Biopsy pathology exam cost in Charlotte, NC — inpatient
In Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC, 16 hospitals list a cash price for biopsy tissue exam by a pathologist (level IV) as an inpatient: from $68.00 to $556.50, with a median of $346.30. The lowest listed price is at MUSC Chester Regional Medical Center — $278.30 less than the median here. Across North Carolina, the median is $176.00 at 37 hospitals.
Cash prices at 16 facilities across 13 cities for code 88305, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Dec 1, 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 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MUSC Chester Regional Medical Center lowest Chester, SC · (803) 581-3151 HB ENFD LEVEL IV SP - THERAPATH (SEND OUT) | $68.00 | $136.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| MUSC Lancaster Medical Center Lancaster, SC · (803) 286-1481 HB ENFD LEVEL IV SP - THERAPATH (SEND OUT) | $94.50 | $189.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| MUSC Chester Regional Medical Center Chester, SC · (803) 581-3151 HB LEVEL 4 SURG PATH 2 OR LESS BLOCKS | $118.50 | $237.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| MUSC Chester Regional Medical Center Chester, SC · (803) 581-3151 HB CELL BLOCK | $118.50 | $237.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| MUSC Chester Regional Medical Center Chester, SC · (803) 581-3151 HB LEVEL 4 SURG PATH 3 OR MORE BLOCKS | $141.50 | $283.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Duke Health Lake Norman Hospital Mooresville, NC · (704) 660-4000 Surg Path Gross Micro Level 4 | $201.96 | $748.00 | $217.67–$258.06 | 73% | — source file |
| Duke Health Lake Norman Hospital Mooresville, NC · (704) 660-4000 Surg Path Gross Micro Level 4 | $201.96 | $748.00 | $217.67–$258.06 | 73% | — source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Belmont, NC CHG PATH: LEVEL IV GROSS/MICRO | $340.00 | $340.00 | $269.28–$323.00 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Gastonia, NC · (704) 834-4891 CHG PATH: LEVEL IV GROSS/MICRO | $340.00 | $340.00 | $269.28–$323.00 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Mount Holly, NC CHG PATH: LEVEL IV GROSS/MICRO | $340.00 | $340.00 | — | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| MUSC Lancaster Medical Center Lancaster, SC · (803) 286-1481 HB CELL BLOCK | $344.50 | $689.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| MUSC Lancaster Medical Center Lancaster, SC · (803) 286-1481 HB LEVEL 4 SURG PATH 2 OR LESS BLOCKS | $344.50 | $689.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte, NC · (704) 355-2000 HC SURG PATH LEVEL IV | $346.30 | $692.60 | $209.86–$623.34 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Rehabilitation Charlotte, NC HC SURG PATH LEVEL IV | $346.30 | $692.60 | $232.02–$637.19 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Rehabilitation Belmont, NC HC SURG PATH LEVEL IV | $346.30 | $692.60 | $232.02–$637.19 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Anson Wadesboro, NC · (704) 694-5131 HC SURG PATH LEVEL IV | $346.30 | $692.60 | $209.86–$657.97 | 50% | Dec 1, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Lincoln Lincolnton, NC · (980) 212-2000 HC SURG PATH LEVEL IV | $346.30 | $692.60 | $198.57–$657.97 | 50% | Dec 1, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Union Monroe, NC · (704) 283-3100 HC SURG PATH LEVEL IV | $346.30 | $692.60 | $209.86–$657.97 | 50% | Dec 4, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Pineville Charlotte, NC · (704) 379-5000 HC SURG PATH LEVEL IV | $346.30 | $692.60 | $209.86–$637.19 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Pineville Charlotte, NC · (704) 379-5000 HC SURG PATH LEVEL IV | $346.30 | $692.60 | $209.86–$637.19 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center-Northeast Concord, NC · (704) 783-3000 HC SURG PATH LEVEL IV | $346.30 | $692.60 | $209.86–$657.97 | 50% | Dec 1, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte, NC · (704) 355-2000 HC SURG PATH LEVEL IV | $346.30 | $692.60 | $209.86–$623.34 | 50% | Dec 4, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte, NC · (704) 355-2000 HC SURG PATH LEVEL IV | $346.30 | $692.60 | $209.86–$637.19 | 50% | Dec 4, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte, NC · (704) 355-2000 HC SURG PATH LEVEL IV | $346.30 | $692.60 | $214.71–$609.49 | 50% | Dec 4, 2025 source file |
| MUSC Lancaster Medical Center Lancaster, SC · (803) 286-1481 HB LEVEL 4 SURG PATH 3 OR MORE BLOCKS | $378.50 | $757.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Piedmont Medical Center Rock Hill, SC SURGICAL PATH LEVEL IV | $556.50 | $742.00 | $1.00–$742.00 | 25% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Piedmont Medical Center Fort Mill, SC SURGICAL PATH LEVEL IV | $556.50 | $742.00 | $1.00–$742.00 | 25% | Apr 15, 2026 source file |
Inpatient: lowest $68.00, median $346.30, highest $556.50 — a 8.2× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 16 facilities here, median $346.30 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 11 of 13 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 exam of a tissue sample under a microscope. Most biopsies use it, including skin, colon polyp, stomach, breast core and prostate core biopsies.
What the price covers
The price is usually for one specimen. Each separate specimen is billed again, and the pathologist's reading may be billed separately.