Ear tubes surgery cost in Duluth, MN — inpatient
In Duluth, MN-WI, 2 hospitals list a cash price for ear tube placement (tympanostomy) under general anesthesia, one ear as an inpatient: from $308.55 to $547.81, with a median of $428.18. The lowest listed price is at Range Regional Health Services — $119.63 less than the median here. Across Minnesota, the median is $996.27 at 14 hospitals.
Cash prices at 2 facilities across 2 cities for code 69436, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Jan 29, 2026 and Apr 1, 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 Duluth, MN-WI.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Range Regional Health Services lowest Hibbing, MN · (218) 362-6730 PR CREATE EARDRUM OPENING,GEN ANESTH | $308.55 | $726.00 | $110.69–$1,450.44 | 58% | Jan 29, 2026 source file |
| Aspirus St. Luke’s Hospital Duluth, MN · (218) 249-2449 TYMPANOSTOMY GENERAL ANESTHESIA | $547.81 | $1,007.00 | — | 46% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Aspirus St. Luke’s Hospital Duluth, MN · (218) 249-2449 Pro Tmpst Anes | $547.81 | $1,007.00 | — | 46% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Aspirus St. Luke’s Hospital both sides Duluth, MN · (218) 249-2449 Pro Tmpst Anes|BILATERAL PROCEDURE | $821.71 | $1,510.50 | — | 46% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
Inpatient: lowest $308.55, median $428.18, highest $547.81 — a 1.8× difference within the same market.
Both sides : lowest $821.71, median $821.71, highest $821.71.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 2 facilities here, median $428.18 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At the one hospital here that publishes insurer rates for this code, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated. 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.
1 row held back from this comparison
It is priced below $1 or below a tenth of the national median for code 69436 ($1,743.00). Such a line is almost always a physician's fee billed separately, an assistant's share or a placeholder — a real charge, but not the price of the procedure itself.
| Range Regional Health Services Hibbing, MNAS CREATE EARDRUM OPENING,GEN ANESTH | $38.25 | file |