HIV viral load test cost in Pittsburgh, PA
In Pittsburgh, PA, 22 hospitals list a cash price for HIV viral load test (HIV-1 RNA, quantitative): from $133.00 to $1,743.00, with a median of $585.92. The lowest listed price is at Uniontown Hospital — $452.92 less than the median here. Across Pennsylvania, the median is $495.60 at 98 hospitals.
- The median here, $585.92, is 112% above the US median of $276.38.
- That is 6.9× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($85.10).
- Pittsburgh, PA ranks 2nd of 2 metro areas in Pennsylvania by median, cheapest first.
- Every hospital here lists a cash price below its full list price.
Cash prices at 22 facilities across 15 cities for code 87536, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Nov 10, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Dec 17, 2025 and Oct 28, 2026.
Lowest$133.00Uniontown Hospital
Median$585.92half of hospitals charge less
Highest$1,743.00in this market
Difference13.1×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 Pittsburgh, PA.
median
Lowest $133.00Highest $1,743.00
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uniontown Hospital lowest Uniontown, PA · (724) 430-5000 HIV-1 QUANT&REVRSE TRNSCRPJ File of Jul 9, 2026 · source file | $133.00 | $266.00 | $80.42–$198.28 | 50% |
| UPMC Washington Washington, PA · (724) 225-7000 HIV RNA BY PCR File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $224.52 | $320.75 | $59.57–$230.94 | 30% |
| Excela Health Westmoreland Regional Hospital Greeensburg, PA · (724) 832-4000 HIV-1, VIRAL LOAD, QNT File of Dec 17, 2025 · source file | $238.80 | $398.00 | $79.19–$513.39 | 40% |
| Excela Health Latrobe Hospital Latrobe, PA · (724) 832-4000 HIV-1, VIRAL LOAD, QNT File of Dec 17, 2025 · source file | $238.80 | $398.00 | $79.19–$513.39 | 40% |
| Excela Health - Frick Hospital Mt Plesant, PA · (724) 547-1500 HIV-1, VIRAL LOAD, QNT File of Dec 17, 2025 · source file | $238.80 | $398.00 | $77.13–$187.57 | 40% |
| Butler Memorial Hospital Butler, PA Hiv-1 Rna Quant By Bdna+5 more lines at this price File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $352.80 | $504.00 | $94.25–$529.20 | 30% |
| Uniontown Hospital Uniontown, PA · (724) 430-5000 DETECTION TEST BY NUCLEIC ACID FOR HIV-1 VIRUS; QUANTIFICATION File of Jul 9, 2026 · source file | $398.50 | $797.00 | $80.42–$198.28 | 50% |
| Armstrong County Memorial Hospital Kittanning, PA HIV BY RNA File of Mar 2, 2026 · source file | $399.60 | $1,332.00 | $76.79–$1,332.00 | 70% |
| UPMC Jameson New Castle, PA · (724) 656-4100 HIV-1 RNA DETECT/QUANT+2 more lines at this price File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $406.80 | $678.00 | $84.10–$653.41 | 40% |
| UPMC Jameson one side New Castle, PA · (724) 656-4100 HIV-1 RBA QN RT-PCR W/RFX GENO+2 more lines at this price File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $406.80 | $678.00 | $84.10–$653.41 | 40% |
| Allegheny Valley Hospital Natrona Heights, PA · (412) 224-5100 HC HIV-1 PCR QUANT File of Oct 28, 2026 · source file | $530.53 | $689.00 | $41.22–$214.79 | 23% |
| West Penn Hospital Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 578-5000 HC HIV-1 PCR QUANT File of Oct 28, 2026 · source file | $559.18 | $766.00 | $42.43–$281.68 | 27% |
| Allegheny General Hospital Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 359-3131 HC HIV-1 PCR QUANT File of Oct 28, 2026 · source file | $582.16 | $766.00 | $42.43–$284.40 | 24% |
| Jefferson Regional Medical Center Jefferson Hills, PA · (412) 469-5000 HC HIV-1 PCR QUANT File of Oct 28, 2026 · source file | $589.68 | $728.00 | $41.22–$207.30 | 19% |
| Monogahela Valley Hospital Monongahela, PA · (724) 258-1000 HIV-1 RNA BY PCR File of Feb 2, 2026 · source file | $600.00 | $1,000.00 | $269.00–$1,225.50 | 40% |
| Highlands Hospital Connellsville, PA · (724) 628-1500 HIV-1 RNA, QUANTITATIVE PCR File of Feb 2, 2026 · source file | $600.00 | $1,000.00 | $337.00–$780.00 | 40% |
| UPMC Passavant - McCandless Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 367-6700 HC HIV-QUANT+1 more line at this price File of Mar 7, 2026 · source file | $606.00 | $1,010.00 | $79.08–$1,060.61 | 40% |
| UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 647-2345 HIV-1 RNA/QUANT/REAL-TIME PCR+2 more lines at this price File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $739.20 | $1,232.00 | $84.10–$1,047.20 | 40% |
| UPMC Presbyterian one side Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 647-2345 HIV-1 RNA QN RT-PCR RFX IN GN+3 more lines at this price File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $739.20 | $1,232.00 | $84.10–$1,047.20 | 40% |
| UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 641-4010 HC HIV-QUANT+1 more line at this price File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $818.40 | $1,364.00 | $79.65–$1,254.88 | 40% |
| UPMC Childrens Hospital of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 692-5325 HIV-QUANT+1 more line at this price File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $864.60 | $1,441.00 | $75.82–$1,296.90 | 40% |
| UPMC Childrens Hospital of Pittsburgh one side Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 692-5325 HIV-1 RBA QN RT-PCR W/RFX GENO+1 more line at this price File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $864.60 | $1,441.00 | $75.82–$1,296.90 | 40% |
| UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 232-8111 HIV-QUANT+1 more line at this price File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $882.60 | $1,471.00 | $70.94–$1,323.90 | 40% |
| UPMC Mercy one side Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 232-8111 HIV-1 RNA QN RT-PCR CSF+2 more lines at this price File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $882.60 | $1,471.00 | $70.94–$1,323.90 | 40% |
| UPMC McKeesport one side McKeesport, PA · (412) 664-2000 HIV-1 RBA QN RT-PCR W/RFX GENO+1 more line at this price File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $1,144.80 | $1,908.00 | $78.88–$1,621.80 | 40% |
| UPMC McKeesport McKeesport, PA · (412) 664-2000 HIV-QUANT+1 more line at this price File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $1,144.80 | $1,908.00 | $78.88–$1,621.80 | 40% |
| UPMC St Margaret one side Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 784-4000 QUANT HIV-1 RT-PCR+2 more lines at this price File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $1,473.60 | $2,456.00 | $73.48–$2,087.60 | 40% |
| UPMC St Margaret Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 784-4000 HIV-QUANT+1 more line at this price File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $1,473.60 | $2,456.00 | $73.48–$2,087.60 | 40% |
| UPMC East one side Monroeville, PA · (412) 357-3000 HIV-1 RBA QN RT-PCR W/RFX GENO+1 more line at this price File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $1,743.00 | $2,905.00 | $84.10–$2,324.00 | 40% |
| UPMC East Monroeville, PA · (412) 357-3000 HIV-1 RNA/QUANT/REAL-TIME PCR+1 more line at this price File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $1,743.00 | $2,905.00 | $84.10–$2,324.00 | 40% |
Hospital The hospital that published the price, its city and the line exactly as written in its price file.
Cash price The hospital's own price for a patient paying without insurance (“discounted cash” in its price file). Hospitals must publish it under federal law, 45 CFR 180.50. Call to confirm it before booking. More
List price The hospital's full chargemaster price (“gross charge”) before any discount. Almost nobody pays it; the gap to the cash price shows what the self-pay discount is worth. More
Insurers pay The lowest and highest rates this hospital has agreed with insurance plans for the same item, from its price file. If the cash price is below what your plan pays and you have not met your deductible, paying cash can cost you less. More
Off list How much lower the cash price is than the list price.
Outpatient: lowest $133.00, median $585.92, highest $1,743.00 — a 13.1× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 23 facilities here, median $600.00. 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 17 of 22 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 HIV viral load test is, what the price covers and why prices differ: HIV viral load test explained.