Breast biopsy, stereotactic cost in Boston, MA
In Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH, 7 hospitals list a cash price for breast needle biopsy guided by mammogram (stereotactic), with marker clip, first lesion: from $511.70 to $2,149.00, with a median of $1,221.75. The lowest listed price is at Tufts Medical Center — $710.05 less than the median here. Across Massachusetts, the median is $2,149.00 at 17 hospitals.
Cash prices at 7 facilities across 5 cities for code 19081, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between — and —.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tufts Medical Center lowest Boston, MA · (617) 636-5000 HC Bx Breast W/Device 1st Lesion Stereotactic Guid | $511.70 | $731.00 | $191.96–$5,830.74 | 30% | — source file |
| Boston Medical Center South Brockton, MA · (508) 427-3000 HC Bx Breast W/Device 1st Lesion Stereotactic Guid | $923.65 | $2,052.56 | $394.86–$2,969.03 | 55% | — source file |
| Boston Medical Center Brighton Boston, MA · (617) 789-3000 HC Bx Breast W/Device 1st Lesion Stereotactic Guid | $960.28 | $2,133.95 | $475.07–$2,573.16 | 55% | — source file |
| Boston Medical Center Boston, MA · (617) 638-8000 HC Bx Breast W/Device 1st Lesion Stereotactic Guid | $1,221.75 | $2,715.00 | $431.24–$4,713.63 | 55% | — source file |
| Cambridge Health Alliance Cambridge, MA · (617) 665-1000 HC Bx Breast 1st Lesion Str | $1,250.00 | $1,250.00 | $131.40–$3,210.41 | — | — source file |
| Lowell General Hospital Lowell, MA · (978) 937-6000 HC Bx Breast W/Device 1st Lesion Stereotactic Guid | $1,824.90 | $2,607.00 | $639.24–$3,910.50 | 30% | — source file |
| Melrosewakefield Healthcare Melrose, MA · (781) 979-3000 HC Bx Breast W/Device 1st Lesion Stereotactic Guid | $2,149.00 | $3,070.00 | $523.80–$6,443.53 | 30% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $511.70, median $1,221.75, highest $2,149.00 — a 4.2× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 7 facilities here, median $1,221.75. Inpatient and outpatient prices are not comparable and are kept on separate pages: the inpatient charge covers admission, not the same purchase.
Cash or insurance?
At 7 of 7 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 breast needle biopsy guided by mammogram images, including placing a tiny marker clip at the biopsy site.
What the price covers
The price covers the biopsy, imaging guidance and marker clip. The lab exam of the tissue is billed separately.