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Cost of ear tube surgery

The average cash price for ear tube surgery care is $837 at a surgery center versus $1,343 at an outpatient hospital. While a surgery center may offer fewer complimentary services, and may not have the full range of support services that outpatient hospital provides, it may still be worth the (38%) you'd save when comparing the cost of ear tube surgery performed at an outpatient hospital. Read More

Average cash price in U.S.

A common ear tube surgery at surgery center facility in U.S. includes

  Units Avg Cash price

Provider

Ear, nose, & throat doctor visit provider fee

First time visit Standard
1 $148

Provider fee to incise (cut) eardrum and insert eardrum tube

Under local or topical anesthesia Standard
1 $168

Provider fee to incise (cut) eardrum and insert eardrum tube

Under general anesthesia Standard
1 $203

Facility

Surgery center fee to cut into eardrum for suction or inflation

Standard Standard
1 $129

Surgery center fee to incise (cut) eardrum and insert eardrum tube

Standard Standard
1 $173

Prescriptions

HYDROCODONE-ACETAMINOPHEN

Standard Standard
30 $16
Total average cash price   $836.90

A common ear tube surgery at outpatient hospital facility in U.S. includes

  Units Avg Cash price

Provider

Ear, nose, & throat doctor visit provider fee

First time visit Standard
1 $148

Provider fee to incise (cut) eardrum and insert eardrum tube

Under local or topical anesthesia Standard
1 $168

Provider fee to incise (cut) eardrum and insert eardrum tube

Under general anesthesia Standard
1 $203

Facility

Outpatient Hospital fee to cut into eardrum for suction or inflation

level 1 Standard
1 $255

Outpatient Hospital fee to incise (cut) eardrum and insert eardrum tube

level 2 Standard
1 $553

Prescriptions

HYDROCODONE-ACETAMINOPHEN

Standard Standard
30 $16
Total average cash price   $1,342.90

During ear tube surgery, also known as a myringotomy, a tiny tube is inserted into the eardrum. These tubes may be called tympanoplasty tubes, ventilation tubes, myringotomy tubes, or pressure equalization tubes. Ear tubes may be made of metal or plastic.

Once the tube is inserted, fluid that would typically build up behind the eardrum can drain. Ear tubes are often recommended for recurrent ear infections and persistent fluid buildup behind the eardrum.

Ear tube insertion or myringotomy is very fast. The procedure typically takes about 15 minutes to perform. Children having ear tubes placed will receive general anesthesia and be monitored in recovery for a few hours before being released to home.

Adults may have ear tubes placed in the doctor’s office. Your doctor will give you numbing drops in the ear before the procedure.

There is minimal discomfort with ear tubes. If you feel any pain, you may take over-the-counter medications, and your doctor may prescribe ear drops to help with the pain.

Hearing should be restored right away after a myringotomy. Fluid in the middle ear is suctioned during the tube insertion. If there has been some hearing loss before the surgery, your doctor will order an audiogram to test hearing after tube insertion.

Ear tube surgery has a rapid recovery time. The procedure is done as a same-day outpatient surgery for children and sometimes in the doctor’s office for adults. Regular activity can be resumed within 24 hours of the surgery. Most adults are able to drive themselves home from the doctor’s office after an ear tube insertion.

Your doctor may prescribe antibiotic ear drops to use after the surgery.

Avoid getting water in your ears for the first week after surgery. After this, it is fine to swim and get your head wet. Earplugs are no longer recommended after ear tube surgery. 

Ear tubes will fall out within four to 18 months after surgery. Occasionally, tubes do not fall out on their own and need to be removed with surgery. The holes will heal by themselves. If the holes do not heal on their own, they may require surgical repair.

Ear tube surgery is usually a quick and easy procedure. However possible risks of surgery include the following:

  • Bleeding
  • Infection
  • Continued fluid drainage
  • Tubes become blocked with blood or drainage
  • Tubes that fall out early or stay in too long
  • Holes that remain in the eardrum after the tube falls out
  • Complications from anesthesia

About the ear tube surgery Average Cash Prices

This procedure is most commonly performed at either a surgery center or an outpatient hospital.

Surgery centers, also known as ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), are independent, licensed medical facilities that are governed by distinct regulatory requirements compared with a hospital. Procedures performed at an ASCs are often less expensive than when they are performed at an outpatient hospital, but they typically offer fewer complimentary services, and may not have the full-range of support services that a hospital provides.

Outpatient facilities are outpatient departments or clinics that may be within or next to a hospital, but is owned and run by the affiliated hospital. These facilities can perform surgical treatments and procedures that do not require an overnight stay. Procedures performed at an outpatient hospital are often more expensive than when they are performed in an ambulatory surgery center, but outpatient hospitals may offer more complimentary and support services for patients because they are connected to the hospital system.

* Savings estimate based on a study of more than 1 billion claims comparing self-pay (or cash pay) prices of a frequency-weighted market basket of procedures to insurer-negotiated rates for the same. Claims were collected between July 2017 and July 2019. R.Lawrence Van Horn, Arthur Laffer, Robert L.Metcalf. 2019. The Transformative Potential for Price Transparency in Healthcare: Benefits for Consumers and Providers. Health Management Policy and Innovation, Volume 4, Issue 3.

Sidecar Health offers and administers a variety of plans including ACA compliant and excepted benefit plans. Coverage and plan options may vary or may not be available in all states.

Your actual costs may be higher or lower than these cost estimates. Check with your provider and health plan details to confirm the costs that you may be charged for a service or procedure.You are responsible for costs that are not covered and for getting any pre-authorizations or referrals required by your health plan. Neither payments nor benefits are guaranteed. Provider data, including price data, provided in part by Turquoise Health.

The site is not a substitute for medical or healthcare advice and does not serve as a recommendation for a particular provider or type of medical or healthcare.