Biopsy pathology exam cost in Lancaster, PA
In Lancaster, PA, 3 hospitals list a cash price for biopsy tissue exam by a pathologist (level IV): from $80.40 to $218.40, with a median of $100.60. The lowest listed price is at UPMC Lititz — $20.20 less than the median here. Across Pennsylvania, the median is $169.20 at 61 hospitals.
Cash prices at 3 facilities across 3 cities for code 88305, 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 Lancaster, PA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UPMC Lititz lowest Lititz, PA · (717) 625-2000 HC TISSUE EX GRP IV MD | $80.40 | $134.00 | $11.79–$164.12 | 40% | — source file |
| Penn State Health Lancaster Medical Center Lancaster, PA · (223) 287-9000 88305 Bill Surg LSU Renal Pnl SO Tech | $100.60 | $347.00 | $43.46–$277.60 | 71% | — source file |
| Penn State Health Lancaster Medical Center Lancaster, PA · (223) 287-9000 88305 Bill Surg LSU Renal Pnl SO Complete Panel Tech | $100.60 | $347.00 | $43.46–$277.60 | 71% | — source file |
| Penn State Health Lancaster Medical Center Lancaster, PA · (223) 287-9000 88305 AP Bill Surgical Tissue Exam Level 4 Tech | $100.60 | $347.00 | $43.46–$277.60 | 71% | — source file |
| Penn State Health Lancaster Medical Center Lancaster, PA · (223) 287-9000 88305 AP Bill Cytology Tissue Exam Level 4 Tech | $100.60 | $347.00 | $43.46–$277.60 | 71% | — source file |
| Penn State Health Lancaster Medical Center Lancaster, PA · (223) 287-9000 88305 AP Bill Derm Tissue Exam Level 4 Tech | $100.60 | $347.00 | $43.46–$277.60 | 71% | — source file |
| UPMC Lititz Lititz, PA · (717) 625-2000 HC CELL BLOCK | $116.40 | $194.00 | $11.79–$164.90 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Lititz Lititz, PA · (717) 625-2000 HC TISSUE EX GRP IV | $116.40 | $194.00 | $11.79–$164.90 | 40% | — source file |
| Ephrata Community Hospital Ephrata, PA · (717) 733-0311 Pathology Examination of Tissue Using a Microscope, Intermediate Complexity | $218.40 | $273.00 | $11.25–$311.94 | 20% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $80.40, median $100.60, highest $218.40 — a 2.7× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 3 facilities here, median $100.60. 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 3 of 3 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 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.