Ear tubes, local anesthesia cost in Buffalo, NY
In Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY, 4 hospitals list a cash price for ear tube placement (tympanostomy) with local anesthesia, one ear: from $1,089.00 to $3,710.00, with a median of $1,089.00. The lowest listed price is at Mercy Hospital of Buffalo and 2 other hospitals. Across New York, the median is $1,080.00 at 34 hospitals.
Cash prices at 4 facilities across 2 cities for code 69433, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Aug 25, 2026 and Aug 25, 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 Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercy Hospital of Buffalo lowest Buffalo, NY · (716) 826-7000 HC Pbb Create Eardrum Opening,Local Anesth | $1,089.00 | $1,089.00 | $39.70–$1,090.82 | — | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital of Buffalo one side Buffalo, NY · (716) 826-7000 HC Pbb Create Eardrum Opening,Local Anesth-Lt | $1,089.00 | $1,089.00 | $39.70–$1,090.82 | — | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital of Buffalo one side Buffalo, NY · (716) 826-7000 HC Pbb Create Eardrum Opening,Local Anesth-Rt | $1,089.00 | $1,089.00 | $39.70–$1,090.82 | — | — source file |
| Mount St. Mary's Hospital one side Lewiston, NY · (716) 297-4800 HC Pbb Create Eardrum Opening,Local Anesth-Rt | $1,089.00 | $1,089.00 | $39.70–$1,633.50 | — | — source file |
| Mount St. Mary's Hospital one side Lewiston, NY · (716) 297-4800 HC Pbb Create Eardrum Opening,Local Anesth-Lt | $1,089.00 | $1,089.00 | $39.70–$1,633.50 | — | — source file |
| Sisters of Charity Hospital lowest Buffalo, NY · (716) 862-1000 HC Pbb Create Eardrum Opening,Local Anesth | $1,089.00 | $1,089.00 | $22.76–$1,090.82 | — | — source file |
| Sisters of Charity Hospital one side Buffalo, NY · (716) 862-1000 HC Pbb Create Eardrum Opening,Local Anesth-Lt | $1,089.00 | $1,089.00 | $22.76–$1,090.82 | — | — source file |
| Sisters of Charity Hospital one side Buffalo, NY · (716) 862-1000 HC Pbb Create Eardrum Opening,Local Anesth-Rt | $1,089.00 | $1,089.00 | $22.76–$1,090.82 | — | — source file |
| Mount St. Mary's Hospital lowest Lewiston, NY · (716) 297-4800 HC Pbb Create Eardrum Opening,Local Anesth | $1,089.00 | $1,089.00 | $39.70–$1,633.50 | — | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital of Buffalo Buffalo, NY · (716) 826-7000 Tympanostomy Local/Topical Anesthesia | $1,491.72 | $1,491.72 | $39.70–$1,090.82 | — | — source file |
| Mount St. Mary's Hospital Lewiston, NY · (716) 297-4800 Tympanostomy Local/Topical Anesthesia | $1,491.72 | $1,491.72 | $39.70–$1,633.50 | — | — source file |
| Sisters of Charity Hospital Buffalo, NY · (716) 862-1000 Tympanostomy Local/Topical Anesthesia | $1,491.72 | $1,491.72 | $22.76–$1,090.82 | — | — source file |
| Erie County Medical Center Buffalo, NY · (716) 898-3936 CREATE EARDRUM OPENING | $3,710.00 | — | $169.13–$6,032.00 | — | Aug 25, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $1,089.00, median $1,089.00, highest $3,710.00 — a 3.4× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 3 facilities here, median $1,089.00. 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 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 placing a small tube in the eardrum while awake, with numbing medicine, usually in older children or adults.
What the price covers
The price covers the procedure and the tube. The office visit may be billed separately.