PSA Test (Prostate Screening): what it covers and what it costs
What does a PSA Test (Prostate Screening) cost? Across 38 major U.S. metros, the typical insurer-negotiated price for a PSA Test (CPT 84153) runs from about $17 in Indianapolis, IN to $159 in Chicago, IL, read from hospitals' own price-transparency files. 22 of those metros have at least one hospital publishing a self-pay cash price. This page explains what the billing code covers, what the quoted price does and does not include, and what actually drives the spread between hospitals. These are price references from public data — not a quote, a bill, or medical or financial advice.
These figures are aggregated from hospitals' public price-transparency files — not a quote, a bill, an insurance benefit determination, or medical advice. Your actual out-of-pocket cost depends on your insurance plan (deductible, copay, coinsurance, network), the exact service and any complications, and which hospital you use. Always confirm price and coverage with the hospital and your insurer before care.
What a PSA Test price actually covers
A PSA test measures prostate-specific antigen in blood. Coding distinguishes the total PSA used for screening from the diagnostic and free-PSA variants used when a result needs further characterisation.
Code scope. 84153 = total PSA (diagnostic). Free PSA is 84154; complexed PSA 84152. Medicare screening PSA uses HCPCS G0103.
What is — and isn't — in the price
The published price covers the laboratory analysis of a single test. Collection charges can be separate, as can a facility fee if drawn in a hospital outpatient department.
Why PSA Test prices differ so much between hospitals
The screening code and the diagnostic code price differently and are covered differently, and which applies depends on why the test was ordered. Free-PSA and PSA-ratio testing are separate codes again, generally ordered as follow-up rather than initially.
What else usually lands on the bill
Free PSA and PSA density calculations are follow-up codes. A prostate MRI and, if indicated, a biopsy with pathology are substantially larger separate charges further down the pathway.
What to ask before you book
Ask which PSA code is being ordered and whether it is coded as screening or diagnostic — the distinction affects coverage more than the hospital's price does.
Where the money actually moves
Confirm whether the order is coded as screening, which most plans cover without cost-sharing for eligible patients. When paying cash, independent laboratories are substantially cheaper than hospital laboratories.
What the PSA Test numbers show nationally
A PSA Test costs 9.3× as much in Chicago as in Indianapolis
Across the 38 metros priced here, the typical negotiated rate runs from $17 in Indianapolis, IN to $159 in Chicago, IL — the same billing codes, the same procedure, 826% apart.
The individual hospitals reporting the lowest and highest PSA Test prices
Lowest: ALLIANCE HEALTHCARE SYSTEM (Memphis, TN) at $1; BETHESDA HOSPITAL EAST (Miami, FL) at $7; SHARP CHULA VISTA MEDICAL CENTER (San Diego, CA) at $10. Highest: TEMPLE UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL (Philadelphia, PA) at $453; PRESBYTERIAN ST LUKE'S MEDICAL CENTER (Denver, CO) at $290; PIEDMONT HOSPITAL (Atlanta, GA) at $235. These are the figures each hospital published in its own file, not an assessment of the care.
22 of 38 metros have a hospital publishing a self-pay PSA Test price
Cheapest published cash price: $9 (Phoenix). A cash price is what the hospital will accept from someone paying directly; it is not required and many never publish one.
Insurers pay about 78% below the list price for a PSA Test
Across the 30 metros publishing both, the chargemaster list price is typically 78% above what insurers negotiate. The widest gap is in Nashville: $556 list against $19 negotiated.
How many hospitals actually publish a PSA Test price
241 hospital price-file entries across 38 metros feed this page. A hospital appears only where its own file lists a rate for CPT 84153 — where it does not, it is absent from the table rather than filled in with a guess.
PSA Test price by metro
The typical insurer-negotiated price for a PSA Test, by metro — lowest first. 22 of these 38 metros have at least one hospital publishing a self-pay cash price; 32 publish a chargemaster list price. Open a metro for its full hospital-by-hospital breakdown and who those hospitals are.
| Metro | Typical negotiated | Range | Cash | Hospitals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis, IN | $17 | $16–$18 | $119 | 4 |
| Riverside, CA | $18 | $16–$96 | $47 | 6 |
| Sacramento, CA | $18 | $18 | $130 | 3 |
| San Francisco, CA | $18 | $18–$23 | $130 | 7 |
| Jacksonville, FL | $18 | $18 | $13 | 3 |
| Nashville, TN | $19 | $19–$154 | — | 9 |
| Orlando, FL | $19 | $17–$68 | — | 4 |
| Tampa, FL | $19 | $19–$21 | — | 6 |
| Detroit, MI | $20 | $15–$32 | $48 | 6 |
| Miami, FL | $20 | $7–$24 | — | 4 |
| San Jose, CA | $21 | $18–$27 | — | 3 |
| Birmingham, AL | $22 | $18–$154 | — | 9 |
| Phoenix, AZ | $24 | $18–$47 | $9 | 10 |
| St. Louis, MO | $25 | $18–$75 | $77 | 7 |
| Virginia Beach, VA | $25 | $18–$32 | — | 6 |
| New York, NY | $27 | $19–$42 | $45 | 7 |
| Hartford, CT | $28 | $18–$37 | — | 4 |
| Atlanta, GA | $28 | $14–$235 | $101 | 9 |
| Portland, OR | $28 | $19–$51 | — | 7 |
| Buffalo, NY | $28 | $18–$30 | — | 3 |
| Seattle, WA | $29 | $25–$50 | — | 7 |
| San Diego, CA | $31 | $10–$161 | $15 | 6 |
| Raleigh, NC | $33 | $23–$33 | $37 | 3 |
| Memphis, TN | $34 | $1–$120 | — | 4 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $37 | $16–$109 | $43 | 5 |
| Cleveland, OH | $37 | $18–$93 | $83 | 8 |
| Washington, DC | $42 | $19–$90 | $141 | 8 |
| Philadelphia, PA | $42 | $13–$453 | $128 | 14 |
| Kansas City, MO | $42 | $31–$104 | — | 7 |
| Denver, CO | $45 | $18–$290 | $72 | 10 |
| Baltimore, MD | $60 | $44–$66 | — | 4 |
| Milwaukee, WI | $63 | $41–$127 | $90 | 9 |
| Houston, TX | $77 | $72–$82 | — | 6 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | $81 | $20–$122 | $130 | 5 |
| Oklahoma City, OK | $86 | $40–$131 | — | 3 |
| Dallas, TX | $93 | $19–$220 | $139 | 10 |
| Austin, TX | $115 | $19–$210 | $89 | 8 |
| Chicago, IL | $159 | $155–$175 | $108 | 3 |
Source: hospitals' own machine-readable Standard Charges files, published under the U.S. Hospital Price Transparency rule (45 CFR §180.50). Most recent hospital file in this dataset: July 2026. Prices are references, not quotes or bills, and never medical or financial advice — where a hospital reports no price, nothing is shown rather than a guess.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a PSA Test cost?
- Across 38 U.S. metros the typical insurer-negotiated price is about $28, ranging from $17 in Indianapolis to $159 in Chicago. Every figure is read from a named hospital's own price-transparency file for CPT 84153.
- Does the price include the doctor's fee?
- The published price covers the laboratory analysis of a single test. Collection charges can be separate, as can a facility fee if drawn in a hospital outpatient department.
- Why do PSA Test prices differ so much between hospitals?
- The screening code and the diagnostic code price differently and are covered differently, and which applies depends on why the test was ordered. Free-PSA and PSA-ratio testing are separate codes again, generally ordered as follow-up rather than initially.