Abscess drainage cost in Ames, IA — inpatient
In Ames, IA, 2 hospitals list a cash price for incision and drainage of a simple or single skin abscess as an inpatient: from $60.00 to $288.94, with a median of $174.47. The lowest listed price is at Story County Hospital — $114.47 less than the median here. Across Iowa, the median is $248.40 at 76 hospitals.
Cash prices at 2 facilities across 2 cities for code 10060, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 27, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Jul 27, 2026 and Jul 27, 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 Ames, IA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Story County Hospital lowest Nevada, IA · (515) 382-2111 HC I&D ABSC SMPL OR SGL | $60.00 | $75.00 | $51.00–$75.00 | 20% | — source file |
| Story County Hospital Nevada, IA · (515) 382-2111 PR INCISION & DRAINAGE ABSCESS SIMPLE/SINGLE | $278.40 | $348.00 | $240.00–$348.00 | 20% | — source file |
| Boone County Hospital Boone, IA · (515) 432-3140 Simple or single drainage of skin abscess | $288.94 | $361.18 | $148.08–$370.69 | 20% | Jul 27, 2026 source file |
Inpatient: lowest $60.00, median $174.47, highest $288.94 — a 4.8× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 2 facilities here, median $116.80 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 2 of 2 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 procedure opens a single, uncomplicated skin abscess, boil or infected cyst with a small cut to drain the pus. It is used when an infection under the skin does not drain on its own.
What the price covers
The price covers the drainage procedure. The emergency room or clinic visit, a lab culture of the pus and any antibiotics are billed separately.