Biopsy pathology exam cost in Louisville, KY
In Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN, 7 hospitals list a cash price for biopsy tissue exam by a pathologist (level IV): from $70.28 to $370.57, with a median of $360.00. The lowest listed price is at Norton Clark Hospital — $289.72 less than the median here. Across Kentucky, the median is $220.95 at 15 hospitals.
Cash prices at 7 facilities across 6 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 Feb 11, 2026 and Sep 18, 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 Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norton Clark Hospital lowest Jeffersonville, IN · (812) 283-2147 HB MSO-LEVEL IV GROSS/MICRO | $70.28 | $502.00 | $51.63–$439.25 | 86% | Jun 3, 2026 source file |
| Norton Clark Hospital lowest Jeffersonville, IN · (812) 283-2147 HB PATH LVL IV/88305 | $70.28 | $502.00 | $51.63–$439.25 | 86% | Jun 3, 2026 source file |
| Norton Hospitals Louisville, KY · (502) 629-8000 HB PATH LVL IV/88305 | $119.60 | $598.00 | $50.09–$496.34 | 80% | Feb 11, 2026 source file |
| Norton Hospitals Louisville, KY · (502) 629-8000 HB PATH LVL IV/88305 | $119.60 | $598.00 | $50.09–$496.34 | 80% | Feb 11, 2026 source file |
| Norton Hospitals Louisville, KY · (502) 629-8000 HB MSO-LEVEL IV GROSS/MICRO | $119.60 | $598.00 | $50.09–$496.34 | 80% | Feb 11, 2026 source file |
| Norton Hospitals Louisville, KY · (502) 629-8000 HB PATH LVL IV/88305 | $119.60 | $598.00 | $50.09–$496.34 | 80% | Feb 11, 2026 source file |
| Norton Hospitals Louisville, KY · (502) 629-8000 HB MSO-LEVEL IV GROSS/MICRO | $119.60 | $598.00 | $50.09–$496.34 | 80% | Feb 13, 2026 source file |
| Norton Hospitals Louisville, KY · (502) 629-8000 HB PATH LVL IV/88305 | $119.60 | $598.00 | $50.09–$496.34 | 80% | Feb 13, 2026 source file |
| Norton Hospitals Louisville, KY · (502) 629-8000 HB MSO-LEVEL IV GROSS/MICRO | $119.60 | $598.00 | $50.09–$496.34 | 80% | Feb 11, 2026 source file |
| Norton Hospitals Louisville, KY · (502) 629-8000 HB MSO-LEVEL IV GROSS/MICRO | $119.60 | $598.00 | $50.09–$508.30 | 80% | Feb 11, 2026 source file |
| Norton Hospitals Louisville, KY · (502) 629-8000 HB PATH LVL IV/88305 | $119.60 | $598.00 | $50.09–$508.30 | 80% | Feb 11, 2026 source file |
| Norton Hospitals Louisville, KY · (502) 629-8000 HB MSO-LEVEL IV GROSS/MICRO | $119.60 | $598.00 | $50.09–$496.34 | 80% | Feb 11, 2026 source file |
| Norton Hospitals Louisville, KY · (502) 629-8000 HB PATH LVL IV/88305 | $119.60 | $598.00 | $50.09–$496.34 | 80% | Feb 11, 2026 source file |
| Norton Hospitals Louisville, KY · (502) 629-8000 HB MSO-LEVEL IV GROSS/MICRO | $119.60 | $598.00 | $50.09–$496.34 | 80% | Feb 11, 2026 source file |
| Harrison County Hospital Corydon, IN · (812) 738-4251 Pathology examination of tissue using a microscope, intermediate complexity | $262.80 | $438.00 | $18.84–$394.20 | 40% | Jul 16, 2026 source file |
| St. Vincent Salem Hospital Salem, IN · (812) 883-5881 LEVEL IV-SUR PATH GROSS+MICROS | $360.00 | $600.00 | $12.80–$277.37 | 40% | — source file |
| St. Vincent Salem Hospital Salem, IN · (812) 883-5881 LEVEL IV-SUR PATH GROSS+MICROS | $360.00 | $600.00 | $12.80–$277.37 | 40% | — source file |
| Baptist Health Floyd New Albany, IN · (812) 944-7701 Pathology examination of tissue using a microscope, intermediate complexity | $370.57 | $494.09 | $36.44–$741.14 | 25% | Sep 15, 2026 source file |
| Baptist Health LaGrange La Grange, KY · (502) 222-5388 Pathology examination of tissue using a microscope, intermediate complexity | $370.57 | $494.09 | $36.44–$988.18 | 25% | Sep 15, 2026 source file |
| Baptist Health Louisville Louisville, KY · (502) 897-8100 Pathology examination of tissue using a microscope, intermediate complexity | $370.57 | $494.09 | $29.93–$988.18 | 25% | Sep 18, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $70.28, median $360.00, highest $370.57 — a 5.3× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 3 facilities here, median $119.60. 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 6 of 7 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.