Pap smear (lab reading) cost in Portland, ME — inpatient
In Portland-South Portland, ME, 5 hospitals list a cash price for Pap test lab reading: liquid-based cervical sample, manual screening as an inpatient: from $27.00 to $238.40, with a median of $102.60. The lowest listed price is at MaineHealth — $75.60 less than the median here. Across Maine, the median is $65.25 at 16 hospitals.
Cash prices at 5 facilities across 4 cities for code 88142, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Sep 9, 2025 and Sep 9, 2025.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Portland-South Portland, ME.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MaineHealth lowest Brunswick, ME · (207) 729-0181 CHG CYTP CERV/VAG AUTO THIN LAYER PREP MNL SCREEN | $27.00 | $27.00 | $12.53–$42.45 | — | Sep 9, 2025 source file |
| Mercy Hospital Portland, ME CP CERV/VAG ATL MANUAL SCRN | $35.88 | $138.00 | $89.70–$102.95 | 74% | — source file |
| MaineHealth Brunswick, ME · (207) 729-0181 HC SCREEN CERV/VAG THIN LAYER | $60.20 | $60.20 | $42.50–$56.83 | — | Sep 9, 2025 source file |
| York Hospital York, ME · (207) 351-2478 PAP SMEAR - CYTOPATH, C/V, THIN PREP | $102.60 | $171.00 | — | 40% | — source file |
| York Hospital York, ME · (207) 351-2478 NORDX PAP SMEAR THIN PREP | $102.60 | $171.00 | — | 40% | — source file |
| MaineHealth Brunswick, ME · (207) 729-0181 HC CYTOPATH CERV/VAG AUTO THIN LAYER PREP MNL SCREEN | $119.55 | $119.55 | $84.40–$112.86 | — | Sep 9, 2025 source file |
| MaineHealth Biddeford, ME HC CYTOPATH CERV/VAG AUTO THIN LAYER PREP MNL SCREEN | $194.35 | $194.35 | $142.96–$182.69 | — | Sep 9, 2025 source file |
| MaineHealth Biddeford, ME HC SCREEN CERV/VAG THIN LAYER | $194.35 | $194.35 | $142.96–$182.69 | — | Sep 9, 2025 source file |
| MaineHealth Portland, ME · (207) 662-0111 B* HC SCREEN CERV/VAG THIN LAYER | $238.40 | $238.40 | $175.37–$224.10 | — | Sep 9, 2025 source file |
| MaineHealth Portland, ME · (207) 662-0111 B* HC CYTOPATH CERV/VAG AUTO THIN LAYER PREP MNL SCREEN | $248.55 | $248.55 | $182.83–$233.64 | — | Sep 9, 2025 source file |
Inpatient: lowest $27.00, median $102.60, highest $238.40 — a 8.8× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 6 facilities here, median $79.30 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 2 of 4 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.