Upper endoscopy with wire-guided dilation cost in Waterloo, IA — inpatient
In Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA, 3 hospitals list a cash price for upper endoscopy (EGD) with widening of the esophagus over a guide wire as an inpatient: from $604.00 to $955.20, with a median of $604.00. The lowest listed price is at MercyOne Waterloo Medical Center and 1 other hospital. Across Iowa, the median is $955.20 at 19 hospitals.
Cash prices at 3 facilities across 2 cities for code 43248, 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.
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.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MercyOne Waterloo Medical Center lowest Waterloo, IA · (319) 272-8000 PR Egd Flex Transoral W/Ins Guide Wire F/B Dilator Thru Esoph Over Gud Wire | $604.00 | $604.00 | $47.18–$604.00 | — | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Sartori Memorial Hospital lowest Cedar Falls, IA · (319) 268-3000 PR Egd Flex Transoral W/Ins Guide Wire F/B Dilator Thru Esoph Over Gud Wire | $604.00 | $604.00 | $47.18–$604.00 | — | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Allen Hospital Waterloo, IA · (319) 235-3941 PR EGD INSERT GUIDE WIRE DILATOR PASSAGE ESOPHAGUS | $955.20 | $1,194.00 | $148.18–$522.96 | 20% | Jan 28, 2026 source file |
Inpatient: lowest $604.00, median $604.00, highest $955.20 — a 1.6× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 3 facilities here, median $11,738.90 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 0 of 3 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 upper endoscopy in which a narrowed esophagus is stretched with dilators passed over a guide wire.
What the price covers
The facility price covers the endoscopy room, equipment and recovery. The doctor, sedation and any lab exam of tissue are usually billed separately.