Biopsy pathology exam cost in St. Louis, MO
In St. Louis, MO-IL, 10 hospitals list a cash price for biopsy tissue exam by a pathologist (level IV): from $125.45 to $410.40, with a median of $259.56. The lowest listed price is at Mercy Hospital Jefferson and 3 other hospitals — $134.11 less than the median here. Across Missouri, the median is $187.56 at 24 hospitals.
Cash prices at 10 facilities across 9 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 — 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 St. Louis, MO-IL.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercy Hospital Jefferson lowest Festus, MO Surg Path Lev IV Gross and Micro | $125.45 | $193.00 | $51.20–$117.44 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Washington lowest Washington, MO Path Exam-Cell Block | $125.45 | $193.00 | $39.07–$80.36 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital St Louis lowest Saint Louis, MO Path Exam-Cell Block | $125.45 | $193.00 | $51.20–$117.44 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital South lowest Saint Louis, MO · (314) 525-1000 Path Exam-Cell Block | $125.45 | $193.00 | $51.20–$117.44 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Jefferson lowest Festus, MO Bone Marrow Biopsy Interp Np | $125.45 | $193.00 | $51.20–$117.44 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Jefferson lowest Festus, MO Path Exam-Cell Block | $125.45 | $193.00 | $51.20–$117.44 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital South lowest Saint Louis, MO · (314) 525-1000 Bone Marrow Biopsy Interp Np | $125.45 | $193.00 | $39.07–$80.36 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Washington Washington, MO Prostate Needle Bx Gross and Micro | $185.25 | $285.00 | $39.07–$387.59 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital South Saint Louis, MO · (314) 525-1000 Prostate Needle Bx Gross and Micro | $230.10 | $354.00 | $51.20–$117.44 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital St Louis Saint Louis, MO Bone Marrow Biopsy Interp Np | $235.30 | $362.00 | $39.07–$80.36 | 35% | — source file |
| Gateway Regional Medical Center Granite City, IL · (618) 798-3000 SURG PATH GROSS LVL4 | $238.96 | $398.27 | $398.27 | 40% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital St Louis Saint Louis, MO Surg Path Lev IV Gross and Micro | $272.35 | $419.00 | $51.20–$117.44 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Jefferson Festus, MO Prostate Needle Bx Gross and Micro | $277.55 | $427.00 | $39.07–$410.98 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln Troy, MO · (636) 528-8551 Bone Marrow Biopsy Interp Np | $280.15 | $431.00 | $39.07–$70.15 | 35% | — source file |
| Hshs Holy Family Hospital Greenville, IL · (618) 664-1230 HC GROSS & MICRO LEVEL IV | $281.52 | $391.00 | $29.34–$391.00 | 28% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln Troy, MO · (636) 528-8551 Path Exam-Cell Block | $282.10 | $434.00 | $39.07–$70.15 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital St Louis Saint Louis, MO Prostate Needle Bx Gross and Micro | $289.25 | $445.00 | $51.20–$117.44 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln Troy, MO · (636) 528-8551 Prostate Needle Bx Gross and Micro | $290.55 | $447.00 | $29.06–$447.00 | 35% | — source file |
| St Josephs Hospital of the Hospital Sisters of the Third Order of St Francis Highland, IL · (618) 651-2600 TISSUE EXAM BY PATHOLOGIST | $306.72 | $426.00 | $35.73–$426.00 | 28% | — source file |
| St Elizabeths Hospital of the Hospital Sisters of the Third Order of St Francis O'Fallon, IL HC GROSS & MICRO LEVEL IV | $351.36 | $488.00 | $27.95–$488.00 | 28% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Washington Washington, MO Bone Marrow Biopsy Interp Np | $366.60 | $564.00 | $39.07–$80.36 | 35% | — source file |
| St Josephs Hospital Hospital Sisters Third Order of St Francis Breese, IL · (618) 526-4511 TISSUE EXAM BY PATHOLOGIST | $410.40 | $570.00 | $27.95–$570.00 | 28% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital South Saint Louis, MO · (314) 525-1000 Surg Path Lev IV Gross and Micro | $3,193.44 | $4,912.98 | $65.86–$1,744.00 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Washington Washington, MO Surg Path Lev IV Gross and Micro | $4,617.88 | $7,104.43 | $29.84–$1,140.00 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln Troy, MO · (636) 528-8551 Surg Path Lev IV Gross and Micro | $4,626.90 | $7,118.31 | $1,081.00–$1,618.00 | 35% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $125.45, median $259.56, highest $410.40 — a 3.3× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 7 facilities here, median $306.72. 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 5 of 10 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 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.