HIV viral load test cost in New Orleans, LA
In New Orleans-Metairie, LA, 12 hospitals list a cash price for HIV viral load test (HIV-1 RNA, quantitative): from $33.75 to $352.32, with a median of $163.86. The lowest listed price is at St Charles Parish Hospital — $130.11 less than the median here. Across Louisiana, the median is $176.85 at 56 hospitals.
- The median here, $163.86, is 41% below the US median of $276.38.
- That is 1.9× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($85.10).
- Every hospital here lists a cash price below its full list price.
Cash prices at 12 facilities across 6 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 Apr 1, 2026 and Sep 16, 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 New Orleans-Metairie, LA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Charles Parish Hospital lowest Luling, LA · (985) 785-3644 HC HIV-1 RNA DETECT/QUANT File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $33.75 | $125.00 | $73.13–$319.57 | 73% |
| Ochsner Medical Center – Kenner Kenner, LA · (504) 464-8065 HC HIV-1 RNA DETECT/QUANT File of Sep 16, 2026 · source file | $35.00 | $125.00 | $68.75–$482.62 | 72% |
| St Bernard Parish Hospital Chalmette, LA · (504) 826-9500 HC HIV-1 RNA DETECT/QUANT File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $40.00 | $125.00 | $35.74–$297.56 | 68% |
| Ochsner Clinic Foundation New Orleans, LA · (504) 842-3000 HC HIV-1 RNA DETECT/QUANT+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $108.68 | $494.00 | $76.28–$444.60 | 78% |
| Ochsner Medical Center – Kenner Kenner, LA · (504) 464-8065 HC HIV-1 RNA ULT QUANT BY PCR File of Sep 16, 2026 · source file | $119.56 | $427.00 | $76.59–$482.62 | 72% |
| West Jefferson Medical Center Marrero, LA · (504) 347-5511 Arup Hiv-1 Quantification Nucleic Acid Probe+2 more lines at this price File of Jun 30, 2026 · source file | $124.64 | $779.00 | $104.48–$97.92 | 84% |
| St Bernard Parish Hospital Chalmette, LA · (504) 826-9500 HC HIV-1 RNA ULT QUANT BY PCR File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $153.28 | $479.00 | $35.74–$359.25 | 68% |
| St Charles Parish Hospital Luling, LA · (985) 785-3644 HC HIV-1 RNA ULT QUANT BY PCR File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $154.98 | $574.00 | $76.28–$487.90 | 73% |
| Childrens Hospital New Orleans, LA · (504) 899-9511 Hiv 1 Quantification Nucleic Acid Probe+2 more lines at this price File of Jun 24, 2026 · source file | $155.52 | $576.00 | $138.08–$97.92 | 73% |
| Lakeside Hospital Metairie, LA · (504) 988-5263 Labcorp Hiv1 Qnt Pcr+2 more lines at this price File of Jul 1, 2026 · source file | $172.20 | $1,230.00 | $104.48–$85.10 | 86% |
| East Jefferson General Hospital Metairie, LA · (504) 988-5263 Hiv 1 Quantification Nucleic Acid Probe+2 more lines at this price File of Jul 1, 2026 · source file | $172.20 | $1,230.00 | $104.48–$85.10 | 86% |
| Tulane Medical Center New Orleans, LA · (504) 988-5263 Labcorp Hiv1 Qnt Pcr+2 more lines at this price File of Jun 25, 2026 · source file | $172.20 | $1,230.00 | $104.48–$85.10 | 86% |
| University Med Center New Orleans, LA · (504) 702-3000 Hiv 1 Quantification Nucleic Acid Probe+2 more lines at this price File of Jul 1, 2026 · source file | $196.02 | $891.00 | $110.43–$97.92 | 78% |
| Touro Infirmary New Orleans, LA · (504) 897-8247 Labcorp Hiv1 Qnt Pcr+2 more lines at this price File of Jul 1, 2026 · source file | $197.26 | $1,409.00 | $1,000.39–$97.92 | 86% |
| East Jefferson General Hospital Metairie, LA · (504) 988-5263 Ej Ref Lab Hiv 1 Rna Quantitative Pcr Ultra File of Jul 1, 2026 · source file | $272.86 | $1,949.00 | $104.48–$955.01 | 86% |
| Lakeside Hospital Metairie, LA · (504) 988-5263 Ej Ref Lab Hiv 1 Rna Quantitative Pcr Ultra File of Jul 1, 2026 · source file | $272.86 | $1,949.00 | $104.48–$955.01 | 86% |
| Tulane Medical Center New Orleans, LA · (504) 988-5263 Ej Ref Lab Hiv 1 Rna Quantitative Pcr Ultra File of Jun 25, 2026 · source file | $272.86 | $1,949.00 | $104.48–$955.01 | 86% |
| West Jefferson Medical Center Marrero, LA · (504) 347-5511 Ej Ref Lab Hiv 1 Rna Quantitative Pcr Ultra File of Jun 30, 2026 · source file | $311.84 | $1,949.00 | $104.48–$97.92 | 84% |
| New Orleans East Hospital New Orleans, LA · (504) 592-6600 Hiv 1 Quantification Nucleic Acid Probe+2 more lines at this price File of Jun 24, 2026 · source file | $352.32 | $2,202.00 | $104.72–$97.92 | 84% |
Outpatient: lowest $33.75, median $163.86, highest $352.32 — a 10.4× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 5 facilities here, median $43.96. 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 4 of 12 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 3 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 HIV viral load test is, what the price covers and why prices differ: HIV viral load test explained.