Pap smear (lab reading) cost in Cincinnati, OH
In Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN, 12 hospitals list a cash price for Pap test lab reading: liquid-based cervical sample, manual screening: from $42.33 to $279.60, with a median of $103.80. The lowest listed price is at Children's Hospital Medical Center — $61.47 less than the median here. Across Ohio, the median is $91.00 at 121 hospitals.
- The median here, $103.80, is 46% above the US median of $70.94.
- That is 5.1× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($20.26).
- Cincinnati, OH ranks 2nd of 3 metro areas in Ohio by median, cheapest first.
- 2 of 12 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Cash prices at 12 facilities across 8 cities for code 88142, 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 Jul 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Children's Hospital Medical Center lowest Cincinnati, OH · (513) 636-3333 Hb Thin Prep Pap Smear With Reflex File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $42.33 | $83.00 | $20.75–$83.00 | 49% |
| St Elizabeth Edgewood Edgewood, KY · (859) 301-2000 HB LIQUID BASED PAP, MANUAL SCREEN UNDER PHYSICIAN SUPER File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $60.78 | $60.78 | — | — |
| Fort Hamilton Hospital Hamilton, OH · (513) 867-2123 Hc Pap C/V Thin Layer File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $90.00 | $225.00 | — | 60% |
| Mercy Health Fairfield Hospital Fairfield, OH · (513) 870-7000 HC Cytp Cerv/Vag Auto Thin Layer Prep Mnl Screen File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $103.80 | $173.00 | — | 40% |
| The Jewish Hospital-Mercy Health Cincinnati, OH · (513) 686-3000 HC Cytp Cerv/Vag Auto Thin Layer Prep Mnl Screen File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $103.80 | $173.00 | — | 40% |
| Mercy Health West Hospital Cincinnati, OH · (513) 215-5000 HC Cytp Cerv/Vag Auto Thin Layer Prep Mnl Screen File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $103.80 | $173.00 | — | 40% |
| Mercy Health Clermont Hospital Batavia, OH · (513) 732-8278 HC Cytp Cerv/Vag Auto Thin Layer Prep Mnl Screen File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $103.80 | $173.00 | — | 40% |
| Mercy Health Anderson Hospital Cincinnati, OH · (513) 624-4500 HC Cytp Cerv/Vag Auto Thin Layer Prep Mnl Screen File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $103.80 | $173.00 | — | 40% |
| Mercy Health Kings Mills Hospital Mason, OH · (513) 637-9999 HC Cytp Cerv/Vag Auto Thin Layer Prep Mnl Screen File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $103.80 | $173.00 | — | 40% |
| Atrium Medical Center Middletown, OH · (513) 420-5102 HC PAP SMEAR BY THIN LAYER File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $156.00 | $156.00 | — | — |
| University of Cincinnati Medical Center Cincinnati, OH · (513) 584-1000 Hc Pap Liquid Base Diagnostic File of Jul 1, 2026 · source file | $279.60 | $466.00 | — | 40% |
| West Chester Hospital West Chester, OH · (513) 298-7701 Hc Pap Liquid Base Diagnostic File of Jul 1, 2026 · source file | $279.60 | $466.00 | — | 40% |
Outpatient: lowest $42.33, median $103.80, highest $279.60 — a 6.6× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 12 facilities here, median $103.80. 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 Pap smear (lab reading) is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Pap smear (lab reading) explained.