Pap smear (lab reading) cost in Los Angeles, CA — inpatient
In Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA, 15 hospitals list a cash price for Pap test lab reading: liquid-based cervical sample, manual screening as an inpatient: from $73.56 to $207.49, with a median of $91.00. The lowest listed price is at Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian — $17.44 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $91.00 at 68 hospitals.
Cash prices at 15 facilities across 11 cities for code 88142, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Nov 26, 2025 and Apr 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian lowest Newport Beach, CA · (949) 764-4624 HC Pap Surepath Screening | $73.56 | $113.17 | — | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian lowest Newport Beach, CA · (949) 764-4624 HC Pap Surepath Diagnostic | $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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| UCI Health-Orange Orange, CA · (714) 456-7890 HB CYTP CERV/VAG AUTO THIN LAYER PREP MNL SCREEN | $188.80 | $472.00 | — | 60% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Los Angeles, CA · (310) 423-5000 HB PATHOLOGY GYN LIQUID/MAN SCR | $207.49 | $319.21 | $13,270.00–$14,761.00 | 35% | Nov 26, 2025 source file |
Inpatient: lowest $73.56, median $91.00, highest $207.49 — a 2.8× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 18 facilities here, median $91.00 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 1 of 10 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 1 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.