Rapid strep test cost in Washington, DC
In Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, 16 hospitals list a cash price for rapid strep A antigen test from a throat swab, read visually: from $30.00 to $451.44, with a median of $101.09. The lowest listed price is at Stafford Hospital and 1 other hospital — $71.09 less than the median here. Across District of Columbia, the median is $102.00 at 3 hospitals.
- The median here, $101.09, is 71% above the US median of $59.00.
- That is 6.1× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($16.53).
- 1 of 16 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Cash prices at 16 facilities across 13 cities for code 87880, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Oct 29, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Dec 30, 2024 and Sep 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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stafford Hospital lowest Stafford, VA · (540) 741-9000 Strep a assay w/optic File of Dec 30, 2024 · source file | $30.00 | $60.00 | $11.00–$270.00 | 50% |
| Mary Washington Hospital lowest Fredericksburg, VA · (540) 741-1100 Strep a assay w/optic File of Dec 30, 2024 · source file | $30.00 | $60.00 | $11.00–$270.00 | 50% |
| Jefferson Medical Center Ranson, WV · (304) 728-1600 STREP A ASSAY W/OPTIC File of Jul 12, 2026 · source file | $41.00 | $82.00 | — | 50% |
| Fauquier Health Warrenton, VA · (540) 316-5000 Infectious agent antigen detection by immunoassay with direct optical (ie, visual) observation; Streptococcus, group A File of Jul 14, 2026 · source file | $60.80 | $152.00 | $15.08 | 60% |
| MedStar Montgomery Medical Center Olney, MD · (301) 774-8882 STREP,GROUP A SCREEN THROAT+2 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $66.13 | $67.48 | $66.13–$67.48 | 2% |
| MedStar Southern Hospital Center Clinton, MD · (301) 868-8000 INF AGT AG STREP GROUP A+2 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $71.86 | $73.33 | $71.86–$73.33 | 2% |
| Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center Woodbridge, VA · (703) 523-1000 Strep A Assay W/Optic+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $89.50 | $179.00 | — | 50% |
| MedStar Georgetown Hospital Northwest Washington, DC · (202) 784-3000 INF AGT AG STREP GROUP A+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $100.18 | $154.13 | $16.53–$138.72 | 35% |
| Children's National Hospital Washington, DC · (202) 476-5000 POC Group A Strep File of Apr 2, 2026 · source file | $102.00 | $204.00 | $16.53–$496.79 | 50% |
| Inova Fairfax Hospital Falls Church, VA · (703) 698-1110 HC INFECT AG IA OPTC OBS STREP GRP A File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $123.50 | $247.00 | $11.72–$192.66 | 50% |
| Inova Alexandria Hospital Alexandria, VA · (703) 504-3167 HC INFECT AG IA OPTC OBS STREP GRP A File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $123.50 | $247.00 | $11.72–$192.66 | 50% |
| Inova Mount Vernon Hospital Alexandria, VA · (703) 664-7105 HC INFECT AG IA OPTC OBS STREP GRP A File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $123.50 | $247.00 | $11.72–$192.66 | 50% |
| Inova Fair Oaks Hospital Fairfax, VA · (703) 391-4170 HC INFECT AG IA OPTC OBS STREP GRP A File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $123.50 | $247.00 | $11.72–$192.66 | 50% |
| Inova Loudoun Hospital Leesburg, VA · (703) 858-6600 HC INFECT AG IA OPTC OBS STREP GRP A File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $123.50 | $247.00 | $11.72–$192.66 | 50% |
| MedStar Washington Hospital Center Washington, DC · (202) 877-7000 STREP GROUP A SCREEN THROAT+3 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $157.24 | $241.91 | $16.53–$205.62 | 35% |
| Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center Fredericksburg, VA · (540) 498-4000 Infectious agent antigen detection by immunoassay with direct optical (ie, visual) observation; Streptococcus, group A +1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $451.44 | $451.44 | $16.53–$406.30 | — |
Outpatient: lowest $30.00, median $101.09, highest $451.44 — a 15.0× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 11 facilities here, median $123.50. 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 12 of 14 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 rapid strep test is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Rapid strep test explained.