Surgery and procedures CPT 69436 Inpatient — admitted to hospital

Ear tubes surgery cost in Seaford, DE — inpatient

In Seaford, DE, 1 hospital lists a cash price for ear tube placement (tympanostomy) under general anesthesia, one ear as an inpatient: from $2,000.00 to $2,000.00, with a median of $2,000.00. Across Delaware, the median is $4,220.00 at 2 hospitals.

Cash prices at 1 facility for code 69436, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between — and —.

Lowest$2,000.00TidalHealth Nanticoke
Median$2,000.00half pay less
Highest$2,000.00in this market
Difference1.0×highest vs lowest

Hospitals, cheapest first

HospitalCash price List priceInsurers payOff listFile date
TidalHealth Nanticoke Seaford, DE · (302) 629-6611 CREATE EARDRUM OPENING $2,000.00 $2,000.00 $4,216.61 — —
source file

Inpatient: lowest $2,000.00, median $2,000.00, highest $2,000.00.

As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 1 facility here, median $2,000.00 — 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 and 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.