Surgery and procedures CPT 69209 Inpatient — admitted to hospital

Ear irrigation cost in Charlotte, NC — inpatient

In Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC, 13 hospitals list a cash price for earwax removal by irrigation (rinsing), one ear as an inpatient: from $171.43 to $907.00, with a median of $171.43. The lowest listed price is at Carolinas Medical Center and 7 other hospitals. Across North Carolina, the median is $119.20 at 36 hospitals.

Cash prices at 13 facilities across 10 cities for code 69209, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Dec 1, 2025 and May 11, 2026.

Lowest$171.43Carolinas Medical Center + 7 more
Median$171.43half pay less
Highest$907.00in this market
Difference5.3×highest vs lowest

Where each hospital's price falls

Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC.

median
Lowest $171.43Highest $907.00
one sideboth sides

Hospitals, cheapest first

HospitalCash price List priceInsurers payOff listFile date
Carolinas Medical Center lowest Charlotte, NC · (704) 355-2000 HC ER REMOVAL CERUMEN VIA IRRIGATION $171.43 $342.85 $103.88–$308.57 50% Dec 5, 2025
source file
Carolinas Medical Center-Northeast lowest Concord, NC · (704) 783-3000 HC ER REMOVAL CERUMEN VIA IRRIGATION $171.43 $342.85 $103.88–$325.71 50% Dec 1, 2025
source file
Carolinas Medical Center lowest Charlotte, NC · (704) 355-2000 HC CERUMEN REMOVAL IRRIG/LAVAGE AMB $171.43 $342.85 $103.88–$308.57 50% Dec 4, 2025
source file
Carolinas Medical Center lowest Charlotte, NC · (704) 355-2000 HC ER REMOVAL CERUMEN VIA IRRIGATION $171.43 $342.85 $103.88–$308.57 50% Dec 4, 2025
source file
Carolinas Medical Center lowest Charlotte, NC · (704) 355-2000 HC ER REMOVAL CERUMEN VIA IRRIGATION $171.43 $342.85 $103.88–$315.42 50% Dec 4, 2025
source file
Carolinas Medical Center lowest Charlotte, NC · (704) 355-2000 HC CERUMEN REMOVAL IRRIG/LAVAGE AMB $171.43 $342.85 $103.88–$315.42 50% Dec 4, 2025
source file
Carolinas Medical Center lowest Charlotte, NC · (704) 355-2000 HC CERUMEN REMOVAL IRRIG/LAVAGE AMB $171.43 $342.85 $106.28–$301.71 50% Dec 4, 2025
source file
Carolinas Medical Center lowest Charlotte, NC · (704) 355-2000 HC ER REMOVAL CERUMEN VIA IRRIGATION $171.43 $342.85 $106.28–$301.71 50% Dec 4, 2025
source file
Carolinas Medical Center lowest Charlotte, NC · (704) 355-2000 HC CERUMEN REMOVAL IRRIG/LAVAGE AMB $171.43 $342.85 $103.88–$308.57 50% Dec 5, 2025
source file
Carolinas Rehabilitation lowest Charlotte, NC HC ER REMOVAL CERUMEN VIA IRRIGATION $171.43 $342.85 $114.85–$315.42 50% Dec 5, 2025
source file
Carolinas Rehabilitation lowest Charlotte, NC HC CERUMEN REMOVAL IRRIG/LAVAGE AMB $171.43 $342.85 $114.85–$315.42 50% Dec 5, 2025
source file
Carolinas Rehabilitation lowest Belmont, NC HC CERUMEN REMOVAL IRRIG/LAVAGE AMB $171.43 $342.85 $114.85–$315.42 50% Dec 5, 2025
source file
Carolinas Rehabilitation lowest Belmont, NC HC ER REMOVAL CERUMEN VIA IRRIGATION $171.43 $342.85 $114.85–$315.42 50% Dec 5, 2025
source file
Atrium Health Anson lowest Wadesboro, NC · (704) 694-5131 HC ER REMOVAL CERUMEN VIA IRRIGATION $171.43 $342.85 $103.88–$325.71 50% Dec 1, 2025
source file
Atrium Health Anson lowest Wadesboro, NC · (704) 694-5131 HC CERUMEN REMOVAL IRRIG/LAVAGE AMB $171.43 $342.85 $103.88–$325.71 50% Dec 1, 2025
source file
Atrium Health Lincoln lowest Lincolnton, NC · (980) 212-2000 HC CERUMEN REMOVAL IRRIG/LAVAGE AMB $171.43 $342.85 $98.30–$325.71 50% Dec 1, 2025
source file
Atrium Health Lincoln lowest Lincolnton, NC · (980) 212-2000 HC ER REMOVAL CERUMEN VIA IRRIGATION $171.43 $342.85 $98.30–$325.71 50% Dec 1, 2025
source file
Atrium Health Union lowest Monroe, NC · (704) 283-3100 HC CERUMEN REMOVAL IRRIG/LAVAGE AMB $171.43 $342.85 $103.88–$325.71 50% Dec 4, 2025
source file
Atrium Health Union lowest Monroe, NC · (704) 283-3100 HC ER REMOVAL CERUMEN VIA IRRIGATION $171.43 $342.85 $103.88–$325.71 50% Dec 4, 2025
source file
Atrium Health Pineville lowest Charlotte, NC · (704) 379-5000 HC CERUMEN REMOVAL IRRIG/LAVAGE AMB $171.43 $342.85 $103.88–$315.42 50% Dec 5, 2025
source file
Atrium Health Pineville lowest Charlotte, NC · (704) 379-5000 HC ER REMOVAL CERUMEN VIA IRRIGATION $171.43 $342.85 $103.88–$315.42 50% Dec 5, 2025
source file
Atrium Health Pineville lowest Charlotte, NC · (704) 379-5000 HC CERUMEN REMOVAL IRRIG/LAVAGE AMB $171.43 $342.85 $103.88–$315.42 50% Dec 5, 2025
source file
Atrium Health Pineville lowest Charlotte, NC · (704) 379-5000 HC ER REMOVAL CERUMEN VIA IRRIGATION $171.43 $342.85 $103.88–$315.42 50% Dec 5, 2025
source file
Carolinas Medical Center-Northeast lowest Concord, NC · (704) 783-3000 HC CERUMEN REMOVAL IRRIG/LAVAGE AMB $171.43 $342.85 $103.88–$325.71 50% Dec 1, 2025
source file
MUSC Lancaster Medical Center one side Lancaster, SC · (803) 286-1481 HB IRRIGATE / LAVAGE IMPACTED CERUMEN; UNILAT $189.00 $378.00 — 50% Apr 1, 2026
source file
Gaston Memorial Hospital Belmont, NC HCHG REMV IMPACTD CERUMN UNIL IRRIGN $360.00 $360.00 $285.12–$342.00 — May 11, 2026
source file
Gaston Memorial Hospital Gastonia, NC · (704) 834-4891 HCHG REMV IMPACTD CERUMN UNIL IRRIGN $360.00 $360.00 $285.12–$342.00 — May 11, 2026
source file
Gaston Memorial Hospital Mount Holly, NC HCHG REMV IMPACTD CERUMN UNIL IRRIGN $360.00 $360.00 — — May 11, 2026
source file
MUSC Chester Regional Medical Center one side Chester, SC · (803) 581-3151 HB IRRIGATE / LAVAGE IMPACTED CERUMEN; UNILAT $907.00 $1,814.00 — 50% Apr 1, 2026
source file
Gaston Memorial Hospital both sides Gastonia, NC · (704) 834-4891 HCHG REMV IMPACTD CERUMN BILAT IRRIGN $720.00 $720.00 $540.00–$684.00 — May 11, 2026
source file
Gaston Memorial Hospital both sides Mount Holly, NC HCHG REMV IMPACTD CERUMN BILAT IRRIGN $720.00 $720.00 — — May 11, 2026
source file
Gaston Memorial Hospital both sides Belmont, NC HCHG REMV IMPACTD CERUMN BILAT IRRIGN $720.00 $720.00 $540.00–$684.00 — May 11, 2026
source file

Inpatient: lowest $171.43, median $171.43, highest $907.00 — a 5.3× difference within the same market.

Both sides : lowest $720.00, median $720.00, highest $720.00.

The two groups are not comparable and are not averaged together: a price for both sides of the body covers twice the work. Merging them is how a single published "median" ends up far above what one side actually costs.

As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 13 facilities here, median $171.43 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.

Cash or insurance?

At 8 of 10 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.