C. diff test cost in Philadelphia, PA
In Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD, 21 hospitals list a cash price for C. difficile toxin gene test (stool PCR): from $37.00 to $801.90, with a median of $118.85. The lowest listed price is at Lower Bucks Hospital and 1 other hospital — $81.85 less than the median here. Across Pennsylvania, the median is $207.60 at 102 hospitals.
- The median here, $118.85, is 13% below the US median of $136.77.
- That is 3.2× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($37.27).
- Philadelphia, PA has the lowest median of 2 metro areas in Pennsylvania with at least 10 hospitals pricing this code.
- 8 of 21 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Cash prices at 21 facilities across 17 cities for code 87493, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Oct 25, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Dec 31, 2025 and Sep 21, 2026.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lower Bucks Hospital lowest Bristol, PA · (215) 785-9200 Hc Cytomed, Dna, Amp Probe File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $37.00 | $285.00 | $29.82–$228.00 | 87% |
| Roxborough Memorial Hospital lowest Philadelphia, PA · (215) 483-9900 Hc Cytomed, Dna, Amp Probe File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $37.00 | $600.00 | $29.82–$582.00 | 94% |
| Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital Darby, PA · (215) 237-4000 HC Infectious Agent Nucleic Acid Amplified Probe Clostridium Difficile Toxin Gene(S) File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $86.45 | $133.00 | $37.18–$301.67 | 35% |
| Riddle Memorial Hospital Media, PA · (610) 566-9400 Hc C.Diff Tox Gene,Amplifd Pr File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $88.00 | $220.00 | — | 60% |
| The Bryn Mawr Hospital Bryn Mawr, PA · (610) 526-3000 Hc C.Diff Tox Gene,Amplifd Pr File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $88.00 | $220.00 | — | 60% |
| Lankenau Medical Center Wynnewood, PA · (610) 645-2000 Hc C.Diff Tox Gene,Amplifd Pr File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $88.00 | $220.00 | — | 60% |
| Paoli Hospital Paoli, PA · (610) 648-1000 Hc C.Diff Tox Gene,Amplifd Pr File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $88.00 | $220.00 | — | 60% |
| Holy Redeemer Hospital and Medical Center Meadowbrook, PA · (215) 947-3000 C. diff by PCR File of Sep 21, 2026 · source file | $91.61 | $152.68 | $37.27–$85.49 | 40% |
| Holy Redeemer Hospital and Medical Center Meadowbrook, PA · (215) 947-3000 C Difficile Stool by PCR File of Sep 21, 2026 · source file | $103.07 | $171.77 | $37.27–$85.49 | 40% |
| Inspira Medical Center Elmer Elmer, NJ · (856) 363-1000 C Difficile Toxin DNA File of Mar 24, 2026 · source file | $118.85 | $118.85 | $24.03–$161.37 | — |
| Inspira Medical Center Mannington Salem, NJ C Difficile Toxin DNA File of Mar 24, 2026 · source file | $118.85 | $118.85 | $20.03–$161.37 | — |
| Inspira Medical Center Mullica Hill Mullica Hill, NJ · (856) 363-1000 C Difficile Toxin DNA File of Mar 24, 2026 · source file | $118.85 | $118.85 | $24.03–$161.37 | — |
| Inspira Health Center Woodbury Woodbury, NJ C Difficile Toxin DNA File of Mar 24, 2026 · source file | $118.85 | $118.85 | $22.73–$161.37 | — |
| St. Francis Hospital Wilmington, DE · (302) 421-4100 HC Quest Infectious Agent Nucleic Acid Amplified Probe Clostridium Difficile Toxin Gene(S)+1 more line at this price File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $123.50 | $190.00 | $36.52–$319.58 | 35% |
| Nazareth Hospital Philadelphia, PA · (215) 335-6000 HC Infectious Agent Nucleic Acid Amplified Probe Clostridium Difficile Toxin Gene(S) File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $158.60 | $244.00 | $37.27–$473.55 | 35% |
| St Mary Medical Center Langhorne, PA · (215) 750-2003 HC Infectious Agent Nucleic Acid Amplified Probe Clostridium Difficile Toxin Gene(S) Nap-1+1 more line at this price File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $158.60 | $244.00 | $24.40–$261.15 | 35% |
| Shriners Childrens - Philadelphia Philadelphia, PA · (215) 430-4000 C DIFF AMPLIFIED PROBE File of Mar 19, 2026 · source file | $220.40 | $220.40 | $29.82–$52.18 | — |
| Union Hospital of Cecil County Elkton, MD · (410) 392-7009 C DIFF PCR ASSAY File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $326.17 | $326.17 | — | — |
| Nemours Children's Hospital, Delaware Wilmington, DE · (302) 651-4000 Clostridium Difficile Pcr+1 more line at this price File of Mar 10, 2026 · source file | $428.00 | $428.00 | — | — |
| The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Philadelphia, PA · (215) 590-1000 C.Difficile,Toxin Gene, Amp Probe File of Dec 31, 2025 · source file | $760.93 | $760.93 | $54.30–$684.84 | — |
| St Luke's Hospital - Upper Bucks Campus Quakertown, PA · (267) 985-1000 HB C DIFF AMPLIFIED PROBE File of Feb 26, 2026 · source file | $801.90 | $891.00 | $37.27–$737.93 | 10% |
| St Luke's Hospital - Grand View Campus Sellersville, PA · (215) 453-4000 HB C DIFF AMPLIFIED PROBE File of Feb 26, 2026 · source file | $801.90 | $891.00 | $37.27–$4,625.30 | 10% |
Outpatient: lowest $37.00, median $118.85, highest $801.90 — a 21.7× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 17 facilities here, median $118.85. Inpatient and outpatient prices are not comparable and are kept on separate pages: the inpatient charge covers admission, not the same purchase.
Cash or insurance?
At 11 of 15 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at none is it below every plan's rate. If you have insurance but have not met your deductible, you usually pay your plan's negotiated rate, which falls somewhere in the "Insurers pay" column. Paying cash can cost less, but a cash payment usually does not count toward your deductible. Ask the hospital for both numbers before you book.
What C. diff test is, what the price covers and why prices differ: C. diff test explained.