Ear tubes surgery cost in Minneapolis, MN
In Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI, 12 hospitals list a cash price for ear tube placement (tympanostomy) under general anesthesia, one ear: from $374.51 to $2,762.69, with a median of $1,495.11. The lowest listed price is at Westfields Hospital — $1,120.60 less than the median here. Across Minnesota, the median is $996.27 at 14 hospitals.
Cash prices at 12 facilities across 11 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 Jan 29, 2026 and May 18, 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 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westfields Hospital lowest New Richmond, WI · (715) 246-2101 Tympanostomy | $374.51 | $712.00 | $179.62–$3,784.90 | 47% | — source file |
| Fairview Lakes Health Services Wyoming, MN · (952) 892-2101 PR CREATE EARDRUM OPENING,GEN ANESTH | $410.06 | $654.00 | $110.69–$775.76 | 37% | Feb 5, 2026 source file |
| Fairview Northland Regional Hospital Princeton, MN · (952) 892-2101 PR CREATE EARDRUM OPENING,GEN ANESTH | $410.06 | $654.00 | $110.69–$775.76 | 37% | Jan 29, 2026 source file |
| Childrens Health Care Minneapolis, MN · (612) 813-6112 69436 Tympanostomy and Tube with General Anesthesia | $601.00 | $601.00 | $109.77–$601.00 | — | May 7, 2026 source file |
| Fairview Maple Grove Surgery Center Maple Grove, MN HC CREATE EARDRUM OPENING,GEN ANESTH | $844.11 | $2,105.00 | $665.07–$2,076.00 | 60% | May 18, 2026 source file |
| Methodist Hospital St. Louis Park, MN Tympanostomy General Anesthesia | $1,148.42 | $4,417.00 | $621.00–$3,312.75 | 74% | — source file |
| Fairview Lakes Health Services Wyoming, MN · (952) 892-2101 HC CREATE EARDRUM OPENING,GEN ANESTH | $1,841.80 | $4,593.00 | $980.00–$4,133.70 | 60% | Feb 5, 2026 source file |
| Fairview Bethesda Hospital St. Paul, MN HC CREATE EARDRUM OPENING,GEN ANESTH | $1,841.80 | $4,593.00 | $1,134.47–$4,133.70 | 60% | Jan 29, 2026 source file |
| M Health Fairview Ridges Hospital Burnsville, MN · (952) 892-2000 HC CREATE EARDRUM OPENING,GEN ANESTH | $1,952.03 | $4,593.00 | $980.00–$4,133.70 | 57% | Feb 6, 2026 source file |
| M Health Fairview University of Mn Medical Center Minneapolis, MN · (612) 624-1765 Outpatient Services | $2,762.69 | $6,889.50 | $338.87–$6,200.55 | 60% | Feb 6, 2026 source file |
| Fairview Northland Regional Hospital Princeton, MN · (952) 892-2101 HC CREATE EARDRUM OPENING,GEN ANESTH | $2,762.69 | $6,889.50 | $980.00–$6,200.55 | 60% | Jan 29, 2026 source file |
| M Health Fairview Southdale Hospital Edina, MN · (952) 924-5000 HC CREATE EARDRUM OPENING,GEN ANESTH | $2,762.69 | $6,889.50 | $980.00–$6,200.55 | 60% | Feb 6, 2026 source file |
| HealthEast St John's Hospital Maplewood, MN · (651) 232-7000 HC CREATE EARDRUM OPENING,GEN ANESTH | $2,762.69 | $6,889.50 | $980.00–$6,200.55 | 60% | Feb 5, 2026 source file |
| HealthEast Woodwinds Hospital Woodbury, MN · (651) 232-2185 HC CREATE EARDRUM OPENING,GEN ANESTH | $2,762.69 | $6,889.50 | $980.00–$6,200.55 | 60% | Feb 5, 2026 source file |
| M Health Fairview University of Mn Medical Center Minneapolis, MN · (612) 624-1765 HC CREATE EARDRUM OPENING,GEN ANESTH | $2,762.69 | $6,889.50 | $338.87–$6,200.55 | 60% | Feb 6, 2026 source file |
| Childrens Health Care Minneapolis, MN · (612) 813-6112 TYMPNOSTMY W/ TUBE W/ ANESTH-SSU | $3,808.00 | $3,808.00 | $554.77–$3,808.00 | — | May 7, 2026 source file |
| Childrens Health Care Minneapolis, MN · (612) 813-6112 TYMPNOSTMY W/ TUBE W/ ANESTH | $3,808.00 | $3,808.00 | $554.77–$3,808.00 | — | May 7, 2026 source file |
| Childrens Health Care Minneapolis, MN · (612) 813-6112 TYMPNOSTMY W/ TUBE W/ANESTH-CV | $6,409.00 | $6,409.00 | $554.77–$6,409.00 | — | May 7, 2026 source file |
| Childrens Health Care Minneapolis, MN · (612) 813-6112 TYMPNOSTMY W/ TUBE W/ANESTH-SURG | $6,409.00 | $6,409.00 | $554.77–$6,409.00 | — | May 7, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $374.51, median $1,495.11, highest $2,762.69 — a 7.4× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 12 facilities here, median $1,841.80. 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 12 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.
3 rows held back from this comparison
They are 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.
| HealthEast St John's Hospital Maplewood, MNAS CREATE EARDRUM OPENING,GEN ANESTH | $99.07 | file |
| M Health Fairview University of Mn Medical Center Minneapolis, MNAS CREATE EARDRUM OPENING,GEN ANESTH | $108.90 | file |
| Regions Hospital St. Paul, MNTympanostomy | $152.10 | file |