Urine dipstick, automated cost in St. Louis, MO
In St. Louis, MO-IL, 13 hospitals list a cash price for urinalysis without microscope exam, automated: from $7.80 to $70.56, with a median of $13.95. The lowest listed price is at Mercy Hospital South and 4 other hospitals — $6.15 less than the median here. Across Missouri, the median is $22.43 at 62 hospitals.
- The median here, $13.95, is 46% below the US median of $26.07.
- That is 6.2× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($2.25).
- St. Louis, MO has the lowest median of 2 metro areas in Missouri with at least 10 hospitals pricing this code.
- 2 of 13 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Cash prices at 13 facilities across 11 cities for code 81003, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 27, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Feb 6, 2026 and Jun 10, 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 St. Louis, MO-IL.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercy Hospital South lowest Saint Louis, MO · (314) 525-1000 Urinalysis Automated W/O Micro File of Jun 10, 2026 · source file | $7.80 | $12.00 | $0.78–$12.00 | 35% |
| Mercy Hospital St Louis lowest Saint Louis, MO · (314) 251-6000 Urinalysis Automated W/O Micro+1 more line at this price File of Jun 4, 2026 · source file | $7.80 | $12.00 | $2.03–$5.06 | 35% |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln lowest Troy, MO · (636) 528-8551 Urinalysis Automated W/O Micro+1 more line at this price File of Jun 10, 2026 · source file | $7.80 | $12.00 | $0.78–$12.00 | 35% |
| Mercy Hospital Washington lowest Washington, MO · (636) 239-8000 Urinalysis Automated W/O Micro+1 more line at this price File of Jun 10, 2026 · source file | $7.80 | $12.00 | $0.78–$10.80 | 35% |
| Mercy Hospital Jefferson lowest Festus, MO · (636) 933-1000 Urinalysis Automated W/O Micro File of Jun 10, 2026 · source file | $7.80 | $12.00 | $0.78–$12.00 | 35% |
| Jersey Community Hospital Jerseyville, IL · (618) 498-6402 Urine Dipstick Clinic POC (RE) File of Mar 10, 2026 · source file | $9.00 | $9.00 | $4.71–$7.65 | — |
| Mercy Hospital South Saint Louis, MO · (314) 525-1000 Urine Ketones Automated File of Jun 10, 2026 · source file | $10.40 | $16.00 | $2.03–$5.06 | 35% |
| Touchette Regional Hospital Cahokia Heights, IL · (618) 332-3060 Urinalysis, by dip stick or tablet reagent for bilirubin, glucose, hemoglobin, ketones, leukocytes, nitrite, pH, protein, specific gravity, urobilinogen, any number of these constituents; automated, without microscopy File of Apr 13, 2026 · source file | $13.95 | $22.50 | $0.84–$21.00 | 38% |
| Gateway Regional Medical Center Granite City, IL · (618) 798-3000 UA, AUTO, W-O SCOPE File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $14.31 | $23.85 | $23.85 | 40% |
| Shriners Childrens - St Louis Saint Louis, MO · (314) 432-3600 URINALYSIS AUTO W/O SCOPE File of Mar 18, 2026 · source file | $17.60 | $17.60 | $1.90–$3.59 | — |
| Mercy Hospital Washington Washington, MO · (636) 239-8000 Urine Ph Automated+1 more line at this price File of Jun 10, 2026 · source file | $24.05 | $37.00 | $2.03–$3.53 | 35% |
| Community Hospital of Staunton Staunton, IL · (618) 635-2200 UA W/O MICROSCOPY AUTOMATED File of Feb 9, 2026 · source file | $24.55 | $49.10 | $14.20–$96.00 | 50% |
| Mercy Hospital St Louis Saint Louis, MO · (314) 251-6000 Urine Ketones Automated+1 more line at this price File of Jun 4, 2026 · source file | $27.30 | $42.00 | $2.03–$42.00 | 35% |
| Mercy Hospital Jefferson Festus, MO · (636) 933-1000 Urine Ketones Automated+1 more line at this price File of Jun 10, 2026 · source file | $28.60 | $44.00 | $2.03–$44.00 | 35% |
| Mercy Hospital Washington Washington, MO · (636) 239-8000 Specific Gravity Urine Automated File of Jun 10, 2026 · source file | $28.60 | $44.00 | $2.03–$3.53 | 35% |
| Mercy Hospital South Saint Louis, MO · (314) 525-1000 Urine Ph Automated File of Jun 10, 2026 · source file | $30.55 | $47.00 | $3.06–$47.00 | 35% |
| Mercy Hospital Jefferson Festus, MO · (636) 933-1000 Specific Gravity Urine Automated+1 more line at this price File of Jun 10, 2026 · source file | $35.10 | $54.00 | $2.03–$5.06 | 35% |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln Troy, MO · (636) 528-8551 Specific Gravity Urine Automated File of Jun 10, 2026 · source file | $35.10 | $54.00 | $2.25–$3.13 | 35% |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln Troy, MO · (636) 528-8551 Urine Ph Automated+1 more line at this price File of Jun 10, 2026 · source file | $37.70 | $58.00 | $2.25–$3.13 | 35% |
| Mercy Hospital St Louis Saint Louis, MO · (314) 251-6000 Specific Gravity Urine Automated File of Jun 4, 2026 · source file | $40.95 | $63.00 | $2.03–$5.06 | 35% |
| Anderson Hospital Maryville, IL · (618) 288-5711 UA W/O MICROSCOPY AUTOMATED File of Feb 6, 2026 · source file | $46.30 | $92.60 | $2.10–$83.34 | 50% |
| Mercy Hospital South Saint Louis, MO · (314) 525-1000 POC Urinalysis Automated W/O Micro+1 more line at this price File of Jun 10, 2026 · source file | $47.45 | $73.00 | $2.03–$5.06 | 35% |
| Carlinville Area Hospital Carlinville, IL · (217) 854-3141 URINALYSIS DIP AUTOMATED File of Mar 21, 2026 · source file | $49.70 | $71.00 | $25.56–$101.43 | 30% |
| Hshs Holy Family Hospital Greenville, IL · (618) 664-1230 HC URNLS DIP STICK/TABLET RGNT AUTO W/O MICRO File of Mar 24, 2026 · source file | $70.56 | $98.00 | $2.22–$98.00 | 28% |
| Hshs Holy Family Hospital Greenville, IL · (618) 664-1230 HC URINALYSIS AUTO W/O MICRO File of Mar 24, 2026 · source file | $72.72 | $101.00 | $2.22–$101.00 | 28% |
Outpatient: lowest $7.80, median $13.95, highest $70.56 — a 9.0× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 6 facilities here, median $35.43. 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 10 of 13 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 1 it is 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 urine dipstick, automated is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Urine dipstick, automated explained.