Biopsy pathology exam cost in Cincinnati, OH
In Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN, 15 hospitals list a cash price for biopsy tissue exam by a pathologist (level IV): from $41.06 to $235.80, with a median of $76.20. The lowest listed price is at McCullough-Hyde Memorial Hospital — $35.14 less than the median here. Across Ohio, the median is $203.45 at 135 hospitals.
- The median here, $76.20, is 55% below the US median of $171.00.
- That is 1.4× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($53.24).
- Cincinnati, OH has the lowest median of 4 metro areas in Ohio with at least 10 hospitals pricing this code.
- 2 of 15 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Cash prices at 15 facilities across 9 cities for code 88305, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 29, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 1, 2026 and Jul 1, 2026.
Lowest$41.06McCullough-Hyde Memorial Hospital
Median$76.20half of hospitals charge less
Highest$235.80in this market
Difference5.7×highest vs lowest
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN.
median
Lowest $41.06Highest $519.69
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| McCullough-Hyde Memorial Hospital lowest Oxford, OH · (513) 523-2111 HC Em Thick Prep+2 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $41.06 | $54.74 | — | 25% |
| Bethesda North Cincinnati, OH · (513) 865-1111 HC Gross & Micro Lev 4 (88305) File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $47.78 | $63.70 | — | 25% |
| The Jewish Hospital-Mercy Health Cincinnati, OH · (513) 686-3000 HC Tissue Level IV File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $76.20 | $127.00 | — | 40% |
| Mercy Health West Hospital Cincinnati, OH · (513) 215-5000 HC Tissue Level IV File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $76.20 | $127.00 | — | 40% |
| Mercy Health Fairfield Hospital Fairfield, OH · (513) 870-7000 HC Tissue Level IV File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $76.20 | $127.00 | — | 40% |
| Mercy Health Anderson Hospital Cincinnati, OH · (513) 624-4500 HC Tissue Level IV File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $76.20 | $127.00 | — | 40% |
| Mercy Health Kings Mills Hospital Mason, OH · (513) 637-9999 HC Tissue Level IV File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $76.20 | $127.00 | — | 40% |
| Mercy Health Clermont Hospital Batavia, OH · (513) 732-8278 HC Tissue Level IV File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $76.20 | $127.00 | — | 40% |
| Mercy Health Anderson Hospital Cincinnati, OH · (513) 624-4500 HC So Tissue Level IV File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $80.40 | $134.00 | — | 40% |
| Mercy Health Fairfield Hospital Fairfield, OH · (513) 870-7000 HC So Tissue Level IV File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $80.40 | $134.00 | — | 40% |
| Mercy Health Clermont Hospital Batavia, OH · (513) 732-8278 HC So Tissue Level IV File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $80.40 | $134.00 | — | 40% |
| Mercy Health West Hospital Cincinnati, OH · (513) 215-5000 HC So Tissue Level IV File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $80.40 | $134.00 | — | 40% |
| The Jewish Hospital-Mercy Health Cincinnati, OH · (513) 686-3000 HC So Tissue Level IV File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $80.40 | $134.00 | — | 40% |
| Mercy Health Kings Mills Hospital Mason, OH · (513) 637-9999 HC So Tissue Level IV File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $80.40 | $134.00 | — | 40% |
| Fort Hamilton Hospital Hamilton, OH · (513) 867-2123 Hc Surg Path Aipl File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $88.00 | $220.00 | — | 60% |
| The Good Samaritan Hospital of Cincinnati, OH Cincinnati, OH · (513) 862-2601 HC Gross & Micro Lev 4 (88305)+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $95.55 | $127.40 | — | 25% |
| Bethesda North Cincinnati, OH · (513) 865-1111 HC Cyt Cell Blk Prep Int File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $95.55 | $127.40 | — | 25% |
| The Good Samaritan Hospital of Cincinnati, OH Cincinnati, OH · (513) 862-2601 HC Em Thick Prep File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $122.08 | $162.77 | — | 25% |
| Bethesda North Cincinnati, OH · (513) 865-1111 HC Em Thick Prep File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $122.08 | $162.77 | — | 25% |
| Fort Hamilton Hospital Hamilton, OH · (513) 867-2123 Hc Surg Path Exam Level Iv Osu+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $134.80 | $337.00 | — | 60% |
| Children's Hospital Medical Center Cincinnati, OH · (513) 636-3333 Hb Lev Iv-Gross - Microscopic Exam File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $137.70 | $270.00 | $55.81–$270.00 | 49% |
| Atrium Medical Center Middletown, OH · (513) 420-5102 HC PROSTATE BIOPSY ANY METHOD ONLY+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $211.00 | $211.00 | — | — |
| St Elizabeth Edgewood Edgewood, KY · (859) 301-2000 HB SURG PATH 4, ONE+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $214.54 | $214.54 | — | — |
| University of Cincinnati Medical Center Cincinnati, OH · (513) 584-1000 Hc Cytopath Cell Block File of Jul 1, 2026 · source file | $235.80 | $393.00 | — | 40% |
| West Chester Hospital West Chester, OH · (513) 298-7701 Hc Cytopath Cell Block File of Jul 1, 2026 · source file | $235.80 | $393.00 | — | 40% |
| University of Cincinnati Medical Center Cincinnati, OH · (513) 584-1000 Hc Surg Path Bone Marrow Section File of Jul 1, 2026 · source file | $237.60 | $396.00 | — | 40% |
| West Chester Hospital West Chester, OH · (513) 298-7701 Hc Surg Path Bone Marrow Section File of Jul 1, 2026 · source file | $237.60 | $396.00 | — | 40% |
| University of Cincinnati Medical Center Cincinnati, OH · (513) 584-1000 Hc Surg Path Level Iv Gross & Micro File of Jul 1, 2026 · source file | $255.60 | $426.00 | — | 40% |
| West Chester Hospital West Chester, OH · (513) 298-7701 Hc Surg Path Level Iv Gross & Micro File of Jul 1, 2026 · source file | $255.60 | $426.00 | — | 40% |
| Children's Hospital Medical Center Cincinnati, OH · (513) 636-3333 Hb Tissue Exam Level Iv File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $519.69 | $1,019.00 | $55.81–$1,019.00 | 49% |
Hospital The hospital that published the price, its city and the line exactly as written in its price file.
Cash price The hospital's own price for a patient paying without insurance (“discounted cash” in its price file). Hospitals must publish it under federal law, 45 CFR 180.50. Call to confirm it before booking. More
List price The hospital's full chargemaster price (“gross charge”) before any discount. Almost nobody pays it; the gap to the cash price shows what the self-pay discount is worth. More
Insurers pay The lowest and highest rates this hospital has agreed with insurance plans for the same item, from its price file. If the cash price is below what your plan pays and you have not met your deductible, paying cash can cost you less. More
Off list How much lower the cash price is than the list price.
At or below Medicare This cash price is at or below what Medicare pays a hospital for the same service, which is unusually low. It is what the hospital's file says; confirm it and what it includes before booking. More
No cash discount This line's cash price equals the hospital's full list price. Many hospitals still reduce bills for uninsured patients: ask the billing office for its self-pay discount in writing. More
Outpatient: lowest $41.06, median $76.20, highest $235.80 — a 5.7× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 13 facilities here, median $80.40. 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 the one hospital here that publishes insurer rates for this code, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated. 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 biopsy pathology exam is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Biopsy pathology exam explained.