Urinalysis, automated cost in Ames, IA
In Ames, IA, 1 hospital lists a cash price for urinalysis with microscope exam, automated: from $16.80 to $16.80, with a median of $16.80. Across Iowa, the median is $41.60 at 69 hospitals.
Cash prices at 1 facility for code 81001, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 27, 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 Ames, IA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Story County Hospital lowest Nevada, IA · (515) 382-2111 URINE MICROSCOPIC S/D/S1/V/M1/W1/QC/G1/V1/F1/M2/C1 | $16.80 | $21.00 | $12.00–$14.00 | 20% | — source file |
| Story County Hospital lowest Nevada, IA · (515) 382-2111 CHG URINALYSIS, AUTO, W/SCOPE | $16.80 | $21.00 | $12.00–$14.00 | 20% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $16.80, median $16.80, highest $16.80.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 1 facility here, median $16.80. 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 the one hospital here that publishes insurer rates for this code, the cash price is not below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated. 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
An automated urinalysis with microscopy checks a urine sample using an automated analyzer for the chemical test and a microscope exam for cells, crystals and bacteria. It is used to look for infection, kidney problems and diabetes.
What the price covers
The price covers the chemical test and the microscopic exam. A urine culture is billed separately if ordered.
1 row held back from this comparison
It is priced below $1 or below a tenth of the national median for code 81001 ($40.77). Such a line is almost always a physician's fee billed separately, an assistant's share or a placeholder — a real charge, but not the price of the procedure itself.
| Boone County Hospital Boone, IAManual urinalysis test with examination using microscope, automated | $4.00 | file |