Pap smear (lab reading) cost in Durham, NC
In Durham-Chapel Hill, NC, 1 hospital lists a cash price for Pap test lab reading: liquid-based cervical sample, manual screening: from $42.93 to $42.93, with a median of $42.93. Across North Carolina, the median is $64.25 at 34 hospitals.
Cash prices at 1 facility for code 88142, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between — and —.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duke Regional Hospital lowest Durham, NC · (919) 470-4000 Cyto Gyn Thin Prep Manual Dx | $42.93 | $159.00 | $19.18–$87.93 | 73% | — source file |
| Duke Regional Hospital lowest Durham, NC · (919) 470-4000 Cyto Gyn Thin Prep Manual Dx | $42.93 | $159.00 | $19.18–$159.00 | 73% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $42.93, median $42.93, highest $42.93.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 1 facility here, median $42.93. 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 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.