HIV viral load test cost in Pittsburgh, PA — inpatient
In Pittsburgh, PA, 12 hospitals list a cash price for HIV viral load test (HIV-1 RNA, quantitative) as an inpatient: from $192.45 to $1,743.00, with a median of $778.80. The lowest listed price is at UPMC Washington — $586.35 less than the median here. Across Pennsylvania, the median is $474.60 at 62 hospitals.
Cash prices at 12 facilities across 7 cities for code 87536, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Mar 6, 2026 and Mar 6, 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 Pittsburgh, PA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UPMC Washington lowest Washington, PA · (724) 225-7000 HIV RNA BY PCR | $192.45 | $320.75 | $224.53 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Jameson one side New Castle, PA · (724) 656-4100 QUANT HIV-1 RT-PCR | $406.80 | $678.00 | $508.50–$596.64 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Jameson one side New Castle, PA · (724) 656-4100 HIV-1 RNA QN RT-PCR RFX IN GN | $406.80 | $678.00 | $508.50–$596.64 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Jameson New Castle, PA · (724) 656-4100 HIV-1 RNA/QUANT/REAL-TIME PCR | $406.80 | $678.00 | $508.50–$596.64 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Jameson one side New Castle, PA · (724) 656-4100 HIV-1 RBA QN RT-PCR W/RFX GENO | $406.80 | $678.00 | $508.50–$596.64 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Jameson New Castle, PA · (724) 656-4100 HIV-1 RNA DETECT/QUANT | $406.80 | $678.00 | $508.50–$596.64 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Jameson New Castle, PA · (724) 656-4100 HIV-QUANT | $406.80 | $678.00 | $508.50–$596.64 | 40% | — source file |
| Monogahela Valley Hospital Monongahela, PA · (724) 258-1000 HIV-1 RNA BY PCR | $600.00 | $1,000.00 | $450.00 | 40% | — source file |
| Highlands Hospital Connellsville, PA · (724) 628-1500 HIV-1 RNA, QUANTITATIVE PCR | $600.00 | $1,000.00 | — | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Passavant - McCandless Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 367-6700 HC HIV-QUANT | $606.00 | $1,010.00 | $363.60–$939.30 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Passavant - McCandless Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 367-6700 HC NUCLEIC ACID REV TRANS QN HIV-1 | $606.00 | $1,010.00 | $363.60–$939.30 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 647-2345 HIV-QUANT | $739.20 | $1,232.00 | $800.80–$1,047.20 | 40% | Mar 6, 2026 source file |
| UPMC Presbyterian one side Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 647-2345 HIV-1 RNA QN RT-PCR RFX IN GN | $739.20 | $1,232.00 | $800.80–$1,047.20 | 40% | Mar 6, 2026 source file |
| UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 647-2345 HIV-1 RNA/QUANT/REAL-TIME PCR | $739.20 | $1,232.00 | $800.80–$1,047.20 | 40% | Mar 6, 2026 source file |
| UPMC Presbyterian one side Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 647-2345 HIV-1 RNA QN RT-PCR CSF | $739.20 | $1,232.00 | $800.80–$1,047.20 | 40% | Mar 6, 2026 source file |
| UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 647-2345 HIV-1 RNA DETECT/QUANT | $739.20 | $1,232.00 | $800.80–$1,047.20 | 40% | Mar 6, 2026 source file |
| UPMC Presbyterian one side Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 647-2345 QUANT HIV-1 RT-PCR | $739.20 | $1,232.00 | $800.80–$1,047.20 | 40% | Mar 6, 2026 source file |
| UPMC Presbyterian one side Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 647-2345 HIV-1 RBA QN RT-PCR W/RFX GENO | $739.20 | $1,232.00 | $800.80–$1,047.20 | 40% | Mar 6, 2026 source file |
| UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 641-4010 HC HIV-QUANT | $818.40 | $1,364.00 | $491.04–$1,254.88 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 641-4010 HC NUCLEIC ACID REV TRANS QN HIV-1 | $818.40 | $1,364.00 | $491.04–$1,254.88 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Childrens Hospital of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 692-5325 HIV-1 RNA/QUANT/REAL-TIME PCR | $864.60 | $1,441.00 | $576.40–$1,296.90 | 40% | Mar 6, 2026 source file |
| UPMC Childrens Hospital of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 692-5325 HIV-QUANT | $864.60 | $1,441.00 | $576.40–$1,296.90 | 40% | Mar 6, 2026 source file |
| UPMC Childrens Hospital of Pittsburgh one side Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 692-5325 HIV-1 RBA QN RT-PCR W/RFX GENO | $864.60 | $1,441.00 | $576.40–$1,296.90 | 40% | Mar 6, 2026 source file |
| UPMC Childrens Hospital of Pittsburgh one side Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 692-5325 HIV-1 RNA QN RT-PCR RFX IN GN | $864.60 | $1,441.00 | $576.40–$1,296.90 | 40% | Mar 6, 2026 source file |
| UPMC Mercy one side Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 232-8111 HIV-1 RNA QN RT-PCR RFX IN GN | $882.60 | $1,471.00 | $450.13–$1,323.90 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 232-8111 HIV-QUANT | $882.60 | $1,471.00 | $450.13–$1,323.90 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 232-8111 HIV-1 RNA/QUANT/REAL-TIME PCR | $882.60 | $1,471.00 | $450.13–$1,323.90 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Mercy one side Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 232-8111 HIV-1 RNA QN RT-PCR CSF | $882.60 | $1,471.00 | $450.13–$1,323.90 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Mercy one side Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 232-8111 HIV-1 RBA QN RT-PCR W/RFX GENO | $882.60 | $1,471.00 | $450.13–$1,323.90 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC McKeesport McKeesport, PA · (412) 664-2000 HIV-QUANT | $1,144.80 | $1,908.00 | $662.08–$1,621.80 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC McKeesport McKeesport, PA · (412) 664-2000 HIV-1 RNA/QUANT/REAL-TIME PCR | $1,144.80 | $1,908.00 | $662.08–$1,621.80 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC McKeesport one side McKeesport, PA · (412) 664-2000 QUANT HIV-1 RT-PCR | $1,144.80 | $1,908.00 | $662.08–$1,621.80 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC McKeesport one side McKeesport, PA · (412) 664-2000 HIV-1 RBA QN RT-PCR W/RFX GENO | $1,144.80 | $1,908.00 | $662.08–$1,621.80 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC St Margaret one side Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 784-4000 QUANT HIV-1 RT-PCR | $1,473.60 | $2,456.00 | $641.02–$2,087.60 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC St Margaret one side Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 784-4000 HIV-1 RNA QN RT-PCR RFX IN GN | $1,473.60 | $2,456.00 | $641.02–$2,087.60 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC St Margaret Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 784-4000 HIV-QUANT | $1,473.60 | $2,456.00 | $641.02–$2,087.60 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC St Margaret Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 784-4000 HIV-1 RNA/QUANT/REAL-TIME PCR | $1,473.60 | $2,456.00 | $641.02–$2,087.60 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC St Margaret one side Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 784-4000 HIV-1 RBA QN RT-PCR W/RFX GENO | $1,473.60 | $2,456.00 | $641.02–$2,087.60 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC East one side Monroeville, PA · (412) 357-3000 HIV-1 RBA QN RT-PCR W/RFX GENO | $1,743.00 | $2,905.00 | $987.70–$2,324.00 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC East Monroeville, PA · (412) 357-3000 HIV-QUANT | $1,743.00 | $2,905.00 | $987.70–$2,324.00 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC East Monroeville, PA · (412) 357-3000 HIV-1 RNA/QUANT/REAL-TIME PCR | $1,743.00 | $2,905.00 | $987.70–$2,324.00 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC East one side Monroeville, PA · (412) 357-3000 QUANT HIV-1 RT-PCR | $1,743.00 | $2,905.00 | $987.70–$2,324.00 | 40% | — source file |
Inpatient: lowest $192.45, median $778.80, highest $1,743.00 — a 9.1× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 13 facilities here, median $739.20 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 10 of 11 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 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.