COVID-19 PCR test cost in Columbus, OH

Prices at 4 hospitals in Columbus, OH, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $168 — 69% above the US median ($100), roughly 3.3× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Mount Carmel East & West Columbus, OH $160 $115 ★ 2/5 145 min 15.4%
Riverside Methodist Hospital Columbus, OH $168 $192 ★ 4/5 222 min 14.3%
Grant Medical Center Columbus, OH $168 $192 ★ 2/5 158 min 15.7%
Doctors Hospital Columbus, OH $168 $192 ★ 4/5 174 min 15.1%

CMS rating = overall hospital star rating (1–5); ER wait = median minutes in the emergency department; Readmit = 30-day readmission rate (lower is better) — all from Medicare’s Care Compare; “—” = not reported. Data last updated August 2026. Prices from hospitals’ machine-readable files (45 CFR §180); Medicare benchmark from CMS PFS/CLFS/IPPS. Prices below 15% of the median are excluded as likely partial or mis-coded charges. Estimates — confirm with the hospital. Report an incorrect price.

Price comparison (median)

Chargemaster (list price)
$259
Cash / self-pay
$168
Insurer-negotiated
$192
Medicare pays
$51
$162$168
Median cash $168  ·  Medicare $51  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $168 — about 3.3× the Medicare rate ($51). On the higher side. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($103).

💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $259 list price could save about $91 (35%).

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Rough estimate from this procedure’s median insurer-negotiated rate. Your actual cost depends on your plan — confirm with your insurer.

Doctors who perform this in Columbus

Clinicians who reported the most Medicare volume for this service locally. This reflects Original Medicare activity only and is a volume signal, not a quality ranking.

ClinicianSpecialtyLocationMedicare services
Syed Naqvi, MDGeneral PracticeColumbus, OH68
Tracey Trgovac, M.DInternal MedicineColumbus, OH48
Dustin Harmeyer, FNP-BCNurse PractitionerColumbus, OH43
Mark Ricaurte, M.D.Internal MedicineColumbus, OH32
Mikaelyn Mcdowell, FNP-CNurse PractitionerColumbus, OH31
Natalie Ryan, MSN, APRN-CNPNurse PractitionerColumbus, OH28
Sherry Wach, MS CNPNurse PractitionerColumbus, OH27
Nhung Pham, MDEmergency MedicineColumbus, OH25
Jennifer SunFamily PracticeColumbus, OH24
Jennifer Hunnicutt, M.D.Emergency MedicineColumbus, OH23
Abha Tewari-Washam, M.D.Family PracticeColumbus, OH22
Betsy Shaffer, APRN-CNPNurse PractitionerColumbus, OH22

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All COVID-19 PCR test prices in Ohio → · All COVID-19 PCR test prices (national) · All hospitals in Columbus