Prices at 53 hospitals in Iowa, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $34 — 10% below the US median ($38), roughly 9.6× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buena Vista Regional Medical Center | Storm Lake, IA | $8 | $10 | ★ 2/5 | 152 min | — |
| Story County Hospital | Nevada, IA | $10 | $12 | — | 102 min | — |
| Methodist Jennie Edmundson | Council Bluffs, IA | $14 | $11 | ★ 3/5 | 150 min | — |
| Stewart Memorial Community Hospital | Lake City, IA | $17 | — | — | 127 min | — |
| Clarke County Hospital | Osceola, IA | $19 | $4 | ★ 5/5 | 104 min | — |
| CHI Health-Mercy Corning | Corning, IA | $21 | $11 | ★ 3/5 | 124 min | — |
| CHI Health Missouri Valley | Missouri Valley, IA | $22 | $11 | ★ 4/5 | 105 min | — |
| Regional Medical Center | Manchester, IA | $26 | $870 | ★ 4/5 | 147 min | — |
| Van Diest Medical Center | Webster City, IA | $29 | $25 | ★ 5/5 | 103 min | — |
| Montgomery County Memorial Hospital | Red Oak, IA | $29 | $27 | — | 113 min | — |
| Mercyone Dubuque Medical Center | Dubuque, IA | $30 | $38 | ★ 3/5 | 204 min | — |
| Sartori Memorial Hospital, Inc | Cedar Falls, IA | $31 | $7 | — | 96 min | — |
| Mercyone Waterloo Medical Center | Waterloo, IA | $31 | $7 | ★ 4/5 | 223 min | — |
| Sanford Sheldon Medical Center | Sheldon, IA | $31 | $26 | — | 123 min | — |
| Greene County Medical Center | Jefferson, IA | $31 | $54 | — | 104 min | — |
| Unitypoint Health-Marshalltown | Marshalltown, IA | $34 | $6 | ★ 3/5 | 162 min | — |
| Trinity Muscatine | Muscatine, IA | $34 | $4 | ★ 4/5 | 136 min | — |
| Trinity Regional Medical Center | Fort Dodge, IA | $34 | $4 | ★ 2/5 | 167 min | — |
| St Lukes Hospital | Cedar Rapids, IA | $34 | $4 | ★ 4/5 | 166 min | — |
| Unitypoint Health-Des Moines Iowa Methodist Medi | Des Moines, IA | $34 | $4 | ★ 3/5 | 182 min | — |
| Trinity-Bettendorf | Bettendorf, IA | $34 | $4 | ★ 3/5 | 205 min | — |
| Allen Hospital | Waterloo, IA | $34 | $4 | ★ 3/5 | 163 min | — |
| Finley Hospital | Dubuque, IA | $34 | $4 | ★ 3/5 | 114 min | — |
| St Lukes Regional Medical Center | Sioux City, IA | $34 | $4 | ★ 2/5 | 174 min | — |
| Grinnell Regional Medical Center | Grinnell, IA | $34 | $5 | ★ 2/5 | 112 min | — |
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 September 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)
Typical cash price here is $34 — about 9.6× the Medicare rate ($3). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($7).
💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $48 list price could save about $14 (30%).
Rough estimate from this procedure’s median insurer-negotiated rate. Your actual cost depends on your plan — confirm with your insurer.
Sedimentation rate (ESR) test cost in other states
All Sedimentation rate (ESR) test prices (national) → · All hospitals in Iowa →