C. diff test cost in St. Louis, MO
In St. Louis, MO-IL, 15 hospitals list a cash price for C. difficile toxin gene test (stool PCR): from $72.80 to $235.44, with a median of $159.75. The lowest listed price is at Mercy Hospital South — $86.95 less than the median here. Across Missouri, the median is $152.01 at 58 hospitals.
- The median here, $159.75, is 17% above the US median of $136.79.
- That is 4.3× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($37.27).
- St. Louis, MO has the lowest median of 2 metro areas in Missouri with at least 10 hospitals pricing this code.
- 1 of 15 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Cash prices at 15 facilities across 13 cities for code 87493, 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 Clostridium Difficile Amp Probe File of Jun 10, 2026 · source file | $72.80 | $112.00 | $33.54–$83.86 | 35% |
| Touchette Regional Hospital Cahokia Heights, IL · (618) 332-3060 Infectious agent detection by nucleic acid (DNA or RNA); Clostridium difficile, toxin gene(s), amplified probe technique File of Apr 13, 2026 · source file | $86.80 | $140.00 | $5.32–$133.00 | 38% |
| St Elizabeths Hospital of the Hospital Sisters of the Third Order of St Francis O'Fallon, IL · (618) 234-2120 HC CLOSTRIDUM DIFFICILE File of Mar 24, 2026 · source file | $98.64 | $137.00 | $30.13–$137.00 | 28% |
| Mercy Hospital Jefferson Festus, MO · (636) 933-1000 Clostridium Difficile Amp Probe File of Jun 10, 2026 · source file | $140.40 | $216.00 | $33.54–$83.86 | 35% |
| Mercy Hospital Washington Washington, MO · (636) 239-8000 Clostridium Difficile Amp Probe File of Jun 10, 2026 · source file | $140.40 | $216.00 | $33.54–$59.36 | 35% |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln Troy, MO · (636) 528-8551 Clostridium Difficile Amp Probe File of Jun 10, 2026 · source file | $157.95 | $243.00 | $37.27–$51.65 | 35% |
| Hshs Holy Family Hospital Greenville, IL · (618) 664-1230 C DIFF AMPLIFIED PROBE File of Mar 24, 2026 · source file | $158.40 | $220.00 | $31.63–$220.00 | 28% |
| Anderson Hospital Maryville, IL · (618) 288-5711 C DIFF AMPLIFIED PROBE File of Feb 6, 2026 · source file | $159.75 | $319.50 | $34.84–$287.55 | 50% |
| Community Hospital of Staunton Staunton, IL · (618) 635-2200 C DIFF AMPLIFIED PROBE File of Feb 9, 2026 · source file | $161.30 | $322.60 | $93.27–$293.57 | 50% |
| St Josephs Hospital of the Hospital Sisters of the Third Order of St Francis Highland, IL · (618) 651-2600 HC CLOSTRIDUM DIFFICILE File of Mar 24, 2026 · source file | $185.76 | $258.00 | $51.60–$258.00 | 28% |
| Gateway Regional Medical Center Granite City, IL · (618) 798-3000 C DIFF AMPLI PROBE File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $188.11 | $313.51 | $313.51 | 40% |
| Mercy Hospital St Louis Saint Louis, MO · (314) 251-6000 Clostridium Difficile Amp Probe File of Jun 4, 2026 · source file | $193.05 | $297.00 | $33.54–$83.86 | 35% |
| Shriners Childrens - St Louis Saint Louis, MO · (314) 432-3600 C DIFF AMPLIFIED PROBE File of Mar 18, 2026 · source file | $197.20 | $197.20 | $30.16–$60.30 | — |
| Carlinville Area Hospital Carlinville, IL · (217) 854-3141 C DIFF TOXIN/EPI STOOL PCR CEPHEID File of Mar 21, 2026 · source file | $220.50 | $315.00 | $113.40–$450.00 | 30% |
| St Josephs Hospital Hospital Sisters Third Order of St Francis Breese, IL · (618) 526-4511 C DIFF AMPLIFIED PROBE File of Mar 24, 2026 · source file | $235.44 | $327.00 | $30.13–$327.00 | 28% |
Outpatient: lowest $72.80, median $159.75, highest $235.44 — a 3.2× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 8 facilities here, median $173.53. 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 15 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 C. diff test is, what the price covers and why prices differ: C. diff test explained.