Stool blood test (FOBT) cost in Waterloo, IA — inpatient
In Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA, 3 hospitals list a cash price for stool test for hidden blood (guaiac FOBT) as an inpatient: from $9.60 to $273.65, with a median of $273.65. The lowest listed price is at Allen Memorial Hospital Corporation — $264.05 less than the median here. Across Iowa, the median is $27.72 at 33 hospitals.
Cash prices at 3 facilities across 2 cities for code 82270, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allen Memorial Hospital Corporation lowest Waterloo, IA BLOOD OCCULT,BY PEROXID,FECES,SINGLE, COLORECTAL SCREEN | $9.60 | $12.00 | $4.38–$6.16 | 20% | Jan 28, 2026 source file |
| Allen Memorial Hospital Corporation Waterloo, IA HC OCCULT BLOOD FECES | $33.57 | $41.96 | $27.15 | 20% | Jan 28, 2026 source file |
| Sartori Memorial Hospital Inc Cedar Falls, IA HC Blood Occult Feces Colorectal Neoplasm Screening Qualitative | $273.65 | $421.00 | $4.24–$421.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Covenant Medical Center Inc Waterloo, IA HC Blood Occult Feces Colorectal Neoplasm Screening Qualitative | $273.65 | $421.00 | $4.24–$421.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
Inpatient: lowest $9.60, median $273.65, highest $273.65 — a 28.5× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 3 facilities here, median $273.65 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
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
This stool test looks for hidden blood using a chemical reaction, as a screening test for colon cancer. It uses samples from three bowel movements.
What the price covers
The price usually covers the kit and testing the samples.