Pap smear (lab reading) cost in Philadelphia, PA
In Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD, 20 hospitals list a cash price for Pap test lab reading: liquid-based cervical sample, manual screening: from $20.00 to $354.29, with a median of $50.80. The lowest listed price is at Lower Bucks Hospital and 1 other hospital — $30.80 less than the median here. Across Pennsylvania, the median is $61.20 at 53 hospitals.
Cash prices at 20 facilities across 18 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 Mar 24, 2026 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 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lower Bucks Hospital lowest Bristol, PA · (215) 785-9200 Hc Cytopath Cerv/Vag Thin Layer | $20.00 | $85.00 | $16.00–$85.00 | 76% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Roxborough Memorial Hospital lowest Philadelphia, PA · (215) 483-9900 Hc Cytopath Cerv/Vag Thin Layer | $20.00 | $1,000.00 | $16.00–$970.00 | 98% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Roxborough Memorial Hospital lowest Philadelphia, PA · (215) 483-9900 Hc Cytopath Cerv/Vag Thin Layer | $20.00 | $1,000.00 | $16.00–$970.00 | 98% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Virtua Willingboro Hospital Willinboro, NJ · (609) 835-2900 HC Cyto Gyn Thin Prep | $23.50 | $235.00 | $19.45–$2,117.62 | 90% | — source file |
| West Jersey Hospital Voorhees, NJ · (856) 247-3000 HC Cyto Gyn Thin Prep | $23.50 | $235.00 | $19.45–$2,117.62 | 90% | — source file |
| West Jersey Hospital Voorhees, NJ · (856) 247-3000 HC Cyto Gyn Thin Prep | $23.50 | $235.00 | $19.45–$2,117.62 | 90% | — source file |
| Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes Camden, NJ · (856) 886-5373 HC Cyto Gyn Thin Prep | $23.50 | $235.00 | $19.45–$2,117.62 | 90% | — source file |
| Virtua Memorial Hospital Mount Holly, NJ · (609) 267-0700 HC Cyto Gyn Thin Prep | $23.50 | $235.00 | $19.45–$2,117.62 | 90% | — source file |
| Bryn Mawr Rehabilitation Hospital Malvern, PA Hc Thin Prep Diagnostic | $50.80 | $127.00 | — | 60% | — source file |
| Lankenau Medical Center Wynnewood, PA · (610) 645-2000 Hc Thin Prep Diagnostic | $50.80 | $127.00 | — | 60% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Riddle Memorial Hospital Media, PA · (610) 566-9400 Hc Thin Prep Diagnostic | $50.80 | $127.00 | — | 60% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Paoli Hospital Paoli, PA · (610) 648-1000 Hc Thin Prep Diagnostic | $50.80 | $127.00 | — | 60% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| The Bryn Mawr Hospital Bryn Mawr, PA · (610) 526-3000 Hc Thin Prep Diagnostic | $50.80 | $127.00 | — | 60% | — source file |
| Inspira Medical Center Elmer Elmer, NJ · (856) 363-1000 LIQUID BASE PAP SMEAR GYN | $68.63 | $68.63 | $13.88–$108.00 | — | Mar 24, 2026 source file |
| Inspira Medical Center Mannington Salem, NJ LIQUID BASE PAP SMEAR GYN | $68.63 | $68.63 | $11.56–$108.00 | — | Mar 24, 2026 source file |
| Inspira Medical Center Mullica Hill Mullica Hill, NJ LIQUID BASE PAP SMEAR GYN | $68.63 | $68.63 | $13.88–$108.00 | — | Mar 24, 2026 source file |
| Inspira Health Center Woodbury Woodbury, NJ LIQUID BASE PAP SMEAR GYN | $68.63 | $68.63 | $13.13–$108.00 | — | Mar 24, 2026 source file |
| St Mary Medical Center Langhorne, PA · (215) 750-2003 HC Cytopathology Cervical/Vaginal Thin Layer Manual Screening | $96.20 | $148.00 | $14.80–$285.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| St Mary Medical Center Langhorne, PA · (215) 750-2003 HC Quest Cytopathology Cervical/Vaginal Thin Layer Manual Screening | $96.20 | $148.00 | $14.80–$285.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| St Mary Medical Center Langhorne, PA · (215) 750-2003 HC Quest 90931 Cytopathology Cervical/Vaginal Thin Layer Manual Screening | $96.20 | $148.00 | $14.80–$285.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Nemours Children's Hospital Wilmington, DE · (302) 651-4000 Thin Prep Screen Without Interp Referred | $100.00 | $100.00 | — | — | — source file |
| Nemours Children's Hospital Wilmington, DE · (302) 651-4000 Thin Prep Screen Without Interp Referred | $100.00 | $100.00 | — | — | — source file |
| Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital Darby, PA · (215) 237-4000 HC Cytopathology Cervical/Vaginal Thin Layer Manual Screening | $178.75 | $275.00 | $20.21–$329.22 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital Darby, PA · (215) 237-4000 HC Warde 3662100 Cytopathology Cervical/Vaginal Thin Layer Manual Screening | $178.75 | $275.00 | $20.21–$329.22 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Nazareth Hospital Philadelphia, PA · (215) 335-6000 HC Warde 3662100 Cytopathology Cervical/Vaginal Thin Layer Manual Screening | $228.15 | $351.00 | $20.26–$473.55 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Nazareth Hospital Philadelphia, PA · (215) 335-6000 HC Cytopathology Cervical/Vaginal Thin Layer Manual Screening | $228.15 | $351.00 | $20.26–$473.55 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Philadelphia, PA · (215) 590-1000 Cytology, Thin Prep Pap Smear | $354.29 | $354.29 | $21.60–$318.86 | — | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $20.00, median $50.80, highest $354.29 — a 17.7× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 13 facilities here, median $68.63. 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 13 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.