Ear irrigation cost in Seattle, WA
In Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA, 10 hospitals list a cash price for earwax removal by irrigation (rinsing), one ear: from $102.00 to $179.92, with a median of $112.29. The lowest listed price is at Seattle Children's Hospital — $10.29 less than the median here. Across Washington, the median is $111.36 at 48 hospitals.
- The median here, $112.29, is 6% above the US median of $105.95.
- That is 1.9× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($60.27).
- 1 of 10 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Cash prices at 10 facilities across 7 cities for code 69209, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Nov 6, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Jan 1, 2026 and Apr 14, 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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle Children's Hospital lowest Seattle, WA · (206) 987-2000 Rmvl Impacted Ear Wax Using Irrigation/Lavage File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $102.00 | $102.00 | $25.70–$146.78 | — |
| Overlake Medical Center & Clinics Bellevue, WA · (425) 688-5000 Hc Rem Impact Cerumen/Lavage, Uni File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $104.00 | $208.00 | — | 50% |
| Swedish Medical Center Seattle, WA · (206) 386-6000 HC ED REMOVE IMPACTED EAR WAX UNI CDM File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $111.36 | $232.00 | — | 52% |
| Swedish Issaquah Issaquah, WA · (425) 313-4000 HC ED REMOVE IMPACTED EAR WAX UNI CDM File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $111.36 | $232.00 | — | 52% |
| Swedish Medical Center / Cherry Hill Seattle, WA · (206) 320-2000 HC ED REMOVE IMPACTED EAR WAX UNI CDM File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $111.36 | $232.00 | — | 52% |
| Virginia Mason Medical Center Seattle, WA · (206) 223-6600 REMOVE IMPACTED EAR WAX UNI+1 more line at this price File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $113.22 | $222.00 | $133.20–$177.60 | 49% |
| Snoqualmie Valley Hospital Snoqualmie, WA · (425) 831-2300 Facility Fee HC REM IMPACT CERUMEN/LAVAGE, UNI File of Apr 14, 2026 · source file | $133.46 | $230.10 | $20.34–$230.10 | 42% |
| Valley Medical Center one side Renton, WA · (425) 228-3450 Removal Impacted Cerumen Irrigation/Lvg Unilat+1 more line at this price File of Mar 12, 2026 · source file | $161.70 | $231.00 | — | 30% |
| Cascade Valley Hospital Arlington, WA · (360) 435-2133 HC REMOVAL CERUMEN - IRRIGATION File of Mar 26, 2026 · source file | $165.60 | $207.00 | $17.60–$231.67 | 20% |
| Providence Regional Medical Center Everett Everett, WA · (425) 261-2000 HC ED REMOVE IMPACTED EAR WAX UNI CDM File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $179.92 | $346.00 | — | 48% |
| Swedish Medical Center / Cherry Hill Seattle, WA · (206) 320-2000 HC ED REMOVE IMPACTED EAR WAX UNI CDM File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $204.00 | $425.00 | — | 52% |
| Swedish Medical Center Seattle, WA · (206) 386-6000 HC ED REMOVE IMPACTED EAR WAX UNI CDM File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $204.00 | $425.00 | — | 52% |
| Swedish Issaquah Issaquah, WA · (425) 313-4000 HC ED REMOVE IMPACTED EAR WAX UNI CDM File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $204.00 | $425.00 | — | 52% |
| Seattle Children's Hospital one side Seattle, WA · (206) 987-2000 Rmvl Impacted Ear Wax Using Irrigation/Lavage|LEFT SIDE File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $227.00 | — | — | — |
| Seattle Children's Hospital Seattle, WA · (206) 987-2000 Rmvl Impacted Ear Wax Using Irrigation/Lavage File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $228.00 | — | — | — |
Outpatient: lowest $102.00, median $112.29, highest $179.92 — a 1.8× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 9 facilities here, median $161.70. 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 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.