Lab tests CPT 87536 Inpatient — admitted to hospital

HIV viral load test cost in Memphis, TN — inpatient

In Memphis, TN-MS-AR, 12 hospitals list a cash price for HIV viral load test (HIV-1 RNA, quantitative) as an inpatient: from $113.25 to $329.52, with a median of $131.12. The lowest listed price is at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Crittenden — $17.87 less than the median here. Across Tennessee, the median is $147.62 at 44 hospitals.

Cash prices at 12 facilities across 7 cities for code 87536, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 25, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Feb 27, 2026 and Feb 28, 2026.

Lowest$113.25Baptist Memorial Hospital-Crittenden
Median$131.12half pay less
Highest$329.52in this market
Difference2.9×highest vs lowest

Where each hospital's price falls

Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Memphis, TN-MS-AR.

median
Lowest $113.25Highest $329.52

Hospitals, cheapest first

HospitalCash price List priceInsurers payOff listFile date
Baptist Memorial Hospital-Crittenden lowest West Memphis, AR · (870) 394-7800 HIV VIRAL LOAD $113.25 $755.00 $286.90–$604.00 85% Feb 27, 2026
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Methodist Lebonheur Germantown Hosp Germantown, TN HC Hiv-1 Quant&Revrse Trnscrpj - Hiv 1 Rna Quant by Pcr $131.12 $596.00 $35.74–$421.69 78% —
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Methodist North Hospital Memphis, TN HC Hiv-1 Quant&Revrse Trnscrpj - Hiv Rna, Quantitative, Pcr $131.12 $596.00 $35.74–$421.69 78% —
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Methodist Olive Branch Hospital Olive Branch, MS · (662) 932-9000 HC Hiv-1 Quant&Revrse Trnscrpj - Hiv 1 Rna Quant by Pcr $131.12 $596.00 — 78% —
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Methodist Olive Branch Hospital Olive Branch, MS · (662) 932-9000 HC Hiv-1 Quant&Revrse Trnscrpj - Hiv Rna, Quantitative, Pcr $131.12 $596.00 — 78% —
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Methodist South Hospital Memphis, TN HC Hiv-1 Quant&Revrse Trnscrpj - Hiv 1 Rna Quant by Pcr $131.12 $596.00 $35.74–$421.69 78% —
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Methodist South Hospital Memphis, TN HC Hiv-1 Quant&Revrse Trnscrpj - Hiv Rna, Quantitative, Pcr $131.12 $596.00 $35.74–$421.69 78% —
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Methodist University Hospital Memphis, TN · (901) 516-8274 HC Hiv-1 Quant&Revrse Trnscrpj - Hiv 1 Rna Quant by Pcr $131.12 $596.00 — 78% —
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Methodist University Hospital Memphis, TN · (901) 516-8274 HC Hiv-1 Quant&Revrse Trnscrpj - Hiv Rna, Quantitative, Pcr $131.12 $596.00 — 78% —
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Methodist North Hospital Memphis, TN HC Hiv-1 Quant&Revrse Trnscrpj - Hiv 1 Rna Quant by Pcr $131.12 $596.00 $35.74–$421.69 78% —
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Methodist Lebonheur Childrens Hosp Memphis, TN HC Hiv-1 Quant&Revrse Trnscrpj - Hiv 1 Rna Quant by Pcr $131.12 $596.00 — 78% —
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Methodist Lebonheur Childrens Hosp Memphis, TN HC Hiv-1 Quant&Revrse Trnscrpj - Hiv Rna, Quantitative, Pcr $131.12 $596.00 — 78% —
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Methodist Lebonheur Germantown Hosp Germantown, TN HC Hiv-1 Quant&Revrse Trnscrpj - Hiv Rna, Quantitative, Pcr $131.12 $596.00 $35.74–$421.69 78% —
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Baptist Memorial Hospital-Women's Memphis, TN HIV VIRAL LOAD $158.55 $755.00 $286.90–$679.50 79% Feb 27, 2026
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Baptist Memorial Hospital-Memphis Memphis, TN · (901) 226-5000 HIV VIRAL LOAD $158.55 $755.00 $286.90–$679.50 79% Feb 28, 2026
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Baptist Memorial Hospital-Collierville Collierville, TN HIV VIRAL LOAD $158.55 $755.00 $286.90–$679.50 79% Feb 27, 2026
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Baptist Memorial Hospital-DeSoto Southaven, MS · (662) 772-4000 HIV VIRAL LOAD $187.00 $935.00 $355.30–$841.50 80% Feb 27, 2026
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Baptist Memorial Hospital-Crittenden West Memphis, AR · (870) 394-7800 HIV1 RNA CSF $201.90 $1,346.00 $511.48–$1,076.80 85% Feb 27, 2026
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Baptist Memorial Hospital-Collierville Collierville, TN HIV1 RNA CSF $282.66 $1,346.00 $511.48–$1,211.40 79% Feb 27, 2026
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Baptist Memorial Hospital-Memphis Memphis, TN · (901) 226-5000 HIV1 RNA CSF $282.66 $1,346.00 $511.48–$1,211.40 79% Feb 28, 2026
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Baptist Memorial Hospital-Women's Memphis, TN HIV1 RNA CSF $282.66 $1,346.00 $511.48–$1,211.40 79% Feb 27, 2026
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Baptist Memorial Hospital-Tipton Covington, TN · (901) 476-2621 HIV VIRAL LOAD $329.52 $1,373.00 $521.74–$1,235.70 76% Feb 27, 2026
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Inpatient: lowest $113.25, median $131.12, highest $329.52 — a 2.9× difference within the same market.

As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 12 facilities here, median $131.12 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.

Cash or insurance?

At 9 of 9 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 6 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 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.