Biopsy pathology exam cost in New Orleans, LA — inpatient
In New Orleans-Metairie, LA, 6 hospitals list a cash price for biopsy tissue exam by a pathologist (level IV) as an inpatient: from $29.70 to $113.06, with a median of $53.06. The lowest listed price is at St Charles Parish Hospital — $23.36 less than the median here. Across Louisiana, the median is $78.00 at 54 hospitals.
Cash prices at 6 facilities across 5 cities for code 88305, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 27, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between — and —.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in New Orleans-Metairie, LA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Charles Parish Hospital lowest Luling, LA · (985) 785-3644 HC SKIN, MODERATE,SINGLE SPECIMEN source file | $29.70 | $110.00 | — | 73% |
| St Bernard Parish Hospital Chalmette, LA · (504) 826-9500 HC BM BX PREP/INTERP source file | $35.20 | $110.00 | — | 68% |
| Ochsner Medical Center – Kenner Kenner, LA · (504) 464-8065 *HC G&M LEVEL IV (MUSCLE OR NERVE BX)-RL source file | $35.28 | $126.00 | — | 72% |
| Ochsner Medical Center – Kenner Kenner, LA · (504) 464-8065 HC MUSCLE OR NERVE TISSSUE EXAM - RL source file | $38.64 | $138.00 | — | 72% |
| St Charles Parish Hospital Luling, LA · (985) 785-3644 HC TISSUE, G & M, LEVEL IV source file | $38.88 | $144.00 | — | 73% |
| Ochsner Medical Center – Kenner Kenner, LA · (504) 464-8065 HC SKIN, MODERATE,SINGLE SPECIMEN source file | $42.28 | $151.00 | — | 72% |
| St Charles Parish Hospital Luling, LA · (985) 785-3644 HC RENAL BIOPSY source file | $42.39 | $157.00 | — | 73% |
| St Bernard Parish Hospital Chalmette, LA · (504) 826-9500 HC TISSUE, G & M, LEVEL IV source file | $45.44 | $142.00 | — | 68% |
| Ochsner Medical Center – Kenner Kenner, LA · (504) 464-8065 HC RENAL BIOPSY source file | $55.16 | $197.00 | — | 72% |
| St Bernard Parish Hospital Chalmette, LA · (504) 826-9500 HC RENAL BIOPSY source file | $64.00 | $200.00 | — | 68% |
| Ochsner Clinic Foundation New Orleans, LA · (504) 842-3000 HC TISSUE, G & M, LEVEL IV source file | $70.84 | $322.00 | — | 78% |
| St Charles Parish Hospital Luling, LA · (985) 785-3644 HC LEVEL 4 GROSS & MICROSCOPIC, RB - RL source file | $89.91 | $333.00 | — | 73% |
| Ochsner Clinic Foundation New Orleans, LA · (504) 842-3000 HC LEVEL 4 GROSS & MICROSCOPIC, RB - RL source file | $91.74 | $417.00 | — | 78% |
| The Ochsner West Campus Extended Care Hospital Jefferson, LA HC TISSUE, G & M, LEVEL IV source file | $95.09 | $257.00 | — | 63% |
| St Charles Parish Hospital Luling, LA · (985) 785-3644 HC MUSCLE OR NERVE TISSSUE EXAM - RL source file | $103.95 | $385.00 | — | 73% |
| Ochsner Clinic Foundation New Orleans, LA · (504) 842-3000 *HC G&M LVL IV MUSCLE/NERVE BX+8 more lines at this price source file | $106.04 | $482.00 | — | 78% |
| St Bernard Parish Hospital Chalmette, LA · (504) 826-9500 HC LEVEL 4 GROSS & MICROSCOPIC, RB - RL source file | $106.56 | $333.00 | — | 68% |
| St Charles Surgical Hospital New Orleans, LA · (504) 529-6600 TISSUE EXAM BY PATHOLOGIST LEVEL IV,Technical Component source file | $113.06 | $320.58 | $32.42–$146.83 | 65% |
| Ochsner Medical Center – Kenner Kenner, LA · (504) 464-8065 HC LEVEL 4 GROSS & MICROSCOPIC, RB - RL source file | $116.76 | $417.00 | — | 72% |
| St Bernard Parish Hospital Chalmette, LA · (504) 826-9500 HC MUSCLE OR NERVE TISSSUE EXAM - RL source file | $123.20 | $385.00 | — | 68% |
| Ochsner Clinic Foundation New Orleans, LA · (504) 842-3000 *HC LVL IV SURG PTH source file | $127.16 | $578.00 | — | 78% |
| Ochsner Medical Center – Kenner Kenner, LA · (504) 464-8065 HC TISSUE, G & M, LEVEL IV+1 more line at this price source file | $132.72 | $474.00 | — | 72% |
Inpatient: lowest $29.70, median $53.06, highest $113.06 — a 3.8× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 14 facilities here, median $33.92 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At the one hospital here that publishes insurer rates for this code, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated. 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.