Biopsy pathology exam cost in Kansas City, MO
In Kansas City, MO-KS, 4 hospitals list a cash price for biopsy tissue exam by a pathologist (level IV): from $50.75 to $1,431.87, with a median of $741.44. The lowest listed price is at NKC Health — $690.69 less than the median here. Across Missouri, the median is $187.56 at 24 hospitals.
Cash prices at 4 facilities across 4 cities for code 88305, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Mar 6, 2026 and Apr 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 Kansas City, MO-KS.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NKC Health lowest North Kansas City, MO · (816) 691-2000 RF BILL SURG LEVEL IV MAWD | $50.75 | $175.00 | $46.92–$150.74 | 71% | Mar 6, 2026 source file |
| NKC Health lowest North Kansas City, MO · (816) 691-2000 Micro Analysis MAWD CSCTRULE | $50.75 | $175.00 | $46.92–$150.74 | 71% | Mar 6, 2026 source file |
| St Joseph Medical Center Kansas City, MO · (816) 942-4400 Hc Surg Path,Level Iv | $51.00 | $687.27 | $30.36–$687.27 | 93% | Mar 17, 2026 source file |
| NKC Health North Kansas City, MO · (816) 691-2000 RF Bill Surg Level IV MAWD Addl | $51.04 | $176.00 | $46.92–$150.74 | 71% | Mar 6, 2026 source file |
| NKC Health North Kansas City, MO · (816) 691-2000 RF BILL SURG LEVEL IV NEPHROPATH | $59.45 | $205.00 | $46.92–$167.69 | 71% | Mar 6, 2026 source file |
| NKC Health North Kansas City, MO · (816) 691-2000 RF Surg Level IV Neph | $59.45 | $205.00 | $46.92–$167.69 | 71% | Mar 6, 2026 source file |
| NKC Health North Kansas City, MO · (816) 691-2000 88305 Surg IV Arkana | $59.45 | $205.00 | $46.92–$167.69 | 71% | Mar 6, 2026 source file |
| NKC Health North Kansas City, MO · (816) 691-2000 RF Bill Surg Level IV Nephropath Addl | $59.45 | $205.00 | $46.92–$167.69 | 71% | Mar 6, 2026 source file |
| NKC Health North Kansas City, MO · (816) 691-2000 RF Surg Level IV | $59.45 | $205.00 | $46.92–$167.69 | 71% | Mar 6, 2026 source file |
| NKC Health North Kansas City, MO · (816) 691-2000 TISSUE EXAM BY PATHOLOGIST | $123.54 | $426.00 | $46.92–$348.47 | 71% | Mar 6, 2026 source file |
| NKC Health North Kansas City, MO · (816) 691-2000 Surg BM Clot Addl | $123.54 | $426.00 | $46.92–$348.47 | 71% | Mar 6, 2026 source file |
| NKC Health North Kansas City, MO · (816) 691-2000 Surg Level IV Addl | $123.54 | $426.00 | $46.92–$348.47 | 71% | Mar 6, 2026 source file |
| NKC Health North Kansas City, MO · (816) 691-2000 SURG LEVEL IV | $123.54 | $426.00 | $46.92–$348.47 | 71% | Mar 6, 2026 source file |
| NKC Health North Kansas City, MO · (816) 691-2000 Surg Level IV | $123.54 | $426.00 | $46.92–$348.47 | 71% | Mar 6, 2026 source file |
| NKC Health North Kansas City, MO · (816) 691-2000 SURG B M CLOT | $123.54 | $426.00 | $46.92–$348.47 | 71% | Mar 6, 2026 source file |
| NKC Health North Kansas City, MO · (816) 691-2000 Bone Marrow Clot | $123.54 | $426.00 | $46.92–$348.47 | 71% | Mar 6, 2026 source file |
| NKC Health North Kansas City, MO · (816) 691-2000 RF BILL SURG LEVEL IV | $128.76 | $444.00 | $46.92–$363.19 | 71% | Mar 6, 2026 source file |
| NKC Health North Kansas City, MO · (816) 691-2000 RF Bill Surg Level IV Addl | $129.63 | $447.00 | $46.92–$365.65 | 71% | Mar 6, 2026 source file |
| NKC Health North Kansas City, MO · (816) 691-2000 RF BILL SURG LEVEL IV MAYO | $156.31 | $539.00 | $46.92–$440.90 | 71% | Mar 6, 2026 source file |
| NKC Health North Kansas City, MO · (816) 691-2000 RF Surg Level IV Mayo | $156.31 | $539.00 | $46.92–$440.90 | 71% | Mar 6, 2026 source file |
| NKC Health North Kansas City, MO · (816) 691-2000 RF Bill Surg Level IV Mayo Addl | $202.13 | $697.00 | $46.92–$570.15 | 71% | Mar 6, 2026 source file |
| AdventHealth South Overland Park Overland Park, KS · (913) 373-2000 HC SURGICAL PATHOLOGY LEVEL IV | $1,431.87 | $1,431.87 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| AdventHealth Shawnee Mission Shawnee Mission, KS · (913) 676-2152 HC SURGICAL PATHOLOGY LEVEL IV | $1,431.87 | $1,431.87 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $50.75, median $741.44, highest $1,431.87 — a 28.2× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 3 facilities here, median $1,431.87. 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 2 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.