Ear irrigation cost in Boston, MA — inpatient
In Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH, 7 hospitals list a cash price for earwax removal by irrigation (rinsing), one ear as an inpatient: from $66.50 to $171.23, with a median of $124.81. The lowest listed price is at Melrosewakefield Healthcare — $58.31 less than the median here. Across Massachusetts, the median is $171.23 at 17 hospitals.
Cash prices at 7 facilities across 5 cities for code 69209, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between — and —.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melrosewakefield Healthcare one side lowest Melrose, MA · (781) 979-3000 HC Removal Impacted Cerumen Irrigation/Lvg Unilat | $66.50 | $95.00 | $16.63–$530.75 | 30% | — source file |
| Cambridge Health Alliance Cambridge, MA · (617) 665-1000 HC Lavage-Rem Impacted Ear Wax | $95.00 | $95.00 | $10.53–$260.00 | — | — source file |
| Boston Medical Center one side Boston, MA · (617) 638-8000 HC Removal Impacted Cerumen Irrigation/Lvg Unilat | $103.95 | $231.00 | $63.92–$695.29 | 55% | — source file |
| Boston Medical Center Brighton one side Boston, MA · (617) 789-3000 HC Removal Impacted Cerumen Irrigation/Lvg Unilat | $124.81 | $277.36 | $63.92–$475.07 | 55% | — source file |
| Lowell General Hospital one side Lowell, MA · (978) 937-6000 HC Removal Impacted Cerumen Irrigation/Lvg Unilat | $143.50 | $205.00 | $63.92–$401.28 | 30% | — source file |
| Tufts Medical Center one side Boston, MA · (617) 636-5000 HC Removal Impacted Cerumen Irrigation/Lvg Unilat | $168.70 | $241.00 | $63.29–$458.90 | 30% | — source file |
| Boston Medical Center South one side Brockton, MA · (508) 427-3000 HC Removal Impacted Cerumen Irrigation/Lvg Unilat | $171.23 | $380.51 | $63.92–$394.86 | 55% | — source file |
Inpatient: lowest $66.50, median $124.81, highest $171.23 — a 2.6× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 8 facilities here, median $134.16 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 7 of 7 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at none is it 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
This code covers rinsing impacted earwax out of one ear with water or saline.
What the price covers
The price is for one ear.