Biopsy pathology exam cost in Washington, DC
In Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, 7 hospitals list a cash price for biopsy tissue exam by a pathologist (level IV): from $40.00 to $224.00, with a median of $224.00. The lowest listed price is at Jefferson Medical Center — $184.00 less than the median here.
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 Apr 1, 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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson Medical Center lowest Ranson, WV · (304) 728-1600 TISSUE EXAM BY PATHOLOGIST | $40.00 | $80.00 | — | 50% | — source file |
| Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center Woodbridge, VA · (703) 523-1000 Chgl Bone Marrow Asp Clot | $219.00 | $438.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center Woodbridge, VA · (703) 523-1000 Chgl Bone Marrow Bx Interpret | $219.00 | $438.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center Woodbridge, VA · (703) 523-1000 Chgl Cytology Cell Block | $219.00 | $438.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center Woodbridge, VA · (703) 523-1000 Chgl B Cpt88305B, Bill Only | $219.00 | $438.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center Woodbridge, VA · (703) 523-1000 Chgl Surg Path Level Iv | $219.00 | $438.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Inova Alexandria Hospital Alexandria, VA · (703) 504-3167 HC LEVEL IV - SURG PATH GROSS & MICRO EXAM | $224.00 | $448.00 | $46.88–$349.44 | 50% | — source file |
| Inova Loudoun Hospital Leesburg, VA · (703) 858-6600 HC LEVEL IV - SURG PATH GROSS & MICRO EXAM | $224.00 | $448.00 | $46.88–$349.44 | 50% | — source file |
| Inova Mount Vernon Hospital Alexandria, VA · (703) 664-7105 HC LEVEL IV - SURG PATH GROSS & MICRO EXAM | $224.00 | $448.00 | $46.88–$349.44 | 50% | — source file |
| Inova Fair Oaks Hospital Fairfax, VA · (703) 391-4170 HC LEVEL IV - SURG PATH GROSS & MICRO EXAM | $224.00 | $448.00 | $46.88–$349.44 | 50% | — source file |
| Inova Fairfax Hospital Falls Church, VA · (703) 698-1110 HC LEVEL IV - SURG PATH GROSS & MICRO EXAM | $224.00 | $448.00 | $46.88–$349.44 | 50% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $40.00, median $224.00, highest $224.00 — a 5.6× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 6 facilities here, median $224.00. 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 5 of 5 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.
1 row held back from this comparison
It is priced below $1 or below a tenth of the national median for code 88305 ($186.06). Such a line is almost always a physician's fee billed separately, an assistant's share or a placeholder — a real charge, but not the price of the procedure itself.
| Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center Woodbridge, VAChgl Research Study-H&E | $2.50 | file |