Fecal occult blood (stool) test (guaiac, gFOBT) cost in Iowa

Prices at 47 hospitals in Iowa, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $34 — 29% above the US median ($26), roughly 7.7× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Methodist Jennie Edmundson Council Bluffs, IA $9 $9 ★ 3/5 149 min 15.8%
Mercyone Centerville Medical Center Centerville, IA $10 $4 129 min 14.9%
Spencer Municipal Hospital Spencer, IA $17 $19 ★ 4/5 118 min 14.4%
Keokuk County Health Center Sigourney, IA $20 $22 15.0%
Ringgold County Hospital Mount Ayr, IA $21 $23 140 min 14.7%
Story County Hospital Nevada, IA $22 $23 103 min 15.2%
Montgomery County Memorial Hospital Red Oak, IA $24 $38 112 min 15.2%
Cherokee Regional Medical Center Cherokee, IA $25 $28 ★ 2/5 132 min 14.8%
University of Iowa Health Care Medical Center Down Iowa City, IA $26 $11 ★ 4/5 157 min 15.0%
University of Iowa Hospital & Clinics Iowa City, IA $26 $11 ★ 2/5 210 min 13.5%
CHI Health-Mercy Corning Corning, IA $26 $26 ★ 3/5 131 min 14.8%
CHI Health Missouri Valley Missouri Valley, IA $27 $26 ★ 4/5 102 min 14.9%
CHI Health Mercy Council Bluffs Council Bluffs, IA $28 $14 ★ 5/5 169 min 15.1%
Community Memorial Hospital Medical Center Sumner, IA $28 118 min 14.7%
Mercyone North Iowa Medical Center Mason City, IA $30 $24 ★ 2/5 188 min 14.3%
Palo Alto County Hospital Emmetsburg, IA $32 $40 105 min 14.8%
Clarke County Hospital Osceola, IA $32 $4 ★ 5/5 104 min 14.8%
Mercyone Newton Medical Center Newton, IA $33 $46 ★ 4/5 158 min 13.4%
Mercy Medical Center-New Hampton New Hampton, IA $33 $47 109 min 15.5%
Mercyone Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein, IA $33 $46 144 min 14.7%
Mercyone Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque, IA $33 $43 ★ 3/5 212 min 15.6%
Regional Medical Center Manchester, IA $33 $870 ★ 4/5 147 min 14.3%
Unitypoint Health-Marshalltown Marshalltown, IA $34 $6 ★ 3/5 154 min 15.2%
Trinity Muscatine Muscatine, IA $34 $6 ★ 4/5 135 min 13.9%
Trinity Regional Medical Center Fort Dodge, IA $34 $5 ★ 2/5 168 min 15.2%

CMS rating = overall hospital star rating (1–5); ER wait = median minutes in the emergency department; Readmit = 30-day readmission rate (lower is better) — all from Medicare’s Care Compare; “—” = not reported. Data last updated June 2026. Prices from hospitals’ machine-readable files (45 CFR §180); Medicare benchmark from CMS PFS/CLFS/IPPS. Prices below 15% of the median are excluded as likely partial or mis-coded charges. Estimates — confirm with the hospital. Report an incorrect price.

Price comparison (median)

Chargemaster (list price)
$42
Cash / self-pay
$34
Insurer-negotiated
$24
Medicare pays
$4
$21$51
Median cash $34  ·  Medicare $4  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $34 — about 7.7× the Medicare rate ($4). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($9).

💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $42 list price could save about $8 (20%).

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Rough estimate from this procedure’s median insurer-negotiated rate. Your actual cost depends on your plan — confirm with your insurer.

Fecal occult blood (stool) test (guaiac, gFOBT) cost in other states

All Fecal occult blood (stool) test (guaiac, gFOBT) prices (national) → · All hospitals in Iowa →