Ear tubes surgery cost in St. Louis, MO
In St. Louis, MO-IL, 4 hospitals list a cash price for ear tube placement (tympanostomy) under general anesthesia, one ear: from $3,296.70 to $8,178.68, with a median of $3,757.75. The lowest listed price is at Mercy Hospital South — $461.05 less than the median here. Across Missouri, the median is $3,295.61 at 14 hospitals.
Cash prices at 4 facilities across 3 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 — 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 St. Louis, MO-IL.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercy Hospital South lowest Saint Louis, MO · (314) 525-1000 Tympanostomy With Tube Placement | $3,296.70 | $5,071.84 | $139.30–$2,462.41 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Washington Washington, MO Tympanostomy With Tube Placement | $3,656.84 | $5,625.91 | $1,524.56–$1,942.61 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital St Louis Saint Louis, MO Tympanostomy With Tube Placement | $3,858.65 | $5,936.38 | $3,897.00–$7,801.00 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Jefferson Festus, MO Tympanostomy With Tube Placement | $8,178.68 | $12,582.59 | $139.30–$2,462.41 | 35% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $3,296.70, median $3,757.75, highest $8,178.68 — a 2.5× difference within the same market.
Cash or insurance?
At 1 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 1 it is 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.