Pap smear (lab reading) cost in Philadelphia, PA
In Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD, 23 hospitals list a cash price for Pap test lab reading: liquid-based cervical sample, manual screening: from $20.00 to $378.90, with a median of $68.63. The lowest listed price is at Lower Bucks Hospital and 1 other hospital — $48.63 less than the median here. Across Pennsylvania, the median is $61.20 at 87 hospitals.
- The median here, $68.63, is 3% below the US median of $70.94.
- That is 3.4× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($20.26).
- Philadelphia, PA ranks 2nd of 2 metro areas in Pennsylvania by median, cheapest first.
- 7 of 23 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Cash prices at 23 facilities across 20 cities for code 88142, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Oct 26, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Dec 31, 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 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lower Bucks Hospital lowest Bristol, PA · (215) 785-9200 Hc Cytopath Cerv/Vag Thin Layer File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $20.00 | $85.00 | $16.00–$85.00 | 76% |
| Roxborough Memorial Hospital lowest Philadelphia, PA · (215) 483-9900 Hc Cytopath Cerv/Vag Thin Layer File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $20.00 | $1,000.00 | $16.00–$970.00 | 98% |
| Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes Camden, NJ · (856) 886-5373 HC Cyto Gyn Thin Prep File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $23.50 | $235.00 | $19.45–$2,117.62 | 90% |
| Virtua Memorial Hospital Mount Holly, NJ · (609) 267-0700 HC Cyto Gyn Thin Prep File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $23.50 | $235.00 | $19.45–$2,117.62 | 90% |
| Virtua West Jersey Hospital - Voorhees Voorhees, NJ · (856) 247-3000 HC Cyto Gyn Thin Prep+1 more line at this price File of Jun 1, 2026 · source file | $23.50 | $235.00 | $19.45–$2,117.62 | 90% |
| Virtua West Jersey Hospital - Marlton Voorhees, NJ · (856) 247-3000 HC Cyto Gyn Thin Prep File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $23.50 | $235.00 | $19.45–$2,117.62 | 90% |
| Virtua Willingboro Hospital Willinboro, NJ · (609) 835-2900 HC Cyto Gyn Thin Prep File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $23.50 | $235.00 | $19.45–$2,117.62 | 90% |
| Lankenau Medical Center Wynnewood, PA · (610) 645-2000 Hc Thin Prep Diagnostic File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $50.80 | $127.00 | — | 60% |
| The Bryn Mawr Hospital Bryn Mawr, PA · (610) 526-3000 Hc Thin Prep Diagnostic File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $50.80 | $127.00 | — | 60% |
| Paoli Hospital Paoli, PA · (610) 648-1000 Hc Thin Prep Diagnostic File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $50.80 | $127.00 | — | 60% |
| Riddle Memorial Hospital Media, PA · (610) 566-9400 Hc Thin Prep Diagnostic File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $50.80 | $127.00 | — | 60% |
| Inspira Health Center Woodbury Woodbury, NJ LIQUID BASE PAP SMEAR GYN File of Mar 24, 2026 · source file | $68.63 | $68.63 | $13.13–$108.00 | — |
| Inspira Medical Center Mullica Hill Mullica Hill, NJ · (856) 363-1000 LIQUID BASE PAP SMEAR GYN File of Mar 24, 2026 · source file | $68.63 | $68.63 | $13.88–$108.00 | — |
| Inspira Medical Center Elmer Elmer, NJ · (856) 363-1000 LIQUID BASE PAP SMEAR GYN File of Mar 24, 2026 · source file | $68.63 | $68.63 | $13.88–$108.00 | — |
| Inspira Medical Center Mannington Salem, NJ LIQUID BASE PAP SMEAR GYN File of Mar 24, 2026 · source file | $68.63 | $68.63 | $11.56–$108.00 | — |
| St Mary Medical Center Langhorne, PA · (215) 750-2003 HC Quest 90931 Cytopathology Cervical/Vaginal Thin Layer Manual Screening+2 more lines at this price File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $96.20 | $148.00 | $14.80–$285.00 | 35% |
| Nemours Children's Hospital, Delaware Wilmington, DE · (302) 651-4000 Thin Prep Screen Without Interp Referred+1 more line at this price File of Mar 10, 2026 · source file | $100.00 | $100.00 | — | — |
| Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital Darby, PA · (215) 237-4000 HC Cytopathology Cervical/Vaginal Thin Layer Manual Screening+1 more line at this price File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $178.75 | $275.00 | $20.21–$329.22 | 35% |
| Union Hospital of Cecil County Elkton, MD · (410) 392-7009 CYTP CERV/VAG AUTO THIN LAYER PREP MNL SCREEN GLB+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $183.11 | $183.11 | — | — |
| Nazareth Hospital Philadelphia, PA · (215) 335-6000 HC Warde 3662100 Cytopathology Cervical/Vaginal Thin Layer Manual Screening+1 more line at this price File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $228.15 | $351.00 | $20.26–$473.55 | 35% |
| The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Philadelphia, PA · (215) 590-1000 Cytology, Thin Prep Pap Smear File of Dec 31, 2025 · source file | $354.29 | $354.29 | $21.60–$318.86 | — |
| St Luke's Hospital - Grand View Campus Sellersville, PA · (215) 453-4000 HB CYTOPATH C/V THIN LAYER File of Feb 26, 2026 · source file | $378.90 | $421.00 | $19.20–$1,840.00 | 10% |
| St Luke's Hospital - Upper Bucks Campus Quakertown, PA · (267) 985-1000 HB CYTOPATH C/V THIN LAYER File of Feb 26, 2026 · source file | $378.90 | $421.00 | $16.00–$348.67 | 10% |
Outpatient: lowest $20.00, median $68.63, highest $378.90 — a 18.9× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 15 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 15 of 17 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 Pap smear (lab reading) is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Pap smear (lab reading) explained.