Appendectomy cost in Fort Wayne, IN
In Fort Wayne, IN, 4 hospitals list a cash price for laparoscopic appendectomy (appendix removal through small cuts): from $540.96 to $676.20, with a median of $608.58. The lowest listed price is at Bluffton Regional Medical Center — $67.62 less than the median here. Across Indiana, the median is $1,187.53 at 24 hospitals.
Cash prices at 4 facilities across 2 cities for code 44970, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 1, 2026 and Apr 1, 2026.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Fort Wayne, IN.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluffton Regional Medical Center lowest Bluffton, IN · (260) 824-3210 44970 LAPAROSCOPY APPENDECTOMY | $540.96 | $2,254.00 | $536.66–$2,028.60 | 76% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Dupont Hospital Fort Wayne, IN · (260) 416-3000 44970 LAPAROSCOPY APPENDECTOMY | $608.58 | $2,254.00 | $5,664.50–$26,285.57 | 73% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Lutheran Musculoskeletal Center Fort Wayne, IN 44970 LAPAROSCOPY APPENDECTOMY | $608.58 | $2,254.00 | $5,664.50–$26,285.57 | 73% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Lutheran Hospital of Indiana Fort Wayne, IN · (260) 435-7001 44970 LAPAROSCOPY APPENDECTOMY | $676.20 | $2,254.00 | $523.36–$2,028.60 | 70% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Bluffton Regional Medical Center Bluffton, IN · (260) 824-3210 LAPAROSCOPY, APPENDECTOMY | $16,092.46 | $67,051.91 | $536.66–$60,346.72 | 76% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Dupont Hospital Fort Wayne, IN · (260) 416-3000 LAPAROSCOPY, APPENDECTOMY | $21,223.74 | $78,606.45 | $536.66–$70,745.80 | 73% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Lutheran Hospital of Indiana Fort Wayne, IN · (260) 435-7001 LAPAROSCOPY, APPENDECTOMY | $21,821.70 | $72,739.01 | $523.36–$65,465.11 | 70% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $540.96, median $608.58, highest $676.20 — a 1.2× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 4 facilities here, median $710.01. Inpatient and outpatient prices are not comparable and are kept on separate pages: the inpatient charge covers admission, not the same purchase.
Cash or insurance?
At 4 of 4 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 2 it is below every plan's rate. If you have insurance but have not met your deductible, you usually pay your plan's negotiated rate, which falls somewhere in the "Insurers pay" column. Paying cash can cost less, but a cash payment usually does not count toward your deductible. Ask the hospital for both numbers before you book.
What it is
A laparoscopic appendectomy removes the appendix through several small cuts using a camera and instruments. It is the usual treatment for appendicitis and is most often done as urgent surgery.
What the price covers
The facility price covers the operating room and recovery. The surgeon, anesthesia, the pathology exam of the appendix and any emergency room visit, CT scan or hospital stay are billed separately.
8 rows held back from this comparison
They are priced below $1 or below a tenth of the national median for code 44970 ($3,661.45). Such a line is almost always a physician's fee billed separately, an assistant's share or a placeholder — a real charge, but not the price of the procedure itself.
| Bluffton Regional Medical Center Bluffton, IN44970,80 LAPAROSCOPY APPENDECTOMY | $182.64 | file |
| Bluffton Regional Medical Center Bluffton, IN44970,AS LAPAROSCOPY APPENDECTOMY | $182.64 | file |
| Lutheran Musculoskeletal Center Fort Wayne, IN44970,AS LAPAROSCOPY APPENDECTOMY | $205.47 | file |
| Lutheran Musculoskeletal Center Fort Wayne, IN44970,80 LAPAROSCOPY APPENDECTOMY | $205.47 | file |
| Dupont Hospital Fort Wayne, IN44970,AS LAPAROSCOPY APPENDECTOMY | $205.47 | file |
| Dupont Hospital Fort Wayne, IN44970,80 LAPAROSCOPY APPENDECTOMY | $205.47 | file |
| Lutheran Hospital of Indiana Fort Wayne, IN44970,80 LAPAROSCOPY APPENDECTOMY | $228.30 | file |
| Lutheran Hospital of Indiana Fort Wayne, IN44970,AS LAPAROSCOPY APPENDECTOMY | $228.30 | file |