Skin biopsy (punch) cost in Iowa

Prices at 45 hospitals in Iowa, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $294 — 23% below the US median ($380), roughly 2.4× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Montgomery County Memorial Hospital Red Oak, IA $77 $57 — 113 min —
Spencer Municipal Hospital Spencer, IA $97 $328 ★ 4/5 128 min —
Greater Regional Medical Center Creston, IA $151 $26 ★ 3/5 101 min —
CHI Health-Mercy Corning Corning, IA $153 $306 ★ 3/5 124 min —
CHI Health Missouri Valley Missouri Valley, IA $156 $306 ★ 4/5 105 min —
University of Iowa Health Care Medical Center Down Iowa City, IA $162 $196 ★ 4/5 149 min —
University of Iowa Hospital & Clinics Iowa City, IA $162 $196 ★ 2/5 210 min —
Community Memorial Hospital Medical Center Sumner, IA $167 $132 — 132 min —
Story County Hospital Nevada, IA $170 $158 — 102 min —
Methodist Jennie Edmundson Council Bluffs, IA $172 $400 ★ 3/5 150 min —
Clarke County Hospital Osceola, IA $178 $63 ★ 5/5 104 min —
Gundersen Palmer Lutheran Hospital and Clinics West Union, IA $180 $360 ★ 5/5 85 min —
Palo Alto County Hospital Emmetsburg, IA $185 $184 — 103 min —
Regional Medical Center Manchester, IA $186 $870 ★ 4/5 147 min —
Mercyone Elkader Medical Center Elkader, IA $214 $32 — 114 min —
Mercy Medical Center-New Hampton New Hampton, IA $214 $31 — 119 min —
Mercyone Clinton Medical Center Clinton, IA $218 $17 ★ 4/5 123 min —
Mercyone Siouxland Medical Center Sioux City, IA $218 $17 ★ 2/5 199 min —
Guttenberg Municipal Hospital Guttenberg, IA $234 $197 — 96 min —
Ringgold County Hospital Mount Ayr, IA $252 $174 — 128 min —
CHI Health Mercy Council Bluffs Council Bluffs, IA $255 $397 ★ 5/5 171 min —
Cherokee Regional Medical Center Cherokee, IA $294 — ★ 2/5 134 min —
St Lukes Hospital Cedar Rapids, IA $308 $153 ★ 4/5 166 min —
St Lukes Regional Medical Center Sioux City, IA $308 $153 ★ 2/5 174 min —
Grinnell Regional Medical Center Grinnell, IA $308 $112 ★ 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 October 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)
$385
Cash / self-pay
$294
Insurer-negotiated
$216
Medicare pays
$121
$157$502
Median cash $294  ·  Medicare $121  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $294 — about 2.4× the Medicare rate ($121). On the higher side. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($242).

💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $385 list price could save about $91 (24%).

Estimate what you’ll pay
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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.

Skin biopsy (punch) cost in other states

All Skin biopsy (punch) prices (national) → · All hospitals in Iowa →