Specialist consult, extended cost in Ames, IA
In Ames, IA, 2 hospitals list a cash price for specialist consultation, moderate complexity or 40+ minutes: from $280.00 to $353.60, with a median of $316.80. The lowest listed price is at Boone County Hospital — $36.80 less than the median here. Across Iowa, the median is $282.50 at 22 hospitals.
Cash prices at 2 facilities across 2 cities for code 99244, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 27, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Jul 27, 2026 and Jul 27, 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 Ames, IA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boone County Hospital lowest Boone, IA · (515) 432-3140 Office or other outpatient consultation with moderate level of medical decision making, if using time, 40 minutes or more | $280.00 | $350.00 | $140.00–$360.50 | 20% | Jul 27, 2026 source file |
| Story County Hospital Nevada, IA · (515) 382-2111 PR OFFICE/OP CONSLTJ NEW/EST PT MOD MDM 40 MINUTES | $353.60 | $442.00 | $269.00–$442.00 | 20% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $280.00, median $316.80, highest $353.60 — a 1.3× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 1 facility here, median $353.60. 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 is an office or outpatient consultation requested by another clinician, with moderate complexity decision making or at least 40 minutes of total time on the visit date under 2023 rules. It is used for more involved problems.
What the price covers
The price covers the specialist's consultation. Tests, procedures and any hospital facility fee are billed separately.