HIV viral load test cost in Cincinnati, OH
In Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN, 15 hospitals list a cash price for HIV viral load test (HIV-1 RNA, quantitative): from $129.54 to $817.20, with a median of $159.56. The lowest listed price is at Children's Hospital Medical Center — $30.02 less than the median here. Across Ohio, the median is $358.20 at 129 hospitals.
- The median here, $159.56, is 42% below the US median of $276.38.
- That is 1.9× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($85.10).
- Cincinnati, OH has the lowest median of 3 metro areas in Ohio with at least 10 hospitals pricing this code.
- 2 of 15 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Cash prices at 15 facilities across 9 cities for code 87536, 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.
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.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Children's Hospital Medical Center lowest Cincinnati, OH · (513) 636-3333 Hb Hiv-1 Rna Pcr Quantitation File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $129.54 | $254.00 | $50.19–$254.00 | 49% |
| Mercy Health Clermont Hospital Batavia, OH · (513) 732-8278 HC So Hiv-1, Quantification File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $159.00 | $265.00 | — | 40% |
| Mercy Health Fairfield Hospital Fairfield, OH · (513) 870-7000 HC So Hiv-1, Quantification File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $159.00 | $265.00 | — | 40% |
| Mercy Health Anderson Hospital Cincinnati, OH · (513) 624-4500 HC So Hiv-1, Quantification File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $159.00 | $265.00 | — | 40% |
| Mercy Health Kings Mills Hospital Mason, OH · (513) 637-9999 HC So Hiv-1, Quantification File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $159.00 | $265.00 | — | 40% |
| The Jewish Hospital-Mercy Health Cincinnati, OH · (513) 686-3000 HC So Hiv-1, Quantification File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $159.00 | $265.00 | — | 40% |
| Mercy Health West Hospital Cincinnati, OH · (513) 215-5000 HC So Hiv-1, Quantification File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $159.00 | $265.00 | — | 40% |
| Bethesda North Cincinnati, OH · (513) 865-1111 HC Hiv 1 Rna Vir Load Quant File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $159.56 | $212.74 | — | 25% |
| St Elizabeth Edgewood Edgewood, KY · (859) 301-2000 HB HIV-1 RNA/DNA QNT - REF LAB File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $255.30 | $255.30 | — | — |
| McCullough-Hyde Memorial Hospital Oxford, OH · (513) 523-2111 HC Hiv 1 Rna Vir Load Quant File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $261.68 | $348.91 | — | 25% |
| The Jewish Hospital-Mercy Health Cincinnati, OH · (513) 686-3000 HC Iadna Hiv-1 Quant & Reverse Transcription File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $269.40 | $449.00 | — | 40% |
| Mercy Health Fairfield Hospital Fairfield, OH · (513) 870-7000 HC Iadna Hiv-1 Quant & Reverse Transcription File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $269.40 | $449.00 | — | 40% |
| Mercy Health Clermont Hospital Batavia, OH · (513) 732-8278 HC Iadna Hiv-1 Quant & Reverse Transcription File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $269.40 | $449.00 | — | 40% |
| Mercy Health Anderson Hospital Cincinnati, OH · (513) 624-4500 HC Iadna Hiv-1 Quant & Reverse Transcription File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $269.40 | $449.00 | — | 40% |
| Mercy Health West Hospital Cincinnati, OH · (513) 215-5000 HC Iadna Hiv-1 Quant & Reverse Transcription File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $269.40 | $449.00 | — | 40% |
| Mercy Health Kings Mills Hospital Mason, OH · (513) 637-9999 HC Iadna Hiv-1 Quant & Reverse Transcription File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $269.40 | $449.00 | — | 40% |
| The Good Samaritan Hospital of Cincinnati, OH Cincinnati, OH · (513) 862-2601 HC Hiv 1 Rna Vir Load Quant File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $290.74 | $387.66 | — | 25% |
| Children's Hospital Medical Center Cincinnati, OH · (513) 636-3333 Hb Hiv Viral Load Neonatal File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $405.96 | $796.00 | $50.19–$796.00 | 49% |
| Fort Hamilton Hospital Hamilton, OH · (513) 867-2123 Hc Hiv-1 Detection By Nucleic Acid (Dna Or Rna), Quantification, Includes Reverse Transcription When+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $443.60 | $1,109.00 | — | 60% |
| Atrium Medical Center Middletown, OH · (513) 420-5102 HC HIV 1 QUANT File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $616.00 | $616.00 | — | — |
| University of Cincinnati Medical Center Cincinnati, OH · (513) 584-1000 Hc Hiv Quant By Pcr File of Jul 1, 2026 · source file | $817.20 | $1,362.00 | — | 40% |
| West Chester Hospital West Chester, OH · (513) 298-7701 Hc Hiv Quant By Pcr File of Jul 1, 2026 · source file | $817.20 | $1,362.00 | — | 40% |
Outpatient: lowest $129.54, median $159.56, highest $817.20 — a 6.3× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 13 facilities here, median $180.60. 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 the one hospital here that publishes insurer rates for this code, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated. 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 HIV viral load test is, what the price covers and why prices differ: HIV viral load test explained.