Screening colonoscopy cost in Waterloo, IA — inpatient
In Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA, 3 hospitals list a cash price for screening colonoscopy for a person at average risk (Medicare code) as an inpatient: from $813.60 to $870.00, with a median of $870.00. The lowest listed price is at Allen Hospital — $56.40 less than the median here. Across Iowa, the median is $813.60 at 28 hospitals.
Cash prices at 3 facilities across 2 cities for code G0121, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Jan 28, 2026 and Mar 31, 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 Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allen Hospital lowest Waterloo, IA · (319) 235-3941 PR COLON CA SCRN NOT HI RSK IND | $813.60 | $1,017.00 | $164.82–$582.93 | 20% | Jan 28, 2026 source file |
| MercyOne Waterloo Medical Center Waterloo, IA · (319) 272-8000 PR Colonscopy Colorectal Cancer Screening Non High Risk Patient | $870.00 | $870.00 | $52.61–$870.00 | — | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Sartori Memorial Hospital Cedar Falls, IA · (319) 268-3000 PR Colonscopy Colorectal Cancer Screening Non High Risk Patient | $870.00 | $870.00 | $52.61–$870.00 | — | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
Inpatient: lowest $813.60, median $870.00, highest $870.00 — a 1.1× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 3 facilities here, median $535.00 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 0 of 3 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 a routine colonoscopy for someone with no symptoms and no high-risk factors, done to find and prevent colorectal cancer. G0121 is a Medicare screening code; for people at average risk Medicare covers it once every 10 years, or 4 years after a screening sigmoidoscopy.
What the price covers
The facility price usually covers the procedure room and recovery. The gastroenterologist, anesthesia, the bowel-prep medicine and any pathology are usually billed or bought separately.