Pap smear cost in Washington, DC
In Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, 12 hospitals list a cash price for Pap test (liquid-based, automated screening with review): from $15.50 to $98.00, with a median of $79.60. The lowest listed price is at Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center — $64.10 less than the median here.
- The median here, $79.60, is 4% below the US median of $83.00.
- That is 3.0× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($26.61).
- 1 of 12 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Cash prices at 12 facilities across 11 cities for code 88175, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Oct 29, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Dec 30, 2024 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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center lowest Woodbridge, VA · (703) 523-1000 Chgl (Qu) 88175 Thinprep Imaging Pap And C. Trachomatis, N. Gonorrhoeae, S/O File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $15.50 | $31.00 | — | 50% |
| Stafford Hospital Stafford, VA · (540) 741-9000 Cytopath c/v auto fluid redo File of Dec 30, 2024 · source file | $53.00 | $106.00 | $23.00–$270.00 | 50% |
| Mary Washington Hospital Fredericksburg, VA · (540) 741-1100 Cytopath c/v auto fluid redo File of Dec 30, 2024 · source file | $53.00 | $106.00 | $23.00–$270.00 | 50% |
| Frederick Health Hospital Frederick, MD · (240) 566-3300 CYTOPATHOLOGY, CERVICAL OR VAG File of Mar 17, 2025 · source file | $70.10 | $71.53 | $70.10–$71.53 | 2% |
| Stonesprings Hospital Center Dulles, VA · (571) 349-4000 Cytopathology, cervical or vaginal (any reporting system), collected in preservative fluid, automated thin layer preparation; with screening by automated system and manual rescreening or review, under +1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $73.44 | $73.44 | $26.61–$141.33 | — |
| Fauquier Health Warrenton, VA · (540) 316-5000 Cytopathology, cervical or vaginal (any reporting system), collected in preservative fluid, automated thin layer preparation; with screening by automated system and manual rescreening or review, under physician supervision File of Jul 14, 2026 · source file | $77.20 | $193.00 | $33.31 | 60% |
| Jefferson Medical Center Ranson, WV · (304) 728-1600 CYTOPATH C/V AUTO FLUID REDO File of Jul 12, 2026 · source file | $82.00 | $164.00 | — | 50% |
| Inova Alexandria Hospital Alexandria, VA · (703) 504-3167 HC CYTOPATHOLOGY CERVICAL/VAGINAL AUTO THIN LYR PREP W/SCR MANUAL RESCR PHYS File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $98.00 | $196.00 | $24.23–$186.53 | 50% |
| Inova Fairfax Hospital Falls Church, VA · (703) 698-1110 HC CYTOPATHOLOGY CERVICAL/VAGINAL AUTO THIN LYR PREP W/SCR MANUAL RESCR PHYS File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $98.00 | $196.00 | $24.23–$186.53 | 50% |
| Inova Fair Oaks Hospital Fairfax, VA · (703) 391-4170 HC CYTOPATHOLOGY CERVICAL/VAGINAL AUTO THIN LYR PREP W/SCR MANUAL RESCR PHYS File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $98.00 | $196.00 | $24.23–$186.53 | 50% |
| Inova Loudoun Hospital Leesburg, VA · (703) 858-6600 HC CYTOPATHOLOGY CERVICAL/VAGINAL AUTO THIN LYR PREP W/SCR MANUAL RESCR PHYS File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $98.00 | $196.00 | $24.23–$186.53 | 50% |
| Inova Mount Vernon Hospital Alexandria, VA · (703) 664-7105 HC CYTOPATHOLOGY CERVICAL/VAGINAL AUTO THIN LYR PREP W/SCR MANUAL RESCR PHYS File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $98.00 | $196.00 | $24.23–$186.53 | 50% |
Outpatient: lowest $15.50, median $79.60, highest $98.00 — a 6.3× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 9 facilities here, median $98.00. 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 9 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 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 is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Pap smear explained.