Breathing treatment cost in St. Louis, MO — inpatient
In St. Louis, MO-IL, 11 hospitals list a cash price for breathing treatment (nebulizer or inhaler) for airway obstruction as an inpatient: from $22.00 to $642.11, with a median of $190.80. The lowest listed price is at Ranken Jordan Home for Convalescent Crippled Children Hospital — $168.80 less than the median here. Across Missouri, the median is $118.30 at 31 hospitals.
Cash prices at 11 facilities across 11 cities for code 94640, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Mar 16, 2026 and Jun 12, 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 St. Louis, MO-IL.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ranken Jordan Home for Convalescent Crippled Children Hospital lowest Maryland Heights, MO · (314) 872-6400 Sputum Induction Collection -> Yes | $22.00 | $27.50 | — | 20% | Apr 24, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln Elsberry, MO Pressurized/Nonpressurized Inhalation Treatment | $60.00 | $80.00 | $40.00–$72.00 | 25% | Jun 12, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln Elsberry, MO Pressurized/Nonpressurized Inhalation Treatment | $60.00 | $80.00 | $40.00–$72.00 | 25% | Jun 12, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln Elsberry, MO Pressurized/Nonpressurized Inhalation Treatment | $60.00 | $80.00 | $40.00–$72.00 | 25% | Jun 12, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln Elsberry, MO Pressurized/Nonpressurized Inhalation Treatment | $60.00 | $80.00 | $40.00–$72.00 | 25% | Jun 12, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln Elsberry, MO Pressurized/Nonpressurized Inhalation Treatment | $60.00 | $80.00 | $40.00–$72.00 | 25% | Jun 12, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Hospitals East Communities Washington, MO Pressurized/Nonpressurized Inhalation Treatment | $60.00 | $80.00 | $40.00–$72.00 | 25% | Jun 12, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Rehabilitation Hospital St. Louis Chesterfield, MO AIRWAY INHALATION TREATMENT | $120.94 | $120.94 | $120.94 | — | Mar 16, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Rehabilitation Hospital St. Louis Chesterfield, MO AEROSOL/VAPOR INHALE INITIAL | $124.57 | $124.57 | $124.57 | — | Mar 16, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Rehabilitation Hospital St. Louis Chesterfield, MO IPPB-INITIAL/EZPAP | $124.57 | $124.57 | $124.57 | — | Mar 16, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Rehabilitation Hospital St. Louis Chesterfield, MO MDI | $124.57 | $124.57 | $124.57 | — | Mar 16, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Rehabilitation Hospital St. Louis Chesterfield, MO RESPIRATORY THERAPY 94640 | $124.57 | $124.57 | $124.57 | — | Mar 16, 2026 source file |
| Shriners Childrens - St Louis Saint Louis, MO · (314) 432-3600 INHALATION TREATMENT FOR AIRWAY OBSTRUCTION OR SPUTUM PRODUCTION | $151.50 | $151.50 | $2,557.76–$10,672.23 | — | — source file |
| St Josephs Hospital Hospital Sisters Third Order of St Francis Breese, IL · (618) 526-4511 AIRWAY INHALATION TREATMENT | $190.80 | $265.00 | $49.92–$586.65 | 28% | — source file |
| Hshs Holy Family Hospital Greenville, IL · (618) 664-1230 AIRWAY INHALATION TREATMENT | $192.96 | $268.00 | $52.41–$586.65 | 28% | — source file |
| St Josephs Hospital Hospital Sisters Third Order of St Francis Breese, IL · (618) 526-4511 HC HIGH EFF NEB AERO W/INSTR/TEACH DEVICE | $244.80 | $340.00 | $49.92–$586.65 | 28% | — source file |
| St Josephs Hospital of the Hospital Sisters of the Third Order of St Francis Highland, IL · (618) 651-2600 AIRWAY INHALATION TREATMENT | $299.52 | $416.00 | $83.20–$416.00 | 28% | — source file |
| St Elizabeths Hospital of the Hospital Sisters of the Third Order of St Francis O'Fallon, IL AIRWAY INHALATION TREATMENT | $303.12 | $421.00 | $49.92–$583.03 | 28% | — source file |
| Gateway Regional Medical Center Granite City, IL · (618) 798-3000 INHALATION TRTMT INI | $341.70 | $569.50 | $569.50 | 40% | — source file |
| Mercy Rehabilitation Hospital South Louis, MO AIRWAY INHALATION TREATMENT | $642.11 | $642.11 | $642.11 | — | Mar 16, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Rehabilitation Hospital South Louis, MO IPPB-INITIAL/EZPAP | $642.11 | $642.11 | $642.11 | — | Mar 16, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Rehabilitation Hospital South Louis, MO MDI | $642.11 | $642.11 | $642.11 | — | Mar 16, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Rehabilitation Hospital South Louis, MO RESPIRATORY THERAPY 94640 | $642.11 | $642.11 | $642.11 | — | Mar 16, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Rehabilitation Hospital South Louis, MO AEROSOL/VAPOR INHALE INITIAL | $642.11 | $642.11 | $642.11 | — | Mar 16, 2026 source file |
Inpatient: lowest $22.00, median $190.80, highest $642.11 — a 29.2× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 13 facilities here, median $190.80 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 8 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 2 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
A breathing treatment delivers medicine such as albuterol through a nebulizer or inhaler to open the airways during an asthma or COPD flare.
What the price covers
The price is for one treatment. Repeated treatments in one visit can each be billed, and the medicine may be billed separately.