Pap smear (lab reading) cost in Pittsburgh, PA
In Pittsburgh, PA, 12 hospitals list a cash price for Pap test lab reading: liquid-based cervical sample, manual screening: from $15.60 to $61.20, with a median of $61.20. The lowest listed price is at AHN Wexford Hospital — $45.60 less than the median here. Across Pennsylvania, the median is $61.20 at 53 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 27, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Mar 6, 2026 and Apr 14, 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 Pittsburgh, PA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AHN Wexford Hospital lowest Wexford, PA · (412) 295-3319 CHG CYTP CERV/VAG AUTO THIN LAYER PREP MNL SCREEN | $15.60 | $60.00 | $9.81–$61.59 | 74% | Apr 14, 2026 source file |
| Uniontown Hospital Uniontown, PA · (724) 430-5000 CYTOPATH C/V THIN LAYER | $50.00 | $100.00 | $17.60–$171.55 | 50% | — source file |
| UPMC Washington Washington, PA · (724) 225-7000 PAP SMEAR-THIN PREP DIAGNOSTIC | $54.25 | $77.50 | $14.18–$55.80 | 30% | — source file |
| AHN Wexford Hospital Wexford, PA · (412) 295-3319 HC CYTO CER/VAG THIN PREP DX | $56.98 | $77.00 | $9.81–$61.59 | 26% | Apr 14, 2026 source file |
| Monogahela Valley Hospital Monongahela, PA · (724) 258-1000 CYTO LIQUID BASE DIAGNOSTIC | $58.80 | $98.00 | $26.36–$120.10 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 647-2345 THIN PREP-DIAGNOSTIC | $61.20 | $102.00 | $16.00–$200.83 | 40% | Mar 6, 2026 source file |
| UPMC East Monroeville, PA · (412) 357-3000 THIN PREP-DIAGNOSTIC | $61.20 | $102.00 | $16.00–$210.05 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Childrens Hospital of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 692-5325 THIN PREP-DIAGNOSTIC | $61.20 | $102.00 | $18.05–$191.32 | 40% | Mar 6, 2026 source file |
| UPMC Passavant - McCandless Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 367-6700 HC THIN PREP-DIAGNOSTIC | $61.20 | $102.00 | $17.60–$209.84 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 641-4010 HC THIN PREP-DIAGNOSTIC | $61.20 | $102.00 | $17.60–$202.65 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC McKeesport McKeesport, PA · (412) 664-2000 THIN PREP-DIAGNOSTIC | $61.20 | $102.00 | $17.60–$227.77 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 232-8111 THIN PREP-DIAGNOSTIC | $61.20 | $102.00 | $16.89–$142.85 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC St Margaret Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 784-4000 THIN PREP-DIAGNOSTIC | $61.20 | $102.00 | $17.49–$210.05 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Washington Washington, PA · (724) 225-7000 PAP SMEAR- THIN PREP ROUTINE | $64.75 | $92.50 | $14.18–$66.60 | 30% | — source file |
| Monogahela Valley Hospital Monongahela, PA · (724) 258-1000 CYTO LIQUID SCREEN | $186.60 | $311.00 | $83.66–$381.13 | 40% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $15.60, median $61.20, highest $61.20 — a 3.9× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 11 facilities here, median $61.20. 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 12 of 12 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.