HIV viral load test cost in Louisville, KY
In Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN, 6 hospitals list a cash price for HIV viral load test (HIV-1 RNA, quantitative): from $46.40 to $1,070.93, with a median of $858.27. The lowest listed price is at Norton Hospitals — $811.87 less than the median here. Across Kentucky, the median is $690.96 at 15 hospitals.
Cash prices at 6 facilities across 5 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 Feb 11, 2026 and Sep 18, 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 Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norton Hospitals lowest Louisville, KY · (502) 629-8000 HB H 1 RNA PCR QUANTITATIVE | $46.40 | $232.00 | $38.28–$192.56 | 80% | Feb 11, 2026 source file |
| Norton Hospitals lowest Louisville, KY · (502) 629-8000 HB H 1 RNA PCR QUANTITATIVE | $46.40 | $232.00 | $38.28–$192.56 | 80% | Feb 13, 2026 source file |
| Norton Hospitals lowest Louisville, KY · (502) 629-8000 HB H 1 RNA PCR QUANTITATIVE | $46.40 | $232.00 | $38.28–$192.56 | 80% | Feb 11, 2026 source file |
| Norton Hospitals lowest Louisville, KY · (502) 629-8000 HB H 1 RNA PCR QUANTITATIVE | $46.40 | $232.00 | $38.28–$197.20 | 80% | Feb 11, 2026 source file |
| Norton Hospitals lowest Louisville, KY · (502) 629-8000 HB H 1 RNA PCR QUANTITATIVE | $46.40 | $232.00 | $38.28–$192.56 | 80% | Feb 11, 2026 source file |
| Norton Hospitals lowest Louisville, KY · (502) 629-8000 HB H 1 RNA PCR QUANTITATIVE | $46.40 | $232.00 | $38.28–$192.56 | 80% | Feb 11, 2026 source file |
| Norton Clark Hospital Jeffersonville, IN · (812) 283-2147 HB H-1 REVERSE TRANSCRIPT & QUANT | $105.00 | $750.00 | $72.31–$656.25 | 86% | Jun 3, 2026 source file |
| Norton Hospitals Louisville, KY · (502) 629-8000 HB H-1 REVERSE TRANSCRIPT & QUANT | $130.40 | $652.00 | $85.10–$541.16 | 80% | Feb 11, 2026 source file |
| Norton Hospitals Louisville, KY · (502) 629-8000 HB H VIRAL LOAD | $130.40 | $652.00 | $85.10–$554.20 | 80% | Feb 11, 2026 source file |
| Norton Hospitals Louisville, KY · (502) 629-8000 HB H-1 REVERSE TRANSCRIPT & QUANT | $130.40 | $652.00 | $85.10–$554.20 | 80% | Feb 11, 2026 source file |
| Norton Hospitals Louisville, KY · (502) 629-8000 HB H VIRAL LOAD | $130.40 | $652.00 | $85.10–$541.16 | 80% | Feb 11, 2026 source file |
| Norton Hospitals Louisville, KY · (502) 629-8000 HB H-1 REVERSE TRANSCRIPT & QUANT | $130.40 | $652.00 | $85.10–$541.16 | 80% | Feb 11, 2026 source file |
| Norton Hospitals Louisville, KY · (502) 629-8000 HB H VIRAL LOAD | $130.40 | $652.00 | $85.10–$541.16 | 80% | Feb 11, 2026 source file |
| Norton Hospitals Louisville, KY · (502) 629-8000 HB H VIRAL LOAD | $130.40 | $652.00 | $85.10–$541.16 | 80% | Feb 11, 2026 source file |
| Norton Hospitals Louisville, KY · (502) 629-8000 HB H-1 REVERSE TRANSCRIPT & QUANT | $130.40 | $652.00 | $85.10–$541.16 | 80% | Feb 11, 2026 source file |
| Norton Hospitals Louisville, KY · (502) 629-8000 HB H VIRAL LOAD | $130.40 | $652.00 | $85.10–$541.16 | 80% | Feb 13, 2026 source file |
| Norton Hospitals Louisville, KY · (502) 629-8000 HB H-1 REVERSE TRANSCRIPT & QUANT | $130.40 | $652.00 | $85.10–$541.16 | 80% | Feb 13, 2026 source file |
| Norton Hospitals Louisville, KY · (502) 629-8000 HB H VIRAL LOAD | $130.40 | $652.00 | $85.10–$541.16 | 80% | Feb 11, 2026 source file |
| Norton Hospitals Louisville, KY · (502) 629-8000 HB H-1 REVERSE TRANSCRIPT & QUANT | $130.40 | $652.00 | $85.10–$541.16 | 80% | Feb 11, 2026 source file |
| St. Vincent Salem Hospital Salem, IN · (812) 883-5881 HIV-1 QUANTIFY | $645.60 | $1,076.00 | $40.25–$194.03 | 40% | — source file |
| St. Vincent Salem Hospital Salem, IN · (812) 883-5881 HIV-1 QUANTIFY | $645.60 | $1,076.00 | $40.25–$194.03 | 40% | — source file |
| Baptist Health LaGrange La Grange, KY · (502) 222-5388 Detection test by nucleic acid for HIV-1 virus, quantification | $1,070.93 | $1,427.90 | $72.31–$2,855.80 | 25% | Sep 15, 2026 source file |
| Baptist Health Louisville Louisville, KY · (502) 897-8100 Detection test by nucleic acid for HIV-1 virus, quantification | $1,070.93 | $1,427.90 | $51.06–$2,855.80 | 25% | Sep 18, 2026 source file |
| Baptist Health Floyd New Albany, IN · (812) 944-7701 Detection test by nucleic acid for HIV-1 virus, quantification | $1,070.93 | $1,427.90 | $72.31–$2,141.85 | 25% | Sep 15, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $46.40, median $858.27, highest $1,070.93 — a 23.1× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 3 facilities here, median $105.00. 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 5 of 6 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.