Surgery and procedures CPT 19081 Inpatient — admitted to hospital

Breast biopsy, stereotactic cost in Waterloo, IA — inpatient

In Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA, 2 hospitals list a cash price for breast needle biopsy guided by mammogram (stereotactic), with marker clip, first lesion as an inpatient: from $1,492.80 to $3,107.00, with a median of $2,299.90. The lowest listed price is at Allen Hospital — $807.10 less than the median here. Across Iowa, the median is $1,492.80 at 22 hospitals.

Cash prices at 2 facilities for code 19081, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Jan 28, 2026 and Mar 31, 2026.

Lowest$1,492.80Allen Hospital
Median$2,299.90half pay less
Highest$3,107.00in this market
Difference2.1×highest vs lowest

Where each hospital's price falls

Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA.

median
Lowest $1,492.80Highest $7,018.44
one sideboth sides

Hospitals, cheapest first

HospitalCash price List priceInsurers payOff listFile date
Allen Hospital lowest Waterloo, IA · (319) 235-3941 PR BX BREAST W DEVICE 1ST LESION STEREOTACTIC GUIDE $1,492.80 $1,866.00 $146.74–$531.40 20% Jan 28, 2026
source file
MercyOne Waterloo Medical Center one side Waterloo, IA · (319) 272-8000 HC Biopsy Breast Placement Localization Device(S) Percutaneous Stereotactic Guidance 1st Lesion Rt $3,107.00 $4,780.00 $146.74–$4,780.00 35% Mar 31, 2026
source file
MercyOne Waterloo Medical Center one side Waterloo, IA · (319) 272-8000 HC Biopsy Breast Placement Localization Device(S) Percutaneous Stereotactic Guidance 1st Lesion Lt $3,107.00 $4,780.00 $146.74–$4,780.00 35% Mar 31, 2026
source file
Allen Hospital Waterloo, IA · (319) 235-3941 HC BX BREAST 1ST LESION STEREOTACTIC $3,509.22 $4,386.52 $2,838.08 20% Jan 28, 2026
source file
MercyOne Waterloo Medical Center Waterloo, IA · (319) 272-8000 HC Biopsy Breast Placement Localization Device(S) Percutaneous Stereotactic Guidance 1st Lesion Bl $4,660.50 $7,170.00 $146.74–$7,170.00 35% Mar 31, 2026
source file
Allen Hospital both sides Waterloo, IA · (319) 235-3941 HC BX BREAST 1ST LESION STEREOTACTIC (BILAT) $7,018.44 $8,773.04 $5,676.16 20% Jan 28, 2026
source file

Inpatient: lowest $1,492.80, median $2,299.90, highest $3,107.00 — a 2.1× difference within the same market.

Both sides : lowest $7,018.44, median $7,018.44, highest $7,018.44.

The two groups are not comparable and are not averaged together: a price for both sides of the body covers twice the work. Merging them is how a single published "median" ends up far above what one side actually costs.

As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 2 facilities here, median $2,299.90 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.

Cash or insurance?

At 1 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 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.