Ear irrigation cost in Duluth, MN
In Duluth, MN-WI, 12 hospitals list a cash price for earwax removal by irrigation (rinsing), one ear: from $20.16 to $120.12, with a median of $71.94. The lowest listed price is at Community Memorial Hospital — $51.78 less than the median here. Across Minnesota, the median is $77.42 at 76 hospitals.
- The median here, $71.94, is 32% below the US median of $105.95.
- That is 1.2× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($60.27).
- Duluth, MN has the lowest median of 2 metro areas in Minnesota with at least 10 hospitals pricing this code.
- Every hospital here lists a cash price below its full list price.
Cash prices at 12 facilities across 9 cities for code 69209, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 27, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Jan 1, 2026 and Sep 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 Duluth, MN-WI.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Community Memorial Hospital lowest Cloquet, MN · (218) 879-4641 FP-REMV IMPCT CERUM,IRRIG W/FC File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $20.16 | $31.50 | $10.50–$176.00 | 36% |
| Community Memorial Hospital Cloquet, MN · (218) 879-4641 ENT-REMV IMPACT CERUMEN,IRR,FC+4 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $26.88 | $42.00 | $10.50–$176.00 | 36% |
| Community Memorial Hospital Cloquet, MN · (218) 879-4641 WC PC-REMV IMPACT CERUMN,IRRIG File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $28.80 | $45.00 | $10.50–$176.00 | 36% |
| Ely-Bloomenson Community Hospital Ely, MN · (218) 365-3271 Removal of impacted ear wax by washing File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $29.97 | $37.00 | $12.65–$37.00 | 19% |
| Range Regional Health Services one side Hibbing, MN · (218) 362-6730 HC REMOVAL IMPACTED CERUMEN IRRIGATION/LVG UNILAT File of Jan 29, 2026 · source file | $30.19 | $71.03 | $24.51–$130.85 | 57% |
| Essentia Health Virginia one side Virginia, MN · (218) 741-3340 REMOVAL IMPACTED CERUMEN IRRIGATION/LVG UNILAT File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $68.45 | $109.00 | $25.07–$98.54 | 37% |
| Essentia Health St. Mary's Medical Center one side Duluth, MN · (218) 786-3574 REMOVAL IMPACTED CERUMEN IRRIGATION/LVG UNILAT File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $71.94 | $109.00 | $36.08–$93.74 | 34% |
| Essentia Health Duluth one side Duluth, MN · (218) 786-2652 REMOVAL IMPACTED CERUMEN IRRIGATION/LVG UNILAT File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $71.94 | $109.00 | $36.08–$93.74 | 34% |
| Essentia Health St. Mary's Children's Hospital one side Duluth, MN REMOVAL IMPACTED CERUMEN IRRIGATION/LVG UNILAT File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $71.94 | $109.00 | $36.08–$93.74 | 34% |
| Essentia Health Moose Lake one side Moose Lake, MN · (218) 786-1367 REMOVAL IMPACTED CERUMEN IRRIGATION/LVG UNILAT File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $80.55 | $109.00 | $43.38–$98.64 | 26% |
| Essentia Health Northern Pines one side Aurora, MN · (218) 229-4222 REMOVAL IMPACTED CERUMEN IRRIGATION/LVG UNILAT File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $80.55 | $109.00 | $41.85–$109.00 | 26% |
| Essentia Health St Marys Hospital-Superior one side Superior, WI · (715) 817-7000 REMOVAL IMPACTED CERUMEN IRRIGATION/LVG UNILAT File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $80.55 | $109.00 | $34.88–$98.64 | 26% |
| Aspirus St. Luke’s Hospital one side Duluth, MN · (218) 249-2449 Fac Removal Impacted Cerumen Irrigation/Lvg Unilat File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $88.67 | $163.00 | — | 46% |
| Community Memorial Hospital Cloquet, MN · (218) 879-4641 WC TC-REMOV IMPCT CERUMN,IRRIG File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $112.64 | $176.00 | $10.50–$176.00 | 36% |
| The Cook Hospital Cook, MN · (218) 666-5945 REMVL IMPCTD CERMN W/IRR UNI File of Aug 10, 2026 · source file | $120.12 | $182.00 | $286.00 | 34% |
| Aspirus St. Luke’s Hospital both sides Duluth, MN · (218) 249-2449 Fac Removal Impacted Cerumen Irrigation/Lvg Unilat|BILATERAL PROCEDURE File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $133.01 | $244.50 | — | 46% |
Outpatient: lowest $20.16, median $71.94, highest $120.12 — a 6.0× difference within the same market.
Both sides : lowest $133.01, median $133.01, highest $133.01.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 4 facilities here, median $59.43. 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 11 of 11 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 1 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 ear irrigation is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Ear irrigation explained.
1 row held back from this comparison
It is priced below $1 or below a tenth of the national median for code 69209 ($101.50). 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.
| Hospital | Cash price | File |
|---|---|---|
| Community Memorial Hospital Cloquet, MNFP-SC FC,RMV IMPCT CERUM,IRRIG | $6.72 | file |