Pap smear (lab reading) cost in Memphis, TN
In Memphis, TN-MS-AR, 12 hospitals list a cash price for Pap test lab reading: liquid-based cervical sample, manual screening: from $16.80 to $168.52, with a median of $44.35. The lowest listed price is at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Crittenden — $27.55 less than the median here. Across Tennessee, the median is $35.40 at 33 hospitals.
Cash prices at 12 facilities across 7 cities for code 88142, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 25, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Feb 27, 2026 and Feb 28, 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 Memphis, TN-MS-AR.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baptist Memorial Hospital-Crittenden lowest West Memphis, AR · (870) 394-7800 88142-CP THIN PREP CERVICAL/VAGINAL | $16.80 | $112.00 | $19.00–$89.60 | 85% | Feb 27, 2026 source file |
| Baptist Memorial Hospital-DeSoto Southaven, MS · (662) 772-4000 88142-CP THIN PREP CERVICAL/VAGINAL | $22.40 | $112.00 | $19.25–$100.80 | 80% | Feb 27, 2026 source file |
| Baptist Memorial Hospital-Women's Memphis, TN 88142-CP THIN PREP CERVICAL/VAGINAL | $23.52 | $112.00 | $19.25–$100.80 | 79% | Feb 27, 2026 source file |
| Baptist Memorial Hospital-Memphis Memphis, TN · (901) 226-5000 88142-CP THIN PREP CERVICAL/VAGINAL | $23.52 | $112.00 | $19.25–$100.80 | 79% | Feb 28, 2026 source file |
| Baptist Memorial Hospital-Collierville Collierville, TN 88142-CP THIN PREP CERVICAL/VAGINAL | $23.52 | $112.00 | $19.25–$100.80 | 79% | Feb 27, 2026 source file |
| Baptist Memorial Hospital-Tipton Covington, TN · (901) 476-2621 88142-CP THIN PREP CERVICAL/VAGINAL | $26.88 | $112.00 | $17.63–$100.80 | 76% | Feb 27, 2026 source file |
| Methodist University Hospital Memphis, TN · (901) 516-8274 HC Cytopath C/V Thin Layer - Lab Cytopath Cerv/Vag Thin Layer | $61.82 | $281.00 | — | 78% | — source file |
| Methodist South Hospital Memphis, TN HC Cytopath C/V Thin Layer - Lab Cytopath Cerv/Vag Thin Layer | $61.82 | $281.00 | $8.51–$153.15 | 78% | — source file |
| Methodist North Hospital Memphis, TN HC Cytopath C/V Thin Layer - Lab Cytopath Cerv/Vag Thin Layer | $61.82 | $281.00 | $8.51–$153.15 | 78% | — source file |
| Methodist Lebonheur Germantown Hosp Germantown, TN HC Cytopath C/V Thin Layer - Lab Cytopath Cerv/Vag Thin Layer | $61.82 | $281.00 | $8.51–$153.15 | 78% | — source file |
| Methodist Olive Branch Hospital Olive Branch, MS · (662) 932-9000 HC Cytopath C/V Thin Layer - Lab Cytopath Cerv/Vag Thin Layer | $61.82 | $281.00 | — | 78% | — source file |
| Methodist University Hospital Memphis, TN · (901) 516-8274 HC Cytopath C/V Thin Layer - Lab Cytopath Cerv/Vag Thin Layer | $168.52 | $766.00 | — | 78% | — source file |
| Methodist Lebonheur Germantown Hosp Germantown, TN HC Cytopath C/V Thin Layer - Lab Cytopath Cerv/Vag Thin Layer | $168.52 | $766.00 | $8.51–$100.39 | 78% | — source file |
| Methodist South Hospital Memphis, TN HC Cytopath C/V Thin Layer - Lab Cytopath Cerv/Vag Thin Layer | $168.52 | $766.00 | $8.51–$100.39 | 78% | — source file |
| Methodist Lebonheur Childrens Hosp Memphis, TN HC Cytopath C/V Thin Layer - Lab Cytopath Cerv/Vag Thin Layer | $168.52 | $766.00 | — | 78% | — source file |
| Methodist North Hospital Memphis, TN HC Cytopath C/V Thin Layer - Lab Cytopath Cerv/Vag Thin Layer | $168.52 | $766.00 | $8.51–$100.39 | 78% | — source file |
| Methodist Olive Branch Hospital Olive Branch, MS · (662) 932-9000 HC Cytopath C/V Thin Layer - Lab Cytopath Cerv/Vag Thin Layer | $168.52 | $766.00 | — | 78% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $16.80, median $44.35, highest $168.52 — a 10.0× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 11 facilities here, median $26.88. 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 9 of 9 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.