Pap smear (lab reading) cost in Austin, TX — inpatient
In Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, 13 hospitals list a cash price for Pap test lab reading: liquid-based cervical sample, manual screening as an inpatient: from $33.21 to $211.88, with a median of $86.56. The lowest listed price is at Ascension Seton — $53.35 less than the median here. Across Texas, the median is $93.10 at 80 hospitals.
Cash prices at 13 facilities across 10 cities for code 88142, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Mar 5, 2026 and Jun 13, 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 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ascension Seton lowest Smithville, TX · (512) 237-3214 CYTO,CER/VAG FLD MANL | $33.21 | $92.25 | $10.26–$88.33 | 64% | — source file |
| Ascension Seton Austin, TX CYTO,CER/VAG FLD MANL | $64.58 | $92.25 | $10.26–$88.33 | 30% | — source file |
| Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Taylor Taylor, TX · (512) 352-7611 HC CYTOPATH CERV/VAG THIN LAYER | $86.56 | $144.26 | $79.34–$115.41 | 40% | Jun 12, 2026 source file |
| Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Pflugerville Pflugerville, TX · (512) 654-6100 HC CYTOPATH CERV/VAG THIN LAYER | $86.56 | $144.26 | $79.34–$129.83 | 40% | Jun 13, 2026 source file |
| Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Austin Austin, TX · (512) 654-2100 HC CYTOPATH CERV/VAG THIN LAYER | $86.56 | $144.26 | $79.34–$100.98 | 40% | Jun 13, 2026 source file |
| Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Buda Buda, TX · (737) 999-6200 HC CYTOPATH CERV/VAG THIN LAYER | $86.56 | $144.26 | $79.34–$100.98 | 40% | Jun 13, 2026 source file |
| Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Lakeway Lakeway, TX HC CYTOPATH CERV/VAG THIN LAYER | $86.56 | $144.26 | $79.34–$129.83 | 40% | Jun 13, 2026 source file |
| Baylor Scott & White Emergency Medical Center - Cedar Park Cedar Park, TX HC CYTOPATH CERV/VAG THIN LAYER | $86.56 | $144.26 | $79.34–$93.77 | 40% | Jun 3, 2026 source file |
| Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Round Rock Round Rock, TX · (512) 509-0401 HC CYTOPATH CERV/VAG THIN LAYER | $86.56 | $144.26 | $79.34–$129.83 | 40% | Jun 13, 2026 source file |
| Ascension Seton Kyle, TX · (512) 324-5000 THIN LAYER PAP LIQUID | $95.31 | $264.75 | $10.26–$150.64 | 64% | — source file |
| Texas Children's Hospital - Austin Austin, TX · (832) 824-1100 TC SUREPATH PAP; CYTOPATHOLOGY, CERVICAL/VAGINAL, PRESERVATIVE FLUID, AUTOMATED THIN LAYER PREP | $97.15 | $145.00 | $58.00–$137.75 | 33% | Mar 5, 2026 source file |
| Ascension Seton Austin, TX CYTO,CER/VAG FLD MANL | $99.18 | $275.50 | $10.26–$150.64 | 64% | — source file |
| Ascension Seton Austin, TX CYTO,CER/VAG FLD MANL | $99.18 | $275.50 | $10.26–$150.64 | 64% | — source file |
| Ascension Seton Kyle, TX · (512) 324-5000 CYTO,CER/VAG FLD MANL | $99.18 | $275.50 | $10.26–$150.64 | 64% | — source file |
| Ascension Seton Austin, TX CYTO,CER/VAG FLD MANL | $99.18 | $275.50 | $10.26–$150.64 | 64% | — source file |
| Ascension Seton Smithville, TX · (512) 237-3214 THIN LAYER PAP LIQUID | $99.18 | $275.50 | $10.26–$150.64 | 64% | — source file |
| Ascension Seton Austin, TX CYTO,CER/VAG FLD MANL | $99.18 | $275.50 | $10.26–$150.64 | 64% | — source file |
| Texas Children's Hospital - Austin Austin, TX · (832) 824-1100 TC CERVICAL SMEAR | $107.87 | $161.00 | $64.40–$152.95 | 33% | Mar 5, 2026 source file |
| Ascension Seton Luling, TX · (830) 875-7000 THIN LAYER PAP LIQUID | $122.67 | $340.75 | $10.26–$153.34 | 64% | — source file |
| Ascension Seton Austin, TX THIN LAYER PAP LIQUID | $192.85 | $275.50 | $10.26–$150.64 | 30% | — source file |
| Ascension Cedar Park Cedar Park, TX · (512) 528-7000 PAP THINLAY LIQ DIAG | $211.88 | $588.55 | $10.26–$264.85 | 64% | — source file |
Inpatient: lowest $33.21, median $86.56, highest $211.88 — a 6.4× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 13 facilities here, median $86.56 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 13 of 13 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 it is
This code covers the lab work on a Pap test collected in liquid, where the sample is prepared as a thin layer and screened for abnormal cervical cells. It is not the exam where the sample is collected.
What the price covers
The price usually covers preparing and screening the sample. The visit and pelvic exam, an HPV test on the same sample (87624) and a pathologist's review of abnormal cells are billed separately.