HIV viral load test cost in Columbus, OH
In Columbus, OH, 16 hospitals list a cash price for HIV viral load test (HIV-1 RNA, quantitative): from $124.20 to $473.85, with a median of $165.75. The lowest listed price is at Nationwide Children's Hospital — $41.55 less than the median here. Across Ohio, the median is $367.20 at 95 hospitals.
Cash prices at 16 facilities across 10 cities for code 87536, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Oct 22, 2025 and Apr 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 Columbus, OH.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nationwide Children's Hospital lowest Columbus, OH · (614) 722-2000 HIV 1 QUANT PCR REFLEX | $124.20 | $138.00 | $64.86–$135.24 | 10% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Grady Memorial Hospital Delaware, OH · (740) 368-5145 Hc Hiv-1 Quant And Reverse Transcription So | $132.60 | $204.00 | — | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Berger Hospital Circleville, OH · (740) 420-8008 Hc Hiv-1 Quant And Reverse Transcription So | $164.45 | $253.00 | — | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Doctors Hospital Columbus, OH · (614) 544-2136 Hc Hiv-1 Quant And Reverse Transcription So | $165.75 | $255.00 | — | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Dublin Methodist Hospital Dublin, OH · (614) 544-8000 Hc Hiv-1 Quant And Reverse Transcription So | $165.75 | $255.00 | — | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Riverside Methodist Hospital Columbus, OH · (614) 566-5000 Hc Hiv-1 Quant And Reverse Transcription So | $165.75 | $255.00 | — | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Pickerington Methodist Hospital Pickerington, OH Hc Hiv-1 Quant And Reverse Transcription So | $165.75 | $255.00 | — | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Grant Medical Center Columbus, OH · (614) 566-9164 Hc Hiv-1 Quant And Reverse Transcription So | $165.75 | $255.00 | — | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Grove City Methodist Grove City, OH Hc Hiv-1 Quant And Reverse Transcription So | $165.75 | $255.00 | — | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Morrow County Hospital Mount Gilead, OH · (419) 946-5015 Detection test by nucleic acid for HIV-1 virus, quantification | $383.44 | $589.90 | $41.32–$572.20 | 35% | Oct 22, 2025 source file |
| Grady Memorial Hospital Delaware, OH · (740) 368-5145 Hc Hiv 1 Virus Quantitation | $464.75 | $715.00 | — | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Diley Ridge Medical Center Canal Winchester, OH · (614) 838-7911 HC Infectious Agent Nucleic Acid Quantification Hiv-1 | $473.85 | $729.00 | $41.00–$729.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Mount Carmel Grove City Grove City, OH HC Infectious Agent Nucleic Acid Quantification Hiv-1 | $473.85 | $729.00 | $41.00–$729.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Mount Carmel Grove City Grove City, OH HC Warde Infectious Agent Nucleic Acid Quantification Hiv-1 | $473.85 | $729.00 | $41.00–$729.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Mount Carmel Grove City Grove City, OH HC Warde Infectious Agent Nucleic Acid Quantification Hiv-1 Ultrasensitive | $473.85 | $729.00 | $41.00–$729.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Mount Carmel New Albany Surgical Hospital New Albany, OH · (614) 775-6600 HC Warde Infectious Agent Nucleic Acid Quantification Hiv-1 | $473.85 | $729.00 | $41.00–$729.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Mount Carmel New Albany Surgical Hospital New Albany, OH · (614) 775-6600 HC Warde Infectious Agent Nucleic Acid Quantification Hiv-1 Ultrasensitive | $473.85 | $729.00 | $41.00–$729.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Mount Carmel East Columbus, OH · (614) 234-5000 HC Warde Infectious Agent Nucleic Acid Quantification Hiv-1 | $473.85 | $729.00 | $41.00–$729.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Mount Carmel East Columbus, OH · (614) 234-5000 HC Warde Infectious Agent Nucleic Acid Quantification Hiv-1 Ultrasensitive | $473.85 | $729.00 | $41.00–$729.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Mount Carmel East Columbus, OH · (614) 234-5000 HC Infectious Agent Nucleic Acid Quantification Hiv-1 | $473.85 | $729.00 | $41.00–$729.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Diley Ridge Medical Center Canal Winchester, OH · (614) 838-7911 HC Warde Infectious Agent Nucleic Acid Quantification Hiv-1 Ultrasensitive | $473.85 | $729.00 | $41.00–$729.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Diley Ridge Medical Center Canal Winchester, OH · (614) 838-7911 HC Warde Infectious Agent Nucleic Acid Quantification Hiv-1 | $473.85 | $729.00 | $41.00–$729.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Mount Carmel St Ann's Westerville, OH · (614) 546-4034 HC Infectious Agent Nucleic Acid Quantification Hiv-1 | $473.85 | $729.00 | $41.00–$729.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Mount Carmel St Ann's Westerville, OH · (614) 546-4034 HC Warde Infectious Agent Nucleic Acid Quantification Hiv-1 | $473.85 | $729.00 | $41.00–$729.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Mount Carmel St Ann's Westerville, OH · (614) 546-4034 HC Warde Infectious Agent Nucleic Acid Quantification Hiv-1 Ultrasensitive | $473.85 | $729.00 | $41.00–$729.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Mount Carmel Dublin Dublin, OH · (380) 898-9000 HC Warde Infectious Agent Nucleic Acid Quantification Hiv-1 | $473.85 | $729.00 | $41.00–$729.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Mount Carmel Dublin Dublin, OH · (380) 898-9000 HC Warde Infectious Agent Nucleic Acid Quantification Hiv-1 Ultrasensitive | $473.85 | $729.00 | $41.00–$729.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Berger Hospital Circleville, OH · (740) 420-8008 Hc Hiv 1 Virus Quantitation | $473.85 | $729.00 | — | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Mount Carmel New Albany Surgical Hospital New Albany, OH · (614) 775-6600 HC Infectious Agent Nucleic Acid Quantification Hiv-1 | $473.85 | $729.00 | $41.00–$729.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Nationwide Children's Hospital Columbus, OH · (614) 722-2000 HIV-1 RNA ULTRASENS QUANT, PCR | $559.80 | $622.00 | $292.34–$609.56 | 10% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Pickerington Methodist Hospital Pickerington, OH Hc Hiv 1 Virus Quantitation | $725.40 | $1,116.00 | — | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Grove City Methodist Grove City, OH Hc Hiv 1 Virus Quantitation | $725.40 | $1,116.00 | — | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Riverside Methodist Hospital Columbus, OH · (614) 566-5000 Hc Hiv 1 Virus Quantitation | $725.40 | $1,116.00 | — | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Grant Medical Center Columbus, OH · (614) 566-9164 Hc Hiv 1 Virus Quantitation | $725.40 | $1,116.00 | — | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Doctors Hospital Columbus, OH · (614) 544-2136 Hc Hiv 1 Virus Quantitation | $725.40 | $1,116.00 | — | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Dublin Methodist Hospital Dublin, OH · (614) 544-8000 Hc Hiv 1 Virus Quantitation | $725.40 | $1,116.00 | — | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $124.20, median $165.75, highest $473.85 — a 3.8× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 15 facilities here, median $165.75. 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 8 of 8 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 it is
The HIV viral load test measures how much virus is in the blood. It shows how well treatment is working.
What the price covers
The price usually covers running the test. The blood draw (36415) is often billed as a separate line.