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Biopsy of the Joint at the Base of a Toe

Iowa rates for HCPCS 28052

This procedure opens the joint where a toe meets the long bone of the foot (the metatarsophalangeal joint) through a small incision to obtain a tissue sample from inside it. It is used to investigate unexplained swelling, pain, or a suspected growth in that joint when other tests have not given a clear diagnosis. The joint is closed and the foot is typically protected in a stiff-soled shoe or splint afterward.

Rates data updated July 2026.

How much does Biopsy of the Joint at the Base of a Toe cost?

$3,856

Typical total for the visit. In Iowa, July 2026.

Insurers have agreed to pay about $3,856 for this procedure. That total is two separate charges: $468 to the doctor who performs it, and $3,388 to the hospital or surgery center where it takes place. Done somewhere without a facility charge, you pay only the first.

These are rates insurers have negotiated with providers, not the amount a patient is billed. What you owe depends on your plan's deductible and coinsurance. Based on rates published by 7 insurance carriers under federal price transparency rules.

What's inside this number

Part of the billTypicalRange
Physician feeThe doctor who performs it$468$372 to $759
Facility feeThe hospital or surgery center$3,388$813 to $6,026

How much rates vary

Facilitymedian $3,388 · 10th to 90th $562 to $7,943Professionalmedian $468 · 10th to 90th $257 to $1,622
$500$1K$2K$5K$10Kfacility $3,388professional $468

Distribution of negotiated rates across all payers (price axis is log-scale). Each curve is scaled to its own total: facility and professional rates are different services, shown together to compare where they cluster. Need provider-level prices or 24+ months of history? Contact us.

Rates by insurance carrier

Insurance Carrier
Aetna
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$616.60
Median
$3,630.78
Typical High
$7,943.28
Aetna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$257.04
Median
$407.38
Typical High
$1,621.81
Cigna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$380.19
Median
$758.58
Typical High
$1,148.15
Hally Health
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$263.03
Median
$457.09
Typical High
$1,348.96
Medica
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$407.38
Median
$851.14
Typical High
$7,413.10
Medica
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$446.68
Median
$831.76
Typical High
$2,884.03
Midlands
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$645.65
Median
$758.58
Typical High
$1,071.52
Midlands
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$537.03
Median
$831.76
Typical High
$1,071.52
United
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$4,168.69
Median
$6,309.57
Typical High
$8,709.64
United
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$302.00
Median
$524.81
Typical High
$1,071.52
Wellmark
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$501.19
Median
$588.84
Typical High
$831.76

Where Iowa sits

The same service costs 13.7 times more in Indiana than in West Virginia. Every bar is a state, most expensive first. Touch or drag across it to read any state, then open that state for its carriers and full range.

Physician feeFacility fee

Iowa· 19th of 50

$3,856

$468 physician + $3,388 facility

IN $9,696WV $710

Median negotiated rate in each state, from every insurer that publishes one. States where no insurer publishes a rate for this service are not shown.