Biopsy pathology exam cost in Pittsburgh, PA
In Pittsburgh, PA, 24 hospitals list a cash price for biopsy tissue exam by a pathologist (level IV): from $38.34 to $826.20, with a median of $159.43. The lowest listed price is at Uniontown Hospital — $121.09 less than the median here. Across Pennsylvania, the median is $177.30 at 102 hospitals.
- The median here, $159.43, is 7% below the US median of $171.00.
- That is 3.0× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($53.24).
- Pittsburgh, PA ranks 2nd of 2 metro areas in Pennsylvania by median, cheapest first.
- Every hospital here lists a cash price below its full list price.
Cash prices at 24 facilities across 16 cities for code 88305, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Nov 12, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Dec 17, 2025 and Oct 28, 2026.
Lowest$38.34Uniontown Hospital
Median$159.43half of hospitals charge less
Highest$826.20in this market
Difference21.5×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 Pittsburgh, PA.
median
Lowest $38.34Highest $826.20
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uniontown Hospital lowest Uniontown, PA · (724) 430-5000 PATHOLOGY EXAMINATION OF TISSUE USING A MICROSCOPE; INTERMEDIATE COMPLEXITY File of Jul 9, 2026 · source file | $38.34 | $76.68 | $9.90–$171.55 | 50% |
| Uniontown Hospital Uniontown, PA · (724) 430-5000 TISSUE EXAM BY PATHOLOGIST File of Jul 9, 2026 · source file | $41.00 | $82.00 | $9.90–$171.55 | 50% |
| Advanced Surgical Hospital Washington, PA · (724) 884-0710 LEVEL IV GROSS AND MICRO-LARGE SPECIMEN+1 more line at this price File of Apr 24, 2026 · source file | $51.79 | $280.00 | $49.19–$157.50 | 82% |
| UPMC Washington Washington, PA · (724) 225-7000 SURGICAL PATHOLOGY HANDLING+2 more lines at this price File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $91.70 | $131.00 | $34.00–$117.48 | 30% |
| Monogahela Valley Hospital Monongahela, PA · (724) 258-1000 MUSCLE BIOPSY TC ONLY File of Feb 2, 2026 · source file | $94.20 | $157.00 | $42.23–$192.40 | 40% |
| UPMC Jameson New Castle, PA · (724) 656-4100 CELL BLOCK+4 more lines at this price File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $98.40 | $164.00 | $10.35–$158.79 | 40% |
| Excela Health Westmoreland Regional Hospital Greeensburg, PA · (724) 832-4000 88305 RENAL BIOPSY SO+1 more line at this price File of Dec 17, 2025 · source file | $120.60 | $201.00 | $17.88–$160.80 | 40% |
| Excela Health Latrobe Hospital Latrobe, PA · (724) 832-4000 88305 RENAL BIOPSY SO+1 more line at this price File of Dec 17, 2025 · source file | $120.60 | $201.00 | $17.88–$160.80 | 40% |
| Excela Health - Frick Hospital Mt Plesant, PA · (724) 547-1500 LEVEL IV, GROSS & MICRO+1 more line at this price File of Dec 17, 2025 · source file | $120.60 | $201.00 | $37.61–$1,058.57 | 40% |
| Armstrong County Memorial Hospital Kittanning, PA GROSS & MICRO EXAM IV+2 more lines at this price File of Mar 2, 2026 · source file | $135.00 | $450.00 | $9.00–$450.00 | 70% |
| Allegheny Valley Hospital Natrona Heights, PA · (412) 224-5100 HC SURG PATH GR&M LVL 4 File of Oct 28, 2026 · source file | $148.61 | $193.00 | $14.40–$162.38 | 23% |
| Canonsburg General Hospital Canonsburg, PA · (724) 745-6100 HC SURG PATH GR&M LVL 4 File of Oct 28, 2026 · source file | $150.54 | $193.00 | $14.40–$161.78 | 22% |
| West Penn Hospital Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 578-5000 HC SURG PATH GR&M LVL 4 File of Oct 28, 2026 · source file | $156.22 | $214.00 | $14.40–$180.36 | 27% |
| Allegheny General Hospital Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 359-3131 HC SURG PATH GR&M LVL 4 File of Oct 28, 2026 · source file | $162.64 | $214.00 | $14.40–$179.16 | 24% |
| Jefferson Regional Medical Center Jefferson Hills, PA · (412) 469-5000 HC SURG PATH GR&M LVL 4 File of Oct 28, 2026 · source file | $164.43 | $203.00 | $14.40–$168.37 | 19% |
| Butler Memorial Hospital Butler, PA Surg Path Gr+Micro+STRATA+3 more lines at this price File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $193.20 | $276.00 | $51.61–$289.80 | 30% |
| UPMC East Monroeville, PA · (412) 357-3000 EM LEVEL 4 SURG PATH EXAM+4 more lines at this price File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $255.60 | $426.00 | $27.54–$340.80 | 40% |
| UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 641-4010 HC TISSUE EXAM+3 more lines at this price File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $308.40 | $514.00 | $29.15–$472.88 | 40% |
| UPMC Passavant - McCandless Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 367-6700 BONE MARROW CORES(S) ONLY+1 more line at this price File of Mar 7, 2026 · source file | $325.20 | $542.00 | $27.79–$460.70 | 40% |
| UPMC McKeesport McKeesport, PA · (412) 664-2000 EM LEVEL 4 SURG PATH EXAM+4 more lines at this price File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $341.40 | $569.00 | $28.27–$483.65 | 40% |
| UPMC Childrens Hospital of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 692-5325 LEVEL 4 GROSS & MICRO EXAM+3 more lines at this price File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $341.40 | $569.00 | $35.73–$512.10 | 40% |
| UPMC Passavant - McCandless Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 367-6700 HC LEVEL 4 SURGICAL PATHOLOGY+1 more line at this price File of Mar 7, 2026 · source file | $345.00 | $575.00 | $27.79–$488.75 | 40% |
| Monogahela Valley Hospital Monongahela, PA · (724) 258-1000 SURG PATH GROSS/MICRO LEVEL IV File of Feb 2, 2026 · source file | $388.20 | $647.00 | $174.04–$792.90 | 40% |
| Highlands Hospital Connellsville, PA · (724) 628-1500 BONE MARROW BIOPSY File of Feb 2, 2026 · source file | $388.20 | $647.00 | $218.04–$504.66 | 40% |
| UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 232-8111 BONE MARROW CORE(S) ONLY+3 more lines at this price File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $415.80 | $693.00 | $27.62–$623.70 | 40% |
| UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 641-4010 HC GROSS & MICRO LEVEL IV File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $615.00 | $1,025.00 | $29.15–$943.00 | 40% |
| UPMC St Margaret Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 784-4000 CELL BLOCK+3 more lines at this price File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $757.20 | $1,262.00 | $27.86–$1,072.70 | 40% |
| UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 647-2345 CELL BLOCK+6 more lines at this price File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $826.20 | $1,377.00 | $10.80–$1,170.45 | 40% |
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
Outpatient: lowest $38.34, median $159.43, highest $826.20 — a 21.5× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 25 facilities here, median $164.43. 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 24 of 24 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 biopsy pathology exam is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Biopsy pathology exam explained.