Lumbar radiofrequency ablation cost in Waterloo, IA
In Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA, 3 hospitals list a cash price for radiofrequency ablation of facet joint nerves, lower back, one level: from $634.51 to $3,712.15, with a median of $1,024.00. The lowest listed price is at MercyOne Waterloo Medical Center — $389.49 less than the median here. Across Iowa, the median is $1,024.00 at 29 hospitals.
Cash prices at 3 facilities across 2 cities for code 64635, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. 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 Dest by Neurolytic Agent Pv Fct Jt Nrv W Imgn Gud Lumbar/Sacral Sgl | $634.51 | — | $55.17–$1,244.85 | — | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Allen Hospital Waterloo, IA · (319) 235-3941 PR DSTR NROLYTC AGNT PARVERTEB FCT SNGL LMBR/SACRAL | $1,024.00 | $1,280.00 | $175.47–$700.22 | 20% | Jan 28, 2026 source file |
| Allen Hospital Waterloo, IA · (319) 235-3941 HC DESTROY LUMB/SAC FACET JNT UNIL | $2,846.64 | $3,558.29 | $1,618.61–$5,321.63 | 20% | Jan 28, 2026 source file |
| MercyOne Waterloo Medical Center one side Waterloo, IA · (319) 272-8000 HC Destruction by Neurolytic Agent W/Imaging Guidance Lumbar/Sacral Rt | $3,712.15 | $5,711.00 | $1,342.09–$5,711.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Sartori Memorial Hospital one side Cedar Falls, IA · (319) 268-3000 HC Destruction by Neurolytic Agent W/Imaging Guidance Lumbar/Sacral Lt | $3,712.15 | $5,711.00 | $1,342.09–$5,711.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| MercyOne Waterloo Medical Center one side Waterloo, IA · (319) 272-8000 HC Destruction by Neurolytic Agent W/Imaging Guidance Lumbar/Sacral Lt | $3,712.15 | $5,711.00 | $1,342.09–$5,711.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Sartori Memorial Hospital one side Cedar Falls, IA · (319) 268-3000 HC Destruction by Neurolytic Agent W/Imaging Guidance Lumbar/Sacral Rt | $3,712.15 | $5,711.00 | $1,342.09–$5,711.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Sartori Memorial Hospital Cedar Falls, IA · (319) 268-3000 HC Destruction by Neurolytic Agent W/Imaging Guidance Lumbar/Sacral Bl | $5,568.55 | $8,567.00 | $1,839.69–$8,567.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| MercyOne Waterloo Medical Center Waterloo, IA · (319) 272-8000 HC Destruction by Neurolytic Agent W/Imaging Guidance Lumbar/Sacral Bl | $5,568.55 | $8,567.00 | $1,839.69–$8,567.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Sartori Memorial Hospital Cedar Falls, IA · (319) 268-3000 HC Destruction by Neurolytic Agent W/Imaging Guidance Lumbar/Sacral Bl | $8,475.35 | — | $1,839.69–$3,773.24 | — | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| MercyOne Waterloo Medical Center Waterloo, IA · (319) 272-8000 HC Destruction by Neurolytic Agent W/Imaging Guidance Lumbar/Sacral Bl | $8,653.38 | — | $0.96–$3,773.24 | — | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Allen Hospital both sides Waterloo, IA · (319) 235-3941 HC DESTROY LUMB/SAC FACET JNT BILAT | $5,693.27 | $7,116.58 | $1,618.61–$5,321.63 | 20% | Jan 28, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $634.51, median $1,024.00, highest $3,712.15 — a 5.9× difference within the same market.
Both sides : lowest $5,693.27, median $5,693.27, highest $5,693.27.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 3 facilities here, median $1,024.00. 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 2 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
Radiofrequency ablation uses heat to disable the small nerves that carry pain from lower back facet joints, using imaging to guide the needle.
What the price covers
The price usually covers the injection and imaging guidance. The steroid or other medicine may be billed separately.