Colonoscopy (diagnostic) in Birmingham, AL costs $441 to $6,651. Here's every hospital's price.
5 hospitals in the Birmingham, AL metro area publish a cash price for colonoscopy (diagnostic) (CPT 45378). We read their files every month so you don't have to.
Across the Birmingham, AL metro area, 5 hospitals list a cash price for colonoscopy (diagnostic) (CPT 45378). The lowest is $441 at Medical West, An Affiliate of UAB Health System, the median is $6,651 and the highest is $6,651 at Princeton Baptist Medical Center. The most expensive hospital lists 15 times the cheapest for the same code.
The Birmingham, AL median of $6,651 is 343% above the national median of $1,500 across 304 US hospitals with a cash price for this code.
6 of these hospitals also publish the rates they negotiated with insurers, from $144 to $23,850. With insurance you pay a share of the negotiated rate, which is sometimes higher than the cash price; you may ask for the cash price instead.
The files behind these prices are dated between April 2026 and June 2026. 8 other hospitals in the metro area have no readable price for this code: some publish no file, some block automated reading, some leave the code out. They are listed below so you can call them.
Sorted by cash price
Hospital facility fee onlyBessemer · 12 mi · File Jun 2026
Birmingham · 6 mi · File Apr 2026
Alabaster · 15 mi · File Apr 2026
Jasper · 36 mi · File Apr 2026
Birmingham · 3 mi · File Apr 2026
Birmingham · 2 mi · File Apr 2026
What's in the price
The hospital facility fee for CPT 45378. The doctor, anesthesia and lab work usually bill separately.
Cash vs. insured
Cash is what you pay without insurance. With insurance you pay a share of the negotiated rate, which can be higher than cash. You may ask for the cash price.
What to say on the phone
"I'd like the self-pay price for CPT 45378, in writing, and whether it covers facility, physician and anesthesia."
About colonoscopy (diagnostic)
A colonoscopy is an examination of the large intestine with a flexible camera passed through the rectum. The diagnostic version, CPT 45378, is the base procedure: the doctor looks, and if nothing needs to be removed or sampled, this is the code the hospital bills. Most people are sedated and go home the same day.
What the price covers
The hospital's price for 45378 is the facility fee: the endoscopy suite, nursing, the scope and its cleaning, recovery time and disposable supplies. It usually does not include the gastroenterologist's professional fee, the anesthesia provider, or pathology if a sample is taken. Those are billed separately, often by different companies, and can add several hundred dollars to what you see here.
If polyps are found and removed, the code changes to 45385 (polyp removal) or 45380 (biopsy), and the price changes with it. A hospital's cash price for 45378 is the best starting point, not a guarantee of the final bill.
Screening versus diagnostic
A screening colonoscopy for someone with no symptoms is preventive care, which most insurance plans cover without cost-sharing. A diagnostic colonoscopy, done because of symptoms or a positive stool test, is not. The same procedure, the same room, a different code and a different bill. If you are insured, ask before the appointment which one will be billed.
Why prices vary so much
The spread between hospitals is often five to ten times for this code. Academic medical centers and large systems tend to list higher gross charges and higher negotiated rates; community hospitals and hospital-owned outpatient centers tend to be cheaper. Location matters less than ownership and system size. Freestanding ambulatory surgery centers, which are not in these files, are often cheaper still.
Questions to ask before you book
- Is this the self-pay price for CPT 45378, in writing?
- Does it include the physician, anesthesia and pathology, or are those separate?
- If a polyp is removed, what does the price become?
- Is there a prompt-pay or financial-assistance discount on top of the cash price?
Hospitals in Birmingham, AL without a price for this procedure
Listed so you know who to call. The reason is what we found on their website.
- Bibb Medical CenterNo price file found
- St Vincent's BirminghamFile could not be read
- St Vincent's ChiltonFile could not be read
- St Vincent's St ClairFile could not be read
- St Vincents BlountFile could not be read
- St. Vincent's EastFile could not be read
- The Children's Hospital of Alabamacode not in file
- University of Alabama HospitalFile could not be read