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Procedure price report · Other therapeutic procedures, hemic and lymphatic system

Needle biopsy of a lymph node

CPT 38505the billing code this page is about

Sampling of a lymph node through the skin with a needle to draw out cells or tissue, without an open incision.

Hospitals typically charge $1,521 cash for this outpatient procedure — the median across 2,509 hospitals that filed a usable cash price; the average of the middle 60% is $1,540. Most fall between $618 and $2,665 (20th–80th percentile).

Hospitals
2,509
States
50
Filings dated
Aug 2022 – Sep 2026
Computed
September 25, 2026
Prices checked
through September 24, 2026

Median: half of hospitals filed less, half more — and it is a price some hospital actually filed. Average of the middle 60%: the mean of the prices between the 20th and 80th percentiles. We never publish the plain average, the lowest or the highest price: the extremes in hospital price files are chargemaster artefacts, not prices anyone pays.

What hospitals charge, from cheapest to most expensive

Cash price percentiles, outpatient, across 2,509 hospitals. Each figure is a price a hospital filed. 10th: one in ten hospitals charges less; 25th: a quarter charge less; Median: half charge less; 75th: three quarters charge less; 90th: nine in ten charge less.
10th25thMedian75th90th
$319$842$1,521$2,363$3,903

The most expensive tenth of hospitals charges at least 12× what the cheapest tenth charges ($319 vs $3,903).

How the prices are spread

$195 – $268: 73 hospitals$195$268 – $370: 112 hospitals$370 – $511: 111 hospitals$370$511 – $705: 130 hospitals$705 – $973: 223 hospitals$705$973 – $1,342: 353 hospitals$1,342 – $1,851: 405 hospitals$1,342$1,851 – $2,554: 436 hospitals$2,554 – $3,524: 241 hospitals$2,554$3,524 – $4,862: 179 hospitals$3,524median $1,521price bands are equal on a log scale
Hospitals per price band (2,263 of 2,509 — the bands cover the 5th to 95th percentile)
FromToHospitals
$195$26873
$268$370112
$370$511111
$511$705130
$705$973223
$973$1,342353
$1,342$1,851405
$1,851$2,554436
$2,554$3,524241
$3,524$4,862179

Against Medicare

Medicare pays (OPPS 2026, national rate)$1,687
Median cash price$1,521
Cash as a multiple of Medicare0.90×

The Medicare figure is the national unadjusted OPPS rate for this code — what Medicare itself pays a hospital before local wage adjustment. It is a benchmark, not a price anyone is charged.

By state

The median cash price in each state, against the national median of $1,521.

Alaska: median $1,166 across 10 hospitalsAK$1,166Maine: median $869 across 20 hospitalsME$869Vermont: median $306 across 11 hospitalsVT$306New Hampshire: median $946 across 14 hospitalsNH$946Washington: median $1,240 across 60 hospitalsWA$1,240Idaho: median $1,953 across 19 hospitalsID$1,953Montana: median $266 across 18 hospitalsMT$266North Dakota: median $1,664 across 10 hospitalsND$1,664Minnesota: median $979 across 73 hospitalsMN$979Illinois: median $1,279 across 109 hospitalsIL$1,279Wisconsin: median $954 across 97 hospitalsWI$954Michigan: median $1,441 across 86 hospitalsMI$1,441New York: median $2,062 across 98 hospitalsNY$2,062Massachusetts: median $1,796 across 44 hospitalsMA$1,796Oregon: median $1,688 across 49 hospitalsOR$1,688Nevada: median $1,425 across 13 hospitalsNV$1,425Wyoming: median $1,026 across 11 hospitalsWY$1,026South Dakota: median $2,114 across 14 hospitalsSD$2,114Iowa: median $861 across 52 hospitalsIA$861Indiana: median $1,299 across 78 hospitalsIN$1,299Ohio: median $1,735 across 130 hospitalsOH$1,735Pennsylvania: median $1,951 across 105 hospitalsPA$1,951New Jersey: median $2,156 across 56 hospitalsNJ$2,156Connecticut: median $2,150 across 19 hospitalsCT$2,150Rhode Island: 7 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureRICalifornia: median $2,234 across 181 hospitalsCA$2,234Utah: median $1,005 across 29 hospitalsUT$1,005Colorado: median $1,708 across 55 hospitalsCO$1,708Nebraska: median $1,171 across 46 hospitalsNE$1,171Missouri: median $1,646 across 63 hospitalsMO$1,646Kentucky: median $1,222 across 32 hospitalsKY$1,222West Virginia: median $1,534 across 29 hospitalsWV$1,534Virginia: median $1,244 across 49 hospitalsVA$1,244Maryland: 7 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureMDDelaware: 7 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureDEArizona: median $844 across 39 hospitalsAZ$844New Mexico: median $2,135 across 16 hospitalsNM$2,135Kansas: median $868 across 48 hospitalsKS$868Arkansas: median $977 across 23 hospitalsAR$977Tennessee: median $511 across 53 hospitalsTN$511North Carolina: median $1,021 across 71 hospitalsNC$1,021South Carolina: median $1,929 across 42 hospitalsSC$1,929Oklahoma: median $1,182 across 44 hospitalsOK$1,182Louisiana: median $1,038 across 42 hospitalsLA$1,038Mississippi: median $674 across 40 hospitalsMS$674Alabama: median $1,814 across 35 hospitalsAL$1,814Georgia: median $1,475 across 79 hospitalsGA$1,475Hawaii: median $1,594 across 14 hospitalsHI$1,594Texas: median $1,935 across 163 hospitalsTX$1,935Florida: median $2,421 across 99 hospitalsFL$2,421
Cash price by state, most expensive first. National median $1,521. A state needs at least 10 hospitals with a usable price to show a figure.
StateHospitalsMedianvs national20th–80th
Florida FL99$2,421+59%$1,195 – $4,507
California CA181$2,234+47%$1,216 – $4,178
New Jersey NJ56$2,156+42%$1,793 – $4,500
Connecticut CT19$2,150+41%$1,601 – $3,568
New Mexico NM16$2,135+40%$682 – $2,857
South Dakota SD14$2,114+39%$1,355 – $3,779
New York NY98$2,062+36%$804 – $3,600
Idaho ID19$1,953+28%$828 – $4,347
Pennsylvania PA105$1,951+28%$977 – $3,018
Texas TX163$1,935+27%$1,101 – $2,853
South Carolina SC42$1,929+27%$962 – $2,055
Alabama AL35$1,814+19%$798 – $4,528
Massachusetts MA44$1,796+18%$1,181 – $3,001
Ohio OH130$1,735+14%$1,229 – $2,871
Colorado CO55$1,708+12%$940 – $2,236
Oregon OR49$1,688+11%$313 – $3,976
North Dakota ND10$1,664+9%$133 – $2,054
Missouri MO63$1,646+8%$675 – $2,078
Hawaii HI14$1,594+5%$193 – $2,807
West Virginia WV29$1,534+1%$233 – $2,549
Georgia GA79$1,475−3%$1,002 – $2,296
Michigan MI86$1,441−5%$235 – $2,536
Nevada NV13$1,425−6%$655 – $3,738
Indiana IN78$1,299−15%$526 – $1,811
Illinois IL109$1,279−16%$465 – $2,706
Virginia VA49$1,244−18%$797 – $1,587
Washington WA60$1,240−18%$313 – $2,559
Kentucky KY32$1,222−20%$321 – $2,783
Oklahoma OK44$1,182−22%$939 – $2,421
Nebraska NE46$1,171−23%$410 – $1,798
Alaska AK10$1,166−23%$816 – $2,064
Louisiana LA42$1,038−32%$436 – $1,797
Wyoming WY11$1,026−33%$500 – $1,633
North Carolina NC71$1,021−33%$662 – $1,725
Utah UT29$1,005−34%$855 – $1,811
Minnesota MN73$979−36%$469 – $1,652
Arkansas AR23$977−36%$357 – $1,541
Wisconsin WI97$954−37%$417 – $1,485
New Hampshire NH14$946−38%$527 – $1,211
Maine ME20$869−43%$199 – $1,682
Kansas KS48$868−43%$252 – $1,623
Iowa IA52$861−43%$249 – $1,607
Arizona AZ39$844−45%$505 – $7,718
Mississippi MS40$674−56%$404 – $2,247
Tennessee TN53$511−66%$337 – $1,282
Vermont VT11$306−80%$192 – $1,980
Montana MT18$266−83%$173 – $978
Delaware DE7not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Maryland MD7not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Rhode Island RI7not enough hospitals filed a usable price

Hospitals like yours

The same distribution cut by the kind of hospital. Hospital type and ownership come from CMS; a hospital counts as part of a system when its price file is shared with at least one other hospital under the same brand. The national median is $1,521.

Cash price by hospital segment. A segment needs at least 20 hospitals to show a figure.
SegmentHospitalsMedian20th–80th
Hospital type
Acute care1,967$1,637$841 – $2,852
Children’s46$1,814$907 – $2,710
Critical access487$940$273 – $1,906
Ownership
For-profit257$1,960$925 – $4,325
Government395$1,050$321 – $1,990
Non-profit1,848$1,559$693 – $2,639
System affiliation
Part of a system2,058$1,568$718 – $2,743
Independent451$1,260$329 – $2,383

Cash price vs list price

Median list price (chargemaster)$2,577
Median cash price$1,521
Cash as a share of list, median hospital60%

At the typical hospital, asking for the cash price cuts the list price by about 40%. The share is the median of each hospital’s own cash ÷ list ratio, over hospitals that filed both — not the ratio of the two medians above.

The same procedure, inpatient

1,851 hospitals filed a usable inpatient cash price for this code. The median is $1,536 and the average of the middle 60% is $1,603; most fall between $761 and $2,754.

Cash price percentiles, inpatient, across 1,851 hospitals. Each figure is a price a hospital filed. 10th: one in ten hospitals charges less; 25th: a quarter charge less; Median: half charge less; 75th: three quarters charge less; 90th: nine in ten charge less.
10th25thMedian75th90th
$358$921$1,536$2,486$3,882

The most expensive tenth of hospitals charges at least 11× what the cheapest tenth charges ($358 vs $3,882).

Of the 1,993 hospitals that filed this code inpatient, 1,851 gave a usable cash price; 50 carried a plausibility flag, 1 filed a number their own filing marks as not a price, 0 gave an estimate, and 91 a list price only.

How complete is this

2,509 of the 3,956 hospitals with a price file in our corpus (63%) filed a usable outpatient cash price for this code, and those are the hospitals every figure on this page is computed from.

What the 2,719 hospitals that filed this code at all gave us
Usable cash price — counted2,509
Cash price carrying a plausibility flag — shown on the compare tool, excluded here101
A number the filing itself marks as not a price (a placeholder, a ratio) — excluded1
An estimate rather than a filed cash price — excluded8
A list price only, no cash figure — excluded100
Hospitals that filed this code2,719

Sections not shown for this setting

  • Since our last snapshot: there is no earlier snapshot at least 90 days older than this one yet.

We last checked these hospitals’ price files for changes between September 4, 2026 and September 24, 2026; the figures were computed September 25, 2026 from filings loaded through September 24, 2026. The percentiles and averages use only the “counted” row.

Related procedures

Part of the Other therapeutic procedures, hemic and lymphatic system family.

Hospitals file this code under descriptions such as Bx/Exc Lymph Node Needle Superficial.

Method

Source
The machine-readable price files every U.S. hospital is required by CMS to publish, parsed per hospital. Nothing is surveyed, sampled or modelled.
What counts
One cash (self-pay) price per hospital for this code and setting. A hospital’s own filing can rule its number out — a placeholder, a “not applicable” note, a list price standing in for cash — and our plausibility checks can flag a price far below what every other hospital files. Both kinds are disclosed above and excluded from the statistics; on the compare tool a flagged price is still shown.
Statistics
Percentiles are discrete: each is a price some hospital filed. The average is the mean of the prices between the 20th and 80th percentiles. We never publish the plain mean, the minimum or the maximum. A state needs 10 hospitals and a segment 20 to show a figure; otherwise the row shows its count and no number. Medicare is the national unadjusted OPPS rate where one exists.
Names
Procedure names on these pages are our own plain-language titles, not the AMA’s copyrighted CPT descriptors. The code is the identity.

The full rules — sources, statistics, thresholds, limitations — are on the methodology page.

Download this page’s figures: JSON · CSV. Aggregates only — the per-hospital prices are on the compare tool.

Cite: HospitalRates.com, “Needle biopsy of a lymph node (CPT 38505) — cash price report,” computed September 25, 2026. https://hospitalrates.com/procedures/cpt-38505-needle-biopsy-of-a-lymph-node