Lumbar discectomy cost in St. Louis, MO
In St. Louis, MO-IL, 4 hospitals list a cash price for lumbar discectomy or laminotomy to free a nerve root, one level: from $10,829.06 to $23,332.35, with a median of $13,862.86. The lowest listed price is at Mercy Hospital South — $3,033.80 less than the median here. Across Missouri, the median is $13,862.86 at 12 hospitals.
Cash prices at 4 facilities across 2 cities for code 63030, 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 St. Louis, MO-IL.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercy Hospital South lowest Saint Louis, MO · (314) 525-1000 Laminotomy Dcmprn Nrv Root 1 Ntrspc Lumbar | $10,829.06 | $16,660.09 | $867.79–$7,916.87 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Jefferson Festus, MO Laminotomy Dcmprn Nrv Root 1 Ntrspc Lumbar | $13,367.05 | $20,564.69 | $867.79–$7,916.87 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital St Louis Saint Louis, MO Laminotomy Dcmprn Nrv Root 1 Ntrspc Lumbar | $14,358.67 | $22,090.26 | $3,897.00–$16,386.00 | 35% | — source file |
| Shriners Childrens - St Louis Saint Louis, MO · (314) 432-3600 PARTIAL REMOVAL OF SPINE BONE WITH RELEASE OF LOWER SPINAL CORD OR NERVES AND/OR REMOVAL OF DISC | $23,332.35 | $23,332.35 | $787.71–$12,144.34 | — | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $10,829.06, median $13,862.86, highest $23,332.35 — a 2.2× difference within the same market.
Cash or insurance?
At 1 of 4 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 lower-back surgery removes part of the bone (lamina) and, when needed, a herniated piece of disc to take pressure off a nerve root at one spinal level. It is often called a microdiscectomy and is done for leg pain (sciatica) that does not improve with other treatment.
What the price covers
The facility price covers the operating room and recovery. The surgeon, anesthesia and any overnight stay are usually billed separately.