Pap smear (lab reading) cost in Los Angeles, CA
In Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA, 18 hospitals list a cash price for Pap test lab reading: liquid-based cervical sample, manual screening: from $20.00 to $207.49, with a median of $91.00. The lowest listed price is at La Palma Intercommunity Hospital and 3 other hospitals — $71.00 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $91.00 at 68 hospitals.
Cash prices at 18 facilities across 14 cities 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 Nov 26, 2025 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 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Palma Intercommunity Hospital lowest La Palma, CA · (714) 670-7400 Hc Cytopath Cerv/Vag Thin Layer | $20.00 | $228.00 | $5.16–$228.00 | 91% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Encino Hospital Medical Center lowest Encino, CA · (818) 995-5000 LC192197-PAPLB,HPV,RFX16/18 | $20.00 | $62.68 | $5.16–$62.68 | 68% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Encino Hospital Medical Center lowest Encino, CA · (818) 995-5000 LC192005-PAP LB(LIQUID-BASED) | $20.00 | $22.37 | $5.16–$62.68 | 11% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Sherman Oaks Hospital lowest Sherman Oaks, CA · (818) 981-7111 LC192197-PAPLB,HPV,RFX16/18 | $20.00 | $62.68 | $5.16–$62.68 | 68% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Sherman Oaks Hospital lowest Sherman Oaks, CA · (818) 981-7111 LC192005-PAPLB(LIQUID BASED) | $20.00 | $22.37 | $5.16–$62.68 | 11% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Centinela Hospital Medical Center lowest Inglewood, CA · (310) 673-4660 PAP THIN PREP RFLX HPV | $20.00 | $22.37 | $4.89–$22.37 | 11% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Centinela Hospital Medical Center lowest Inglewood, CA · (310) 673-4660 PAP LIQUID BASED | $20.00 | $22.37 | $4.89–$22.37 | 11% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Saint John's Health Center Santa Monica, CA · (310) 829-5511 HC CYTP CERV/VAG AUTO THIN LAYER PREP MNL SCREEN | $27.30 | $78.00 | — | 65% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian Newport Beach, CA · (949) 764-4624 HC Pap Surepath Diagnostic | $73.56 | $113.17 | — | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian Newport Beach, CA · (949) 764-4624 HC Pap Surepath Screening | $73.56 | $113.17 | — | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Saint John's Health Center Santa Monica, CA · (310) 829-5511 HC CYTP CERV/VAG AUTO THIN LAYER PREP MNL SCREEN | $88.20 | $252.00 | — | 65% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA · (323) 783-4011 CYTP CERV/VAG AUTO THIN LAYER PREP MNL SCREEN | $91.00 | $175.00 | $17.00–$50.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - West la Los Angeles, CA · (213) 857-2201 CYTP CERV/VAG AUTO THIN LAYER PREP MNL SCREEN | $91.00 | $175.00 | $17.00–$50.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Baldwin Park Baldwin Park, CA · (626) 851-1011 CYTP CERV/VAG AUTO THIN LAYER PREP MNL SCREEN | $91.00 | $175.00 | $17.00–$50.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - South Bay Harbor City, CA · (310) 325-5111 CYTP CERV/VAG AUTO THIN LAYER PREP MNL SCREEN | $91.00 | $175.00 | $17.00–$50.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Woodland Hills Woodland Hills, CA · (818) 719-3800 CYTP CERV/VAG AUTO THIN LAYER PREP MNL SCREEN | $91.00 | $175.00 | $17.00–$50.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Orange County - Irvine Irvine, CA CYTP CERV/VAG AUTO THIN LAYER PREP MNL SCREEN | $91.00 | $175.00 | $17.00–$50.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Orange County - Anaheim Anaheim, CA · (714) 279-4000 CYTP CERV/VAG AUTO THIN LAYER PREP MNL SCREEN | $91.00 | $175.00 | $17.00–$50.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Panorama City Panorama City, CA · (818) 375-2000 CYTP CERV/VAG AUTO THIN LAYER PREP MNL SCREEN | $91.00 | $175.00 | $17.00–$50.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Downey Downey, CA · (562) 461-6007 CYTP CERV/VAG AUTO THIN LAYER PREP MNL SCREEN | $91.00 | $175.00 | $17.00–$50.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Keck Hospital of USC Los Angeles, CA · (323) 442-8656 Cytopath C/V Thin Layer | $120.00 | $120.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| USC Kenneth Norris Jr Cancer Hospital Los Angeles, CA Cytopath C/V Thin Layer | $122.75 | $122.75 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Los Angeles, CA · (310) 423-5000 Laboratory Services | $207.49 | $319.21 | $49.92–$196.64 | 35% | Nov 26, 2025 source file |
| Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Los Angeles, CA · (310) 423-5000 CYTOPATHOLGY, CERVICAL OR VAGINAL COLLECTED IN PRESERVATIVE FLUID AUTOMATED THIN LAYER PREPARATION, SCREENING BY CYTOTEC | $207.49 | $319.21 | $49.92–$196.64 | 35% | Nov 26, 2025 source file |
| Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Los Angeles, CA · (310) 423-5000 CYTOPATHOLOGY, CERVICAL OR VAGINAL (ANY REPORTING SYSTEM), COLLECTED IN PRESERVATIVE FLUID, AUTOMATED THIN LAYER PREPARATION; MANUAL SCREENING UNDER PHYSICIAN SUPERVISION | $207.49 | $319.21 | $49.92–$196.64 | 35% | Nov 26, 2025 source file |
| Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Los Angeles, CA · (310) 423-5000 HB PATHOLOGY GYN LIQUID/MAN SCR | $207.49 | $319.21 | — | 35% | Nov 26, 2025 source file |
| Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Los Angeles, CA · (310) 423-5000 HB MISC LAB SPECIAL TEST | $207.49 | $319.21 | — | 35% | Nov 26, 2025 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $20.00, median $91.00, highest $207.49 — a 10.4× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 15 facilities here, median $91.00. 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 4 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 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.