Pap smear (lab reading) cost in Chattanooga, TN — inpatient
In Chattanooga, TN-GA, 3 hospitals list a cash price for Pap test lab reading: liquid-based cervical sample, manual screening as an inpatient: from $58.91 to $84.18, with a median of $58.91. The lowest listed price is at CHI Memorial Hospital - Georgia and 1 other hospital. Across Tennessee, the median is $35.40 at 47 hospitals.
Cash prices at 3 facilities across 3 cities for code 88142, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 27, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Feb 28, 2026 and Feb 28, 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 Chattanooga, TN-GA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHI Memorial Hospital - Georgia lowest Ringgold, GA · (770) 874-5400 HC CERVICAL-VAGINAL THIN LAYER PR | $58.91 | $199.00 | $161.19 | 70% | Feb 28, 2026 source file |
| Memorial Health Care System lowest Hixson, TN HC CERVICAL-VAGINAL THIN LAYER PR | $58.91 | $199.00 | — | 70% | Feb 28, 2026 source file |
| Memorial Health Care System Chattanooga, TN · (423) 495-2525 HC CERVICAL-VAGINAL THIN LAYER PR | $84.18 | $199.00 | $129.35 | 58% | Feb 28, 2026 source file |
Inpatient: lowest $58.91, median $58.91, highest $84.18 — a 1.4× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 3 facilities here, median $58.91 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 2 of 2 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 2 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
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.