Biopsy pathology exam cost in Seattle, WA
In Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA, 15 hospitals list a cash price for biopsy tissue exam by a pathologist (level IV): from $55.50 to $296.00, with a median of $168.30. The lowest listed price is at Overlake Medical Center & Clinics — $112.80 less than the median here. Across Washington, the median is $175.47 at 32 hospitals.
Cash prices at 15 facilities across 12 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 28, 2026 and Apr 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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overlake Medical Center & Clinics lowest Bellevue, WA · (425) 688-5000 Hc Renal Bx Sorensen Media Uw Pathology | $55.50 | $111.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Seattle Children's Hospital Seattle, WA · (206) 987-2000 Electron Microscopy Uw Surg 4 | $131.00 | $131.00 | $33.01–$125.76 | — | — source file |
| Swedish Issaquah Issaquah, WA · (425) 313-4000 HC LEVEL IV SURG PATHOLOGY GROSS AND MICROSCOPIC EXAM LAB | $138.24 | $288.00 | — | 52% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Swedish Edmonds Edmonds, WA · (425) 640-4000 HC LEVEL IV SURG PATHOLOGY GROSS AND MICROSCOPIC EXAM LAB | $138.24 | $288.00 | — | 52% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Swedish Medical Center / Cherry Hill Seattle, WA · (206) 320-2000 HC LEVEL IV SURG PATHOLOGY GROSS AND MICROSCOPIC EXAM LAB | $138.24 | $288.00 | — | 52% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Swedish Medical Center / Cherry Hill Seattle, WA · (206) 320-2000 HC LEVEL IV SURG PATHOLOGY GROSS AND MICROSCOPIC EXAM LAB | $138.24 | $288.00 | — | 52% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Providence Regional Medical Center Everett Everett, WA · (425) 261-2000 HC LEVEL IV SURG PATHOLOGY GROSS AND MICROSCOPIC EXAM LAB | $149.76 | $288.00 | — | 48% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Swedish Medical Center / Cherry Hill Seattle, WA · (206) 320-2000 HC LEVEL IV SURG PATHOLOGY GROSS&MICROSCOPIC EXAM LAB | $158.88 | $331.00 | — | 52% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Swedish Edmonds Edmonds, WA · (425) 640-4000 HC LEVEL IV SURG PATHOLOGY GROSS&MICROSCOPIC EXAM LAB | $158.88 | $331.00 | — | 52% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Swedish Issaquah Issaquah, WA · (425) 313-4000 HC LEVEL IV SURG PATHOLOGY GROSS&MICROSCOPIC EXAM LAB | $158.88 | $331.00 | — | 52% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Swedish Medical Center / Cherry Hill Seattle, WA · (206) 320-2000 HC LEVEL IV SURG PATHOLOGY GROSS&MICROSCOPIC EXAM LAB | $158.88 | $331.00 | — | 52% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Saint Clare Hospital Lakewood, WA · (253) 588-1711 HC SURG PATH G&M-LEVEL IV H&E | $165.96 | $575.76 | $44.43–$431.82 | 71% | Feb 28, 2026 source file |
| Virginia Mason Medical Center Seattle, WA · (206) 223-6600 LEVEL IV-SURG PATH GROSS EXAM | $168.30 | $330.00 | $198.00–$264.00 | 49% | — source file |
| Virginia Mason Medical Center Seattle, WA · (206) 223-6600 LEVEL IV-SURGICAL PATHOLOGY,GROSS & MICROSCOPIC EXAM | $168.30 | $330.00 | $198.00–$264.00 | 49% | — source file |
| Providence Regional Medical Center Everett Everett, WA · (425) 261-2000 HC LEVEL IV SURG PATHOLOGY GROSS&MICROSCOPIC EXAM LAB | $172.12 | $331.00 | — | 48% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| St Anthony Hospital Gig Harbor, WA · (253) 530-2050 HC SURG PATH G&M-LEVEL IV H&E | $175.12 | $575.76 | $44.43–$431.82 | 70% | Feb 28, 2026 source file |
| Highline Medical Center Burien, WA · (206) 431-5237 HC SURG PATH G&M-LEVEL IV H&E | $175.82 | $575.76 | $44.43–$518.19 | 69% | Feb 28, 2026 source file |
| St Francis Community Hospital Federal Way, WA · (253) 944-8100 HC SURG PATH G&M-LEVEL IV H&E | $180.69 | $575.76 | $44.43–$431.82 | 69% | Feb 28, 2026 source file |
| St Joseph Medical Center Tacoma, WA · (253) 627-4101 HC SURG PATH G&M-LEVEL IV H&E | $190.70 | $575.76 | $44.43–$431.82 | 67% | Feb 28, 2026 source file |
| Enumclaw Regional Hospital Association Enumclaw, WA HC SURG PATH G&M-LEVEL IV H&E | $203.46 | $575.76 | $44.43–$518.19 | 65% | Feb 28, 2026 source file |
| Overlake Medical Center & Clinics Bellevue, WA · (425) 688-5000 Hc Surg Path,Level Iv | $207.50 | $415.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Cascade Valley Hospital Arlington, WA · (360) 435-2133 HC SURGICAL PATHOLOGY LEVEL IV | $222.40 | $278.00 | $23.63–$222.40 | 20% | — source file |
| Kaiser Permanente Central Hospital Seattle, WA · (206) 326-3000 SURGICAL PATHOLOGY LEVEL IV (HC) BKR | $296.00 | $370.00 | $178.00 | 20% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Kaiser Permanente Central Hospital Seattle, WA · (206) 326-3000 SURGICAL PATHOLOGY LEVEL IV | $296.00 | $370.00 | $178.00 | 20% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Seattle Children's Hospital Seattle, WA · (206) 987-2000 Placenta Level IV | $313.70 | $313.70 | $79.05–$301.15 | — | — source file |
| Seattle Children's Hospital Seattle, WA · (206) 987-2000 Surg Path Level IV Exam | $319.90 | $319.90 | $80.61–$307.10 | — | — source file |
| Seattle Children's Hospital Seattle, WA · (206) 987-2000 Surg Path Level IV Exam Profee (Cpt 88305) | $478.70 | $478.70 | $120.63–$459.55 | — | — source file |
| Seattle Children's Hospital Seattle, WA · (206) 987-2000 Surgpath, Level 4 | $758.80 | $758.80 | $191.22–$728.45 | — | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $55.50, median $168.30, highest $296.00 — a 5.3× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 15 facilities here, median $175.12. 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 7 of 10 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.