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Cost of adenoid removal with ear tube insertion surgery in California

The average cash price for adenoid removal with ear tube insertion surgery care in California is $4,919 at a surgery center versus $10,636 at an outpatient hospital. While an outpatient hospital may offer more complimentary and support services for patients, the cash price is more than double (54%) the cost of adenoid removal with ear tube insertion surgery procedures performed at a surgery center. Read More

Average cash price in California

A common adenoid removal with ear tube insertion surgery at surgery center facility in California includes

  Units Avg Cash price

Provider

Ear, nose, & throat doctor visit provider fee

First time visit Standard
1 $172

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

Under general anesthesia Multiple Procedures
1 $118

Provider fee to remove adenoid glands

Standard Multiple Procedures
1 $162

Provider fee to remove nasal air passage

simple Multiple Procedures
1 $135

Facility

Surgery center fee to remove nasal air passage

Standard Standard
1 $1,530

Surgery center fee to remove adenoid glands

Standard Standard
1 $1,530

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

Standard Standard
1 $778

Prescriptions

HYDROCODONE-ACETAMINOPHEN

Standard Standard
30 $18

Anesthesia

Anesthesiologist fee to be "put under" for procedure

Level 3 Standard
1 $234

Anesthesiologist time to be "put under" for procedure

Per minute Standard
104 $241
Total average cash price   $4,919.40

A common adenoid removal with ear tube insertion surgery at outpatient hospital facility in California includes

  Units Avg Cash price

Provider

Ear, nose, & throat doctor visit provider fee

First time visit Standard
1 $172

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

Under general anesthesia Multiple Procedures
1 $118

Provider fee to remove adenoid glands

Standard Multiple Procedures
1 $162

Provider fee to remove nasal air passage

simple Multiple Procedures
1 $135

Facility

Outpatient Hospital fee to remove nasal air passage

level 4 Standard
1 $3,799

Outpatient Hospital fee to remove adenoid glands

level 4 Standard
1 $3,799

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

level 3 Standard
1 $1,957

Prescriptions

HYDROCODONE-ACETAMINOPHEN

Standard Standard
30 $18

Anesthesia

Anesthesiologist fee to be "put under" for procedure

Level 3 Standard
1 $234

Anesthesiologist time to be "put under" for procedure

Per minute Standard
104 $241
Total average cash price   $10,636.38

Adenoid removal and ear tube insertion surgery are used to manage recurrent sinus, throat, and ear infections in children. To understand what the procedure entails and why it is done, we need to learn the basics of adenoid anatomy. 

  • The adenoids are a bundle of tissue deep within the nasal passages that helps the body recognize and fight allergens, viruses, and bacteria inhaled through the nose.
  • The adenoids can swell due to infection or severe allergies. This compresses the tissues in the nose and sinuses that surround them. 
  • The eustachian tubes are a connection between the middle ear and the nasal passages. Their role is to drain the space behind the eardrum and allow you to balance the pressure in your ears (the popping sensation you feel in the ears when you yawn).

When the adenoids swell, they can block these eustachian tubes. This blockage leads to fluid backing up behind the eardrum, which causes ear infections. This is where ear tubes (myringotomy tubes) come in. These tubes are placed to drain the space behind the eardrum while the swelling from the adenoid removal decreases. Ear tube placement may or may not be done based on the patient and how many ear infections they have had in the past.

Even if the eustachian tubes are not blocked by adenoid swelling, the large amount of tissue that makes up these structures can serve as a hiding space for bacteria. This can lead to repeated sore throats, sinus infections, and other infections in some children. This is another reason the adenoids may be removed.

The surgery to remove the adenoids takes approximately 20 to 30 minutes. If myringotomy tubes (ear tubes) are inserted, this may take another 10 to 20 minutes. Overall the entire operation takes less than one hour, including the process of anesthesia and anesthesia recovery.

There has been a large amount of research into the removal of adenoids and when it is indicated. There are two main situations where adenoid removal is known to be beneficial. 

  • Infection: Repeated ear infections, sinus infections, and other bacterial infections of the head and neck may be treated by removing the adenoids. Adenoid tissue can act as a storage site for bacteria in some children, which leads to recurrent infections.
  • Obstruction: Rarer than infection, extremely large adenoids can lead to difficulty breathing through the nose and, in some cases, swallowing. In infants and toddlers, removing the adenoids may reduce or resolve symptoms of obstruction.

Recovery from adenoidectomy is remarkably quick. Patients are often discharged home the same day and can return to normal activities within one to two days. There are no dietary restrictions after surgery, and no special treatment following surgery is required beyond follow-up with your surgeon.

The pain following adenoidectomy is very mild. Even very young children do not have issues with significant pain following these surgeries. The pain from adenoidectomy is typically managed with acetaminophen (Tylenol) and ibuprofen (Motrin) alone.

The most common side effect of adenoid removal is bad breath. This is a result of sections of adenoid tissue that were not removed naturally breaking down. This is expected, not harmful, and typically lasts around one to two weeks. 

In extremely young children, there is an elevated risk of breathing problems in the first few hours to days following surgery. For this reason, any noisy breathing or difficulty breathing in an infant following surgery should lead to emergency room evaluation.

A small amount of adenoid tissue typically regrows after surgery. Due to the amount of adenoid tissue that is removed, this regrowth is generally not enough to require a repeat operation. If an insufficient amount of tissue is removed, the adenoids can regrow, which may require a second surgery.

About the adenoid removal with ear tube insertion 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.