Pap smear (lab reading) cost in St. Louis, MO
In St. Louis, MO-IL, 10 hospitals list a cash price for Pap test lab reading: liquid-based cervical sample, manual screening: from $24.70 to $152.64, with a median of $109.48. The lowest listed price is at Mercy Hospital South — $84.78 less than the median here. Across Missouri, the median is $80.02 at 22 hospitals.
Cash prices at 10 facilities across 9 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 — and —.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in St. Louis, MO-IL.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercy Hospital South lowest Saint Louis, MO · (314) 525-1000 Pap Smear Manual Screen | $24.70 | $38.00 | $2.47–$38.00 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital St Louis Saint Louis, MO Pap Smear Manual Screen | $72.15 | $111.00 | $18.23–$45.59 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Jefferson Festus, MO Pap Smear Manual Screen | $91.00 | $140.00 | $18.23–$45.59 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln Troy, MO · (636) 528-8551 Pap Smear Manual Screen | $93.60 | $144.00 | $9.36–$144.00 | 35% | — source file |
| St Josephs Hospital of the Hospital Sisters of the Third Order of St Francis Highland, IL · (618) 651-2600 HC THINPREP PAP | $105.12 | $146.00 | $20.26–$146.00 | 28% | — source file |
| Gateway Regional Medical Center Granite City, IL · (618) 798-3000 PAP THINLAY LIQ DIAG | $113.84 | $189.74 | $189.74 | 40% | — source file |
| Gateway Regional Medical Center Granite City, IL · (618) 798-3000 PAP THINLAY LIQ SCRN | $117.04 | $195.06 | $195.06 | 40% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Washington Washington, MO Pap Smear Manual Screen | $119.60 | $184.00 | $18.23–$30.08 | 35% | — source file |
| Hshs Holy Family Hospital Greenville, IL · (618) 664-1230 HC THINPREP PAP-90 | $122.40 | $170.00 | $15.10–$170.00 | 28% | — source file |
| Hshs Holy Family Hospital Greenville, IL · (618) 664-1230 CYTOPATH C/V THIN LAYER | $132.48 | $184.00 | $15.10–$184.00 | 28% | — source file |
| St Elizabeths Hospital of the Hospital Sisters of the Third Order of St Francis O'Fallon, IL HC THINPREP PAP | $133.20 | $185.00 | $14.38–$185.00 | 28% | — source file |
| St Josephs Hospital Hospital Sisters Third Order of St Francis Breese, IL · (618) 526-4511 CYTOPATH C/V THIN LAYER | $152.64 | $212.00 | $14.38–$212.00 | 28% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $24.70, median $109.48, highest $152.64 — a 6.2× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 7 facilities here, median $122.40. 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 7 of 10 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.