Ear irrigation cost in San Francisco, CA — inpatient
In San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA, 12 hospitals list a cash price for earwax removal by irrigation (rinsing), one ear as an inpatient: from $64.74 to $309.00, with a median of $177.52. The lowest listed price is at Hayward Sisters Hospital — $112.78 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $177.52 at 87 hospitals.
Cash prices at 12 facilities across 11 cities for code 69209, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Feb 23, 2026 and Jul 22, 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 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hayward Sisters Hospital lowest Hayward, CA · (510) 782-6200 RMVL IMPACT EARWAX IRR/LAV UNI | $64.74 | $215.80 | $151.06–$166.17 | 70% | Feb 23, 2026 source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - South San Francisco one side South San Francisco, CA · (650) 742-3200 REMOVAL IMPACTED CERUMEN IRRIGATION/LVG UNILAT | $177.52 | $317.00 | $72.00–$225.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Antioch one side Antioch, CA · (925) 813-6500 REMOVAL IMPACTED CERUMEN IRRIGATION/LVG UNILAT | $177.52 | $317.00 | $72.00–$225.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Leandro one side San Leandro, CA · (510) 454-1000 REMOVAL IMPACTED CERUMEN IRRIGATION/LVG UNILAT | $177.52 | $317.00 | $72.00–$225.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Francisco one side San Francisco, CA · (415) 833-2646 REMOVAL IMPACTED CERUMEN IRRIGATION/LVG UNILAT | $177.52 | $317.00 | $72.00–$225.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Oakland/Richmond one side Oakland, CA · (510) 752-1000 REMOVAL IMPACTED CERUMEN IRRIGATION/LVG UNILAT | $177.52 | $317.00 | $72.00–$225.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Walnut Creek one side Walnut Creek, CA · (925) 295-4000 REMOVAL IMPACTED CERUMEN IRRIGATION/LVG UNILAT | $177.52 | $317.00 | $72.00–$225.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Fremont one side Fremont, CA · (510) 784-4000 REMOVAL IMPACTED CERUMEN IRRIGATION/LVG UNILAT | $177.52 | $317.00 | $72.00–$225.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Redwood City one side Redwood City, CA · (650) 299-2000 REMOVAL IMPACTED CERUMEN IRRIGATION/LVG UNILAT | $177.52 | $317.00 | $72.00–$225.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Rafael one side San Rafael, CA · (415) 444-2000 REMOVAL IMPACTED CERUMEN IRRIGATION/LVG UNILAT | $177.52 | $317.00 | $72.00–$225.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley Pleasanton, CA · (925) 847-3000 Rem Impctd Ear Wax, Irr/Lav | $268.00 | $670.00 | — | 60% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Chinese Hospital Association San Francisco, CA · (415) 677-2480 Removal of impacted ear wax by washing | $309.00 | $309.00 | $11.54–$2,356.00 | — | Jul 22, 2026 source file |
Inpatient: lowest $64.74, median $177.52, highest $309.00 — a 4.8× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 12 facilities here, median $177.52 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
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 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.