Earwax removal cost in Boston, MA
In Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH, 8 hospitals list a cash price for earwax removal with instruments, one ear: from $114.15 to $345.91, with a median of $152.23. The lowest listed price is at Boston Medical Center South — $38.08 less than the median here. Across Massachusetts, the median is $165.05 at 18 hospitals.
Cash prices at 8 facilities across 5 cities for code 69210, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Medical Center South one side lowest Brockton, MA · (508) 427-3000 HC Removal Impacted Cerumen Instrumentation Unilat | $114.15 | $253.66 | $63.92–$394.86 | 55% | — source file |
| Boston Medical Center Brighton one side Boston, MA · (617) 789-3000 HC Removal Impacted Cerumen Instrumentation Unilat | $134.68 | $299.28 | $63.92–$475.07 | 55% | — source file |
| Lowell General Hospital one side Lowell, MA · (978) 937-6000 HC Removal Impacted Cerumen Instrumentation Unilat | $143.50 | $205.00 | $31.96–$401.28 | 30% | — source file |
| Boston Medical Center one side Boston, MA · (617) 638-8000 HC Removal Impacted Cerumen Instrumentation Unilat | $144.45 | $321.00 | $63.92–$695.29 | 55% | — source file |
| Cambridge Health Alliance Cambridge, MA · (617) 665-1000 HC Ear Irrigation Removal Impacted Cerumen Earwax | $160.00 | $160.00 | $22.06–$260.00 | — | — source file |
| Melrosewakefield Healthcare one side Melrose, MA · (781) 979-3000 HC Removal Impacted Cerumen Instrumentation Unilat | $170.10 | $243.00 | $63.92–$530.75 | 30% | — source file |
| Tufts Medical Center one side Boston, MA · (617) 636-5000 HC Removal Impacted Cerumen Instrumentation Unilat | $216.30 | $309.00 | $31.96–$463.50 | 30% | — source file |
| Shriners Childrens - Boston Boston, MA · (617) 722-3000 REMOVE IMPACTED EAR WAX UNI | $345.91 | $345.91 | $13.13–$1,525.00 | — | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $114.15, median $152.23, highest $345.91 — a 3.0× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 7 facilities here, median $144.45. 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 8 of 8 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 removal of impacted earwax by a clinician with instruments such as a curette or suction, for one ear. Rinsing the ear uses a different code (69209).
What the price covers
The price is for one ear. Both ears may be billed twice.