Cash prices 1,357 hospitals

Colonoscopy cost without insurance

The median cash price for Colonoscopy is $1,443.50 across 872 US hospitals that publish a self-pay price. Most hospitals (the middle 80%) charge between $451.66 and $3,791.75.

A colonoscopy examines the whole colon with a flexible camera, and one procedure usually produces several bills: the facility, the gastroenterologist, anesthesia, and pathology if tissue is removed. The key price detail is that a planned exam can become a biopsy (45380) or polyp removal (45385) during the procedure, which changes the code and adds a pathology charge.

Collected Sep 25, 2026 One price per hospital, from each hospital's own price file

Colonoscopy prices by type

45378 is a diagnostic colonoscopy with nothing removed and is used in the state table; 45380 adds biopsies and 45385 adds polyp removal with a snare. G0121 and G0105 are Medicare screening codes for average-risk and high-risk patients, 45330 is a flexible sigmoidoscopy of the lower colon only, and 82274 is the at-home stool test (FIT).

ProcedureHospitals Most chargeMedian Medicare
Colonoscopy Colonoscopy, diagnostic · code 45378 872 $451.66–$3,791.75 $1,443.50 $950.10median 1.5×
Colonoscopy with biopsy Colonoscopy with tissue sample · code 45380 831 $484.05–$4,652.33 $1,464.23 $1,222.56median 1.2×
Colonoscopy with polyp removal Colonoscopy with polyp removal · code 45385 805 $551.00–$4,637.20 $1,591.00 $1,222.56median 1.3×
Screening colonoscopy Screening colonoscopy for a person at average risk (Medicare code) · code G0121 667 $444.00–$3,665.91 $1,209.12 $950.10median 1.3×
High-risk screening colonoscopy Screening colonoscopy, high risk of colorectal cancer (Medicare code) · code G0105 686 $460.74–$3,493.48 $1,249.00 $950.10median 1.3×
Sigmoidoscopy Flexible sigmoidoscopy, diagnostic (lower colon only) · code 45330 875 $225.82–$3,011.00 $1,094.55 $950.10median 1.2×
FIT stool test Stool test for hidden blood by immunoassay (FIT) · code 82274 1,285 $17.37–$119.68 $53.95 $15.92median 3.4×
Stool blood test (FOBT) Stool test for hidden blood (guaiac FOBT) · code 82270 1,357 $6.50–$66.34 $22.95 $4.38median 5.2×

“Most charge” is the middle 80% of hospitals (10th to 90th percentile), so one mistyped line in a hospital file cannot stretch it. Each hospital counts once, at its lowest outpatient cash price for the code. “Medicare” is Medicare's 2026 national base rate for the same service outside a hospital stay, including the patient's share (the hospital outpatient, lab or hospital clinic rate); “median 3×” means the median cash price is three times that rate.

Colonoscopy: median by state

States with at least two hospitals, cheapest median first. Pick a state for its colonoscopy prices and cheapest hospitals.

Paying cash: what to do

  • Ask for a self-pay quote that covers the facility, the gastroenterologist and anesthesia, and ask which of them bill separately.
  • Ask for prices for 45380 and 45385 as well, since no one knows in advance whether a biopsy or polyp removal will be needed.
  • Ambulatory surgery centers often charge less than hospital outpatient departments for the same colonoscopy, so ask the gastroenterologist where they perform it.

Questions

How much does a colonoscopy cost without insurance?

The total is the facility fee in the table plus the gastroenterologist, anesthesia and, if tissue is removed, pathology; the bowel-prep medicine is bought separately at a pharmacy. Ask each provider for its self-pay price, or ask whether a bundled cash package is offered.

Why was my screening colonoscopy billed as a different code?

If a polyp is removed or a biopsy is taken, the procedure is billed under a different code. Under federal rules most private plans must cover a screening colonoscopy without cost-sharing, including polyp removal during it and a follow-up colonoscopy after a positive stool test.

Is a stool test an alternative to a colonoscopy?

For people at average risk without symptoms, a yearly FIT (82274) is one of the screening options guidelines accept, and it is a lab test done with a kit at home. A positive result needs a follow-up colonoscopy, and a stool test does not suit people with symptoms or high risk, so ask a clinician which option fits.