Ear tubes surgery cost in Charlotte, NC
In Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC, 11 hospitals list a cash price for ear tube placement (tympanostomy) under general anesthesia, one ear: from $3,006.50 to $4,551.00, with a median of $3,006.50. The lowest listed price is at Carolinas Medical Center and 7 other hospitals. Across North Carolina, the median is $3,006.50 at 16 hospitals.
Cash prices at 11 facilities across 8 cities for code 69436, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Dec 1, 2025 and May 11, 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 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carolinas Medical Center lowest Charlotte, NC · (704) 355-2000 HC CREATE EARDRUM OPENING,GEN ANESTH | $3,006.50 | $6,013.00 | $879.37–$5,411.70 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center lowest Charlotte, NC · (704) 355-2000 HC CREATE EARDRUM OPENING,GEN ANESTH | $3,006.50 | $6,013.00 | $879.37–$5,411.70 | 50% | Dec 4, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center lowest Charlotte, NC · (704) 355-2000 HC CREATE EARDRUM OPENING,GEN ANESTH | $3,006.50 | $6,013.00 | $879.37–$5,531.96 | 50% | Dec 4, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center lowest Charlotte, NC · (704) 355-2000 HC CREATE EARDRUM OPENING,GEN ANESTH | $3,006.50 | $6,013.00 | $1,142.47–$6,013.00 | 50% | Dec 4, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Rehabilitation lowest Charlotte, NC HC CREATE EARDRUM OPENING,GEN ANESTH | $3,006.50 | $6,013.00 | $1,510.91–$5,531.96 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Rehabilitation lowest Belmont, NC HC CREATE EARDRUM OPENING,GEN ANESTH | $3,006.50 | $6,013.00 | $1,510.91–$5,531.96 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Anson lowest Wadesboro, NC · (704) 694-5131 HC CREATE EARDRUM OPENING,GEN ANESTH | $3,006.50 | $6,013.00 | $899.54–$5,712.35 | 50% | Dec 1, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Lincoln lowest Lincolnton, NC · (980) 212-2000 HC CREATE EARDRUM OPENING,GEN ANESTH | $3,006.50 | $6,013.00 | $678.27–$5,712.35 | 50% | Dec 1, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Union lowest Monroe, NC · (704) 283-3100 HC CREATE EARDRUM OPENING,GEN ANESTH | $3,006.50 | $6,013.00 | $781.69–$5,712.35 | 50% | Dec 4, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Pineville lowest Charlotte, NC · (704) 379-5000 HC CREATE EARDRUM OPENING,GEN ANESTH | $3,006.50 | $6,013.00 | $601.30–$5,531.96 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Pineville lowest Charlotte, NC · (704) 379-5000 HC CREATE EARDRUM OPENING,GEN ANESTH | $3,006.50 | $6,013.00 | $601.30–$5,832.61 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center-Northeast lowest Concord, NC · (704) 783-3000 HC CREATE EARDRUM OPENING,GEN ANESTH | $3,006.50 | $6,013.00 | $737.80–$5,712.35 | 50% | Dec 1, 2025 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital one side Belmont, NC HCHG ASC TYMPANOSTOMY- UNILATERAL | $4,551.00 | $4,551.00 | $684.93–$6,824.00 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital one side Mount Holly, NC HCHG ASC TYMPANOSTOMY- UNILATERAL | $4,551.00 | $4,551.00 | $684.93–$6,824.00 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital one side Gastonia, NC · (704) 834-4891 HCHG ASC TYMPANOSTOMY- UNILATERAL | $4,551.00 | $4,551.00 | $684.93–$6,824.00 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $3,006.50, median $3,006.50, highest $4,551.00 — a 1.5× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 11 facilities here, median $3,006.50. 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 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 procedure makes a tiny opening in the eardrum and places a small tube to let air in and fluid drain out of the middle ear. It is most often done in children with repeated ear infections or lasting fluid behind the eardrum.
What the price covers
The facility price covers the operating room and recovery. The surgeon and anesthesia are usually billed separately, and the code is for one ear.