Pap smear (lab reading) cost in Louisville, KY
In Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN, 5 hospitals list a cash price for Pap test lab reading: liquid-based cervical sample, manual screening: from $17.80 to $118.80, with a median of $52.47. The lowest listed price is at Norton Hospitals — $34.67 less than the median here. Across Kentucky, the median is $52.47 at 14 hospitals.
Cash prices at 5 facilities across 4 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 Feb 11, 2026 and Sep 18, 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 Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norton Hospitals lowest Louisville, KY · (502) 629-8000 HB GYN THIN PREP | $17.80 | $89.00 | $14.69–$73.87 | 80% | Feb 11, 2026 source file |
| Norton Hospitals lowest Louisville, KY · (502) 629-8000 HB GYN THIN PREP | $17.80 | $89.00 | $14.69–$75.65 | 80% | Feb 11, 2026 source file |
| Norton Hospitals lowest Louisville, KY · (502) 629-8000 HB GYN THIN PREP | $17.80 | $89.00 | $14.69–$73.87 | 80% | Feb 11, 2026 source file |
| Norton Hospitals lowest Louisville, KY · (502) 629-8000 HB GYN THIN PREP | $17.80 | $89.00 | $14.69–$73.87 | 80% | Feb 11, 2026 source file |
| Norton Hospitals lowest Louisville, KY · (502) 629-8000 HB GYN THIN PREP | $17.80 | $89.00 | $14.69–$73.87 | 80% | Feb 11, 2026 source file |
| Norton Hospitals lowest Louisville, KY · (502) 629-8000 HB GYN THIN PREP | $17.80 | $89.00 | $14.69–$73.87 | 80% | Feb 13, 2026 source file |
| Baptist Health Floyd New Albany, IN · (812) 944-7701 Pap test, manual screening | $52.47 | $69.96 | $17.22–$104.94 | 25% | Sep 15, 2026 source file |
| Baptist Health LaGrange La Grange, KY · (502) 222-5388 Pap test, manual screening | $52.47 | $69.96 | $17.22–$139.92 | 25% | Sep 15, 2026 source file |
| Baptist Health Louisville Louisville, KY · (502) 897-8100 Pap test, manual screening | $52.47 | $69.96 | $12.16–$139.92 | 25% | Sep 18, 2026 source file |
| St. Vincent Salem Hospital Salem, IN · (812) 883-5881 CYTHOP CERV/VAG AUT THIN LAYER | $118.80 | $198.00 | $11.48–$46.19 | 40% | — source file |
| St. Vincent Salem Hospital Salem, IN · (812) 883-5881 CYTHOP CERV/VAG AUT THIN LAYER | $118.80 | $198.00 | $11.48–$46.19 | 40% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $17.80, median $52.47, highest $118.80 — a 6.7× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 2 facilities here, median $68.30. 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 5 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.