513) 637-9999 HC So Herpes Simplex, Type 2 File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $37.20 | $62.00 | — | 40% |
| Mercy Health West Hospital Cincinnati, OH · (513) 215-5000 HC So Herpes Simplex, Type 2 File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $37.20 | $62.00 | — | 40% |
| Mercy Health Clermont Hospital Batavia, OH · (513) 732-8278 HC So Herpes Simplex, Type 2 File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $37.20 | $62.00 | — | 40% |
| The Jewish Hospital-Mercy Health Cincinnati, OH · (513) 686-3000 HC So Herpes Simplex, Type 2 File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $37.20 | $62.00 | — | 40% |
| Mercy Health Anderson Hospital Cincinnati, OH · (513) 624-4500 HC So Herpes Simplex, Type 2 File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $37.20 | $62.00 | — | 40% |
| Mercy Health Fairfield Hospital Fairfield, OH · (513) 870-7000 HC So Herpes Simplex, Type 2 File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $37.20 | $62.00 | — | 40% |
| Mercy Health West Hospital Cincinnati, OH · (513) 215-5000 HC Antibody Herpes Smplx Type 2 File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $54.00 | $90.00 | — | 40% |
| Mercy Health Anderson Hospital Cincinnati, OH · (513) 624-4500 HC Antibody Herpes Smplx Type 2 File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $54.00 | $90.00 | — | 40% |
| Mercy Health Clermont Hospital Batavia, OH · (513) 732-8278 HC Antibody Herpes Smplx Type 2 File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $54.00 | $90.00 | — | 40% |
| Mercy Health Kings Mills Hospital Mason, OH · (513) 637-9999 HC Antibody Herpes Smplx Type 2 File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $54.00 | $90.00 | — | 40% |
| The Jewish Hospital-Mercy Health Cincinnati, OH · (513) 686-3000 HC Antibody Herpes Smplx Type 2 File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $54.00 | $90.00 | — | 40% |
| St Elizabeth Edgewood Edgewood, KY · (859) 301-2000 HB HSV TYPE 2 - ARUP File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $58.05 | $58.05 | — | — |
| Fort Hamilton Hospital Hamilton, OH · (513) 867-2123 Hc Herpes Simplex, Type 2, Ab, Lc File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $58.80 | $147.00 | — | 60% |
| The Good Samaritan Hospital of Cincinnati, OH Cincinnati, OH · (513) 862-2601 HC Hsv Type 2 Ab File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $66.14 | $88.19 | — | 25% |
| West Chester Hospital West Chester, OH · (513) 298-7701 Hc Herpes Simplex Type 2 File of Jul 1, 2026 · source file | $191.40 | $319.00 | — | 40% |
| University of Cincinnati Medical Center Cincinnati, OH · (513) 584-1000 Hc Herpes Simplex Type 2 File of Jul 1, 2026 · source file | $191.40 | $319.00 | — | 40% |
| Mercy Health Anderson Hospital Cincinnati, OH · (513) 624-4500 HC So1 Herpes Simplex, Type 2 File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $223.20 | $372.00 | — | 40% |
| Mercy Health Kings Mills Hospital Mason, OH · (513) 637-9999 HC So1 Herpes Simplex, Type 2 File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $223.20 | $372.00 | — | 40% |
| Mercy Health Clermont Hospital Batavia, OH · (513) 732-8278 HC So1 Herpes Simplex, Type 2 File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $223.20 | $372.00 | — | 40% |
| The Jewish Hospital-Mercy Health Cincinnati, OH · (513) 686-3000 HC So1 Herpes Simplex, Type 2 File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $223.20 | $372.00 | — | 40% |
| Mercy Health West Hospital Cincinnati, OH · (513) 215-5000 HC So1 Herpes Simplex, Type 2 File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $223.20 | $372.00 | — | 40% |
| Mercy Health Fairfield Hospital Fairfield, OH · (513) 870-7000 HC So1 Herpes Simplex, Type 2 File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $223.20 | $372.00 | — | 40% |
| Atrium Medical Center Middletown, OH · (513) 420-5102 HC AB HERPES SIMPLEX T2 File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $226.00 | $226.00 | — | — |
Hospital The hospital that published the price, its city and the line exactly as written in its price file.
Cash price The hospital's own price for a patient paying without insurance (“discounted cash” in its price file). Hospitals must publish it under federal law, 45 CFR 180.50. Call to confirm it before booking. More
List price The hospital's full chargemaster price (“gross charge”) before any discount. Almost nobody pays it; the gap to the cash price shows what the self-pay discount is worth. More
Insurers pay The lowest and highest rates this hospital has agreed with insurance plans for the same item, from its price file. If the cash price is below what your plan pays and you have not met your deductible, paying cash can cost you less. More
Off list How much lower the cash price is than the list price.
No cash discount This line's cash price equals the hospital's full list price. Many hospitals still reduce bills for uninsured patients: ask the billing office for its self-pay discount in writing. More
Outpatient: lowest $36.30, median $37.20, highest $226.00 — a 6.2× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 11 facilities here, median $46.80. Inpatient and outpatient prices are not comparable and are kept on separate pages: the inpatient charge covers admission, not the same purchase.
What herpes (HSV-2) blood test is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Herpes (HSV-2) blood test explained.