COVID-19 PCR test cost in Joplin, MO
In Joplin, MO-KS, 5 hospitals list a cash price for COVID-19 PCR test (SARS-CoV-2 lab test): from $66.57 to $137.80, with a median of $130.00. The lowest listed price is at Freeman Health System - Freeman West — $63.43 less than the median here. Across Missouri, the median is $124.80 at 27 hospitals.
Cash prices at 5 facilities across 4 cities for code 87635, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 25, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Sep 1, 2026 and Sep 1, 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 Joplin, MO-KS.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freeman Health System - Freeman West lowest Joplin, MO · (417) 347-1111 COVID-19 AMP PRB | $66.57 | $166.43 | — | 60% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Freeman Health System - Freeman West Joplin, MO · (417) 347-1111 COVID-19 SARS COV2 AMP PRB | $67.20 | $168.00 | — | 60% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Hospital Carthage one side Carthage, MO · (417) 358-8121 Covid-19, Rt-Pcr | $120.25 | $185.00 | $50.82–$185.00 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Joplin one side Joplin, MO · (417) 781-2727 POC Covid-19, Rt-Pcr | $130.00 | $200.00 | $15.86–$307.86 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Joplin one side Joplin, MO · (417) 781-2727 Covid-19, Rt-Pcr | $130.00 | $200.00 | $15.86–$307.86 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Specialty Hospital Southeast Kansas one side Galena, KS · (620) 783-1732 Covid-19, Rt-Pcr | $135.20 | $208.00 | $30.79–$141.10 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Columbus one side Columbus, KS · (620) 429-2545 Covid-19, Rt-Pcr | $137.80 | $212.00 | $45.64–$148.89 | 35% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $66.57, median $130.00, highest $137.80 — a 2.1× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 1 facility here, median $66.57. 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 4 of 4 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 is the lab (PCR or similar amplification) test for the virus that causes COVID-19. It is more sensitive than a rapid antigen test and is often required before some procedures or travel.
What the price covers
The price usually covers running the test on a swab sample; the collection may be billed separately.