COVID-19 PCR test cost in Cincinnati, OH
In Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN, 13 hospitals list a cash price for COVID-19 PCR test (SARS-CoV-2 lab test): from $33.60 to $157.78, with a median of $99.60. The lowest listed price is at Mercy Health Anderson Hospital — $66.00 less than the median here. Across Ohio, the median is $141.00 at 129 hospitals.
- The median here, $99.60, is about the same as the US median of $98.92.
- That is 1.9× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($51.31).
- Cincinnati, OH has the lowest median of 3 metro areas in Ohio with at least 10 hospitals pricing this code.
- 2 of 13 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Cash prices at 13 facilities across 8 cities for code 87635, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 29, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 1, 2026 and Apr 1, 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 Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercy Health Anderson Hospital lowest Cincinnati, OH · (513) 624-4500 HC Iadna Sars-Cov-2-19 Amp Probe Tq File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $33.60 | $56.00 | — | 40% |
| Fort Hamilton Hospital Hamilton, OH · (513) 867-2123 Hc Iadna Sars Covid 19 Amplified Probe File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $41.20 | $103.00 | — | 60% |
| Children's Hospital Medical Center Cincinnati, OH · (513) 636-3333 Hb Covid-19 Detection, Amplified Probe Technique File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $78.03 | $153.00 | $38.25–$153.00 | 49% |
| Fort Hamilton Hospital Hamilton, OH · (513) 867-2123 Hc Infectious Agent Detection By Nucleic Acid (Dna Or Rna), Sars-Cov-2, Amplified Probe Tech+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $82.40 | $206.00 | — | 60% |
| Atrium Medical Center Middletown, OH · (513) 420-5102 HC COVID-19 LAB TEST NON-CDC+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $98.00 | $98.00 | — | — |
| Mercy Health Clermont Hospital Batavia, OH · (513) 732-8278 HC Iadna Sars-Cov-2-19 Amp Probe Tq File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $99.60 | $166.00 | — | 40% |
| Mercy Health Fairfield Hospital Fairfield, OH · (513) 870-7000 HC Iadna Sars-Cov-2-19 Amp Probe Tq File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $99.60 | $166.00 | — | 40% |
| Mercy Health West Hospital Cincinnati, OH · (513) 215-5000 HC Iadna Sars-Cov-2-19 Amp Probe Tq File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $99.60 | $166.00 | — | 40% |
| The Jewish Hospital-Mercy Health Cincinnati, OH · (513) 686-3000 HC Iadna Sars-Cov-2-19 Amp Probe Tq File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $99.60 | $166.00 | — | 40% |
| Mercy Health Kings Mills Hospital Mason, OH · (513) 637-9999 HC Iadna Sars-Cov-2-19 Amp Probe Tq File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $99.60 | $166.00 | — | 40% |
| Mercy Health Anderson Hospital Cincinnati, OH · (513) 624-4500 HC So Iadna Sars-Cov-2-19 Amp Probe Tq File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $106.20 | $177.00 | — | 40% |
| Mercy Health Fairfield Hospital Fairfield, OH · (513) 870-7000 HC So Iadna Sars-Cov-2-19 Amp Probe Tq File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $106.20 | $177.00 | — | 40% |
| Mercy Health Kings Mills Hospital Mason, OH · (513) 637-9999 HC So Iadna Sars-Cov-2-19 Amp Probe Tq File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $106.20 | $177.00 | — | 40% |
| The Jewish Hospital-Mercy Health Cincinnati, OH · (513) 686-3000 HC So Iadna Sars-Cov-2-19 Amp Probe Tq File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $106.20 | $177.00 | — | 40% |
| Mercy Health West Hospital Cincinnati, OH · (513) 215-5000 HC So Iadna Sars-Cov-2-19 Amp Probe Tq File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $106.20 | $177.00 | — | 40% |
| Mercy Health Clermont Hospital Batavia, OH · (513) 732-8278 HC So Iadna Sars-Cov-2-19 Amp Probe Tq File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $106.20 | $177.00 | — | 40% |
| Atrium Medical Center Middletown, OH · (513) 420-5102 HC IA INFECTIOUS AGT NUCLEIC ACID SARS-COV-2 COVID-19 AMP PRB TECH+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $141.00 | $141.00 | — | — |
| St Elizabeth Edgewood Edgewood, KY · (859) 301-2000 HB COVID-19 RNA-POCT File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $153.93 | $153.93 | — | — |
| The Good Samaritan Hospital of Cincinnati, OH Cincinnati, OH · (513) 862-2601 HC POC Covid 19 File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $157.78 | $210.37 | — | 25% |
| McCullough-Hyde Memorial Hospital Oxford, OH · (513) 523-2111 HC POC Covid 19 File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $157.78 | $210.37 | — | 25% |
| Bethesda North Cincinnati, OH · (513) 865-1111 HC POC Covid 19 File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $157.78 | $210.37 | — | 25% |
| Bethesda North Cincinnati, OH · (513) 865-1111 HC Covid 19 File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $168.75 | $225.00 | — | 25% |
| McCullough-Hyde Memorial Hospital Oxford, OH · (513) 523-2111 HC Covid 19 File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $230.62 | $307.50 | — | 25% |
| The Good Samaritan Hospital of Cincinnati, OH Cincinnati, OH · (513) 862-2601 HC Covid 19 File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $307.50 | $410.00 | — | 25% |
Outpatient: lowest $33.60, median $99.60, highest $157.78 — a 4.7× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 10 facilities here, median $99.60. 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 the one hospital here that publishes insurer rates for this code, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated. 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 COVID-19 PCR test is, what the price covers and why prices differ: COVID-19 PCR test explained.