Biopsy pathology exam cost in Joplin, MO
In Joplin, MO-KS, 5 hospitals list a cash price for biopsy tissue exam by a pathologist (level IV): from $125.45 to $206.05, with a median of $159.25. The lowest listed price is at Mercy Hospital Joplin — $33.80 less than the median here. Across Missouri, the median is $187.56 at 24 hospitals.
Cash prices at 5 facilities across 4 cities for code 88305, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercy Hospital Joplin lowest Joplin, MO · (417) 781-2727 Bone Marrow Biopsy Interp Np | $125.45 | $193.00 | $24.57–$124.30 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Joplin lowest Joplin, MO · (417) 781-2727 Path Exam-Cell Block | $125.45 | $193.00 | $24.57–$124.30 | 35% | — source file |
| Freeman Health System - Freeman West Joplin, MO · (417) 347-1111 GROSS & MICRO 88305 | $126.00 | $315.00 | — | 60% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Hospital Carthage Carthage, MO · (417) 358-8121 Surg Path Lev IV Gross and Micro | $159.25 | $245.00 | $53.81 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Carthage Carthage, MO · (417) 358-8121 Prostate Needle Bx Gross and Micro | $200.20 | $308.00 | $53.81 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Joplin Joplin, MO · (417) 781-2727 Prostate Needle Bx Gross and Micro | $200.20 | $308.00 | $34.45–$98.75 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Specialty Hospital Southeast Kansas Galena, KS · (620) 783-1732 Prostate Needle Bx Gross and Micro | $200.20 | $308.00 | $28.00–$1,270.44 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Columbus Columbus, KS · (620) 429-2545 Path Exam-Cell Block | $206.05 | $317.00 | $45.55–$255.08 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Columbus Columbus, KS · (620) 429-2545 Prostate Needle Bx Gross and Micro | $206.05 | $317.00 | $45.55–$255.08 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Columbus Columbus, KS · (620) 429-2545 Surg Path Lev IV Gross and Micro | $206.05 | $317.00 | $45.55–$255.08 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Specialty Hospital Southeast Kansas Galena, KS · (620) 783-1732 Path Exam-Cell Block | $212.55 | $327.00 | $28.00–$139.76 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Carthage Carthage, MO · (417) 358-8121 Path Exam-Cell Block | $219.05 | $337.00 | $30.36–$111.65 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Joplin Joplin, MO · (417) 781-2727 Surg Path Lev IV Gross and Micro | $3,307.71 | $5,088.79 | $1,055.00–$1,540.00 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Specialty Hospital Southeast Kansas Galena, KS · (620) 783-1732 Surg Path Lev IV Gross and Micro | $5,141.02 | $7,909.26 | $60.72–$2,767.83 | 35% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $125.45, median $159.25, highest $206.05 — a 1.6× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 1 facility here, median $126.00. 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 2 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 code covers the lab exam of a tissue sample under a microscope. Most biopsies use it, including skin, colon polyp, stomach, breast core and prostate core biopsies.
What the price covers
The price is usually for one specimen. Each separate specimen is billed again, and the pathologist's reading may be billed separately.