C. diff test cost in Pittsburgh, PA
In Pittsburgh, PA, 24 hospitals list a cash price for C. difficile toxin gene test (stool PCR): from $37.27 to $611.40, with a median of $249.58. The lowest listed price is at Advanced Surgical Hospital — $212.31 less than the median here. Across Pennsylvania, the median is $207.60 at 101 hospitals.
- The median here, $249.58, is 82% above the US median of $136.79.
- That is 6.7× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($37.27).
- Pittsburgh, PA ranks 2nd of 2 metro areas in Pennsylvania by median, cheapest first.
- Every hospital here lists a cash price below its full list price.
Cash prices at 24 facilities across 16 cities for code 87493, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Nov 12, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Dec 17, 2025 and Oct 28, 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 Pittsburgh, PA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Advanced Surgical Hospital lowest Washington, PA · (724) 884-0710 CLOSTRIDIUM DIFF TOXIN File of Apr 24, 2026 · source file | $37.27 | $150.00 | $35.40–$82.50 | 75% |
| UPMC Washington Washington, PA · (724) 225-7000 CLOSTRIDIUM DIFFICILE, PCR File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $91.63 | $130.90 | $26.09–$94.25 | 30% |
| Excela Health Latrobe Hospital Latrobe, PA · (724) 832-4000 C DIFF AMPLIFIED PROBE File of Dec 17, 2025 · source file | $91.80 | $153.00 | $34.68–$122.40 | 40% |
| Excela Health Westmoreland Regional Hospital Greeensburg, PA · (724) 832-4000 C DIFF AMPLIFIED PROBE File of Dec 17, 2025 · source file | $91.80 | $153.00 | $34.68–$171.00 | 40% |
| Excela Health - Frick Hospital Mt Plesant, PA · (724) 547-1500 C DIFF AMPLIFIED PROBE File of Dec 17, 2025 · source file | $91.80 | $153.00 | $15.61–$121.93 | 40% |
| Armstrong County Memorial Hospital Kittanning, PA CLOSTRIDUM DIFFICIL AMP PROBE File of Mar 2, 2026 · source file | $105.60 | $352.00 | $33.63–$352.00 | 70% |
| UPMC Jameson New Castle, PA · (724) 656-4100 C DIFFICILE DNA+1 more line at this price File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $115.20 | $192.00 | $36.84–$168.96 | 40% |
| Butler Memorial Hospital Butler, PA Cdifficile Dna Toxin Assay File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $149.80 | $214.00 | $40.02–$224.70 | 30% |
| Uniontown Hospital Uniontown, PA · (724) 430-5000 DETECTION TEST BY NUCLEIC ACID FOR CLOSTRIDIUM DIFFICILE; AMPLIFIED PROBE TECHNIQUE File of Jul 9, 2026 · source file | $197.00 | $394.00 | $35.22–$171.55 | 50% |
| Uniontown Hospital Uniontown, PA · (724) 430-5000 C DIFF AMPLIFIED PROBE File of Jul 9, 2026 · source file | $203.00 | $406.00 | $35.22–$171.55 | 50% |
| Allegheny Valley Hospital Natrona Heights, PA · (412) 224-5100 HC C DIFFICILE TOXIN AMPL PROB File of Oct 28, 2026 · source file | $232.54 | $302.00 | $18.05–$94.07 | 23% |
| Canonsburg General Hospital Canonsburg, PA · (724) 745-6100 HC C DIFFICILE TOXIN AMPL PROB File of Oct 28, 2026 · source file | $235.56 | $302.00 | $18.05–$96.16 | 22% |
| West Penn Hospital Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 578-5000 HC C DIFFICILE TOXIN AMPL PROB File of Oct 28, 2026 · source file | $244.55 | $335.00 | $18.58–$123.36 | 27% |
| Allegheny General Hospital Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 359-3131 HC C DIFFICILE TOXIN AMPL PROB File of Oct 28, 2026 · source file | $254.60 | $335.00 | $18.58–$124.56 | 24% |
| Jefferson Regional Medical Center Jefferson Hills, PA · (412) 469-5000 HC C DIFFICILE TOXIN AMPL PROB File of Oct 28, 2026 · source file | $257.58 | $318.00 | $18.05–$90.79 | 19% |
| Monogahela Valley Hospital Monongahela, PA · (724) 258-1000 C DIFF AMPLIFIED PROBE File of Feb 2, 2026 · source file | $262.80 | $438.00 | $117.82–$536.77 | 40% |
| Highlands Hospital Connellsville, PA · (724) 628-1500 C DIFF TOXIN B, PCR, QUALITATIVE File of Feb 2, 2026 · source file | $262.80 | $438.00 | $147.61–$341.64 | 40% |
| UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 641-4010 HC NUCLEIC ACID AMP PROBE CLOSTRIDIUM File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $310.20 | $517.00 | $34.88–$475.64 | 40% |
| UPMC McKeesport McKeesport, PA · (412) 664-2000 C DIFFICILE DNA+1 more line at this price File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $345.00 | $575.00 | $34.55–$488.75 | 40% |
| UPMC East Monroeville, PA · (412) 357-3000 C DIFFICILE DNA+1 more line at this price File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $350.40 | $584.00 | $36.84–$467.20 | 40% |
| UPMC St Margaret Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 784-4000 C DIFFICILE DNA+1 more line at this price File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $355.80 | $593.00 | $32.18–$504.05 | 40% |
| UPMC Passavant - McCandless Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 367-6700 HC NUCLEIC ACID AMP PROBE CLOSTRIDIUM File of Mar 7, 2026 · source file | $386.40 | $644.00 | $34.64–$547.40 | 40% |
| UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 232-8111 C-DIFF BY PCR+1 more line at this price File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $438.00 | $730.00 | $31.07–$657.00 | 40% |
| UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 647-2345 C-DIFF BY PCR+1 more line at this price File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $455.40 | $759.00 | $36.84–$645.15 | 40% |
| UPMC Childrens Hospital of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 692-5325 C DIFFICILE DNA File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $611.40 | $1,019.00 | $33.21–$917.10 | 40% |
Outpatient: lowest $37.27, median $249.58, highest $611.40 — a 16.4× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 25 facilities here, median $257.58. 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 18 of 24 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.