Joint aspiration (small/intermediate) cost in Saint Louis, MO

Prices at 6 hospitals in Saint Louis, MO, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $1,419 — 260% above the US median ($394), roughly 25.1× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Mercy Hospital St Louis Saint Louis, MO $331 $274 ★ 4/5 217 min 15.1%
Missouri Baptist Medical Center Saint Louis, MO $1,209 $4,587 ★ 5/5 252 min 14.8%
Christian Hospital Northeast Saint Louis, MO $1,630 $4,587 ★ 4/5 223 min 14.7%
Shriners Hospitals for Children Saint Louis, MO $1,763 $44
St Louis Childrens Hospital Saint Louis, MO $1,973 $383

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)
$1,889
Cash / self-pay
$1,419
Insurer-negotiated
$329
Medicare pays
$57
$216$1,868
Median cash $1,419  ·  Medicare $57  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $1,419 — about 25.1× the Medicare rate ($57). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($113).

💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $1,889 list price could save about $470 (25%).

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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.

All Joint aspiration (small/intermediate) prices in Missouri → · All Joint aspiration (small/intermediate) prices (national) · All hospitals in Saint Louis