Foreign body removal cost in Ames, IA — inpatient
In Ames, IA, 2 hospitals list a cash price for removal of a foreign object under the skin, simple as an inpatient: from $69.60 to $288.94, with a median of $179.27. The lowest listed price is at Story County Hospital — $109.67 less than the median here. Across Iowa, the median is $308.70 at 72 hospitals.
Cash prices at 2 facilities across 2 cities for code 10120, 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 INC & REM FB SQ SMPL | $69.60 | $87.00 | $60.00–$87.00 | 20% | — source file |
| Boone County Hospital Boone, IA · (515) 432-3140 Removal of foreign body from tissue, accessed beneath the skin, simple | $288.94 | $361.18 | $148.08–$415.32 | 20% | Jul 27, 2026 source file |
| Story County Hospital Nevada, IA · (515) 382-2111 PR INCISION & REMOVAL FOREIGN BODY SUBQ TISS SIMPLE | $413.60 | $517.00 | $356.00–$517.00 | 20% | — source file |
Inpatient: lowest $69.60, median $179.27, highest $288.94 — a 4.2× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 2 facilities here, median $141.60 — 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 code covers a simple removal of a foreign object such as glass, a splinter or metal from under the skin.
What the price covers
The price usually covers the procedure and numbing.