C. diff test cost in Seattle, WA
In Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA, 17 hospitals list a cash price for C. difficile toxin gene test (stool PCR): from $116.20 to $368.80, with a median of $191.62. The lowest listed price is at Valley Medical Center — $75.42 less than the median here. Across Washington, the median is $180.75 at 57 hospitals.
- The median here, $191.62, is 40% above the US median of $136.77.
- That is 5.1× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($37.27).
- 1 of 17 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Cash prices at 17 facilities across 14 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 Mar 12, 2026 and Sep 30, 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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valley Medical Center lowest Renton, WA · (425) 228-3450 Inf Agent Det Nucleic Acid Clostridium Amp Probe File of Mar 12, 2026 · source file | $116.20 | $166.00 | — | 30% |
| Saint Clare Hospital Lakewood, WA · (253) 588-1711 HC CLOSTRIDIUM DIFFICILE BY PCR File of Sep 30, 2026 · source file | $123.09 | $426.80 | $36.78–$320.10 | 71% |
| St Anthony Hospital Gig Harbor, WA · (253) 530-2050 HC CLOSTRIDIUM DIFFICILE BY PCR File of Sep 30, 2026 · source file | $129.79 | $426.80 | $36.78–$320.10 | 70% |
| Highline Medical Center Burien, WA · (206) 431-5237 HC CLOSTRIDIUM DIFFICILE BY PCR File of Sep 30, 2026 · source file | $129.92 | $426.80 | $36.78–$384.12 | 70% |
| St Francis Community Hospital Federal Way, WA · (253) 944-8100 HC CLOSTRIDIUM DIFFICILE BY PCR File of Sep 30, 2026 · source file | $131.25 | $426.80 | $36.78–$320.10 | 69% |
| St Joseph Medical Center Tacoma, WA · (253) 627-4101 HC CLOSTRIDIUM DIFFICILE BY PCR File of Sep 30, 2026 · source file | $139.87 | $426.80 | $36.78–$320.10 | 67% |
| St Elizabeth Hospital Enumclaw, WA · (360) 825-2505 HC CLOSTRIDIUM DIFFICILE BY PCR File of Sep 30, 2026 · source file | $156.73 | $426.80 | $36.78–$384.12 | 63% |
| Overlake Medical Center & Clinics Bellevue, WA · (425) 688-5000 Hc Clostridium Difficile Pcr (Reflex Eia) File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $185.50 | $371.00 | — | 50% |
| Virginia Mason Medical Center Seattle, WA · (206) 223-6600 HC Nfct Agt Detect Nucleic Acid Clostridium Difficile Toxin Amp Probe Tech+1 more line at this price File of Sep 30, 2026 · source file | $191.62 | $370.00 | $33.54–$236.99 | 48% |
| Swedish Edmonds Edmonds, WA · (425) 640-4000 HC CLOSTRIDIUM DIFFICILE TOXINS AMPLIFIED PROBE File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $221.76 | $462.00 | — | 52% |
| Swedish Medical Center / Cherry Hill Seattle, WA · (206) 320-2000 HC CLOSTRIDIUM DIFFICILE TOXINS AMPLIFIED PROBE File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $221.76 | $462.00 | — | 52% |
| Swedish Issaquah Issaquah, WA · (425) 313-4000 HC CLOSTRIDIUM DIFFICILE TOXINS AMPLIFIED PROBE File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $221.76 | $462.00 | — | 52% |
| Swedish Medical Center Seattle, WA · (206) 386-6000 HC CLOSTRIDIUM DIFFICILE TOXINS AMPLIFIED PROBE File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $221.76 | $462.00 | — | 52% |
| Providence Regional Medical Center Everett Everett, WA · (425) 261-2000 HC CLOSTRIDIUM DIFFICILE TOXINS AMPLIFIED PROBE File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $240.24 | $462.00 | — | 48% |
| Cascade Valley Hospital Arlington, WA · (360) 435-2133 HC C. DIFFICILE DNA AMPLIFICATION File of Mar 26, 2026 · source file | $253.60 | $317.00 | $26.95–$285.30 | 20% |
| Snoqualmie Valley Hospital Snoqualmie, WA · (425) 831-2300 Facility Fee HC CLOSTRIDIUM DIFFICILE PCR-LC+1 more line at this price File of Apr 14, 2026 · source file | $271.46 | $468.04 | $36.52–$430.60 | 42% |
| Seattle Children's Hospital Seattle, WA · (206) 987-2000 Pcr C Diff Toxin Detection File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $368.80 | $368.80 | $92.94–$354.05 | — |
Outpatient: lowest $116.20, median $191.62, highest $368.80 — a 3.2× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 17 facilities here, median $185.50. 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 9 of 10 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 1 it is 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.