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Middle Ear Exploration Through Ear Canal

North Carolina rates for HCPCS 69440

A surgeon reaches the middle ear through a small incision in the ear canal or behind the ear, then lifts the eardrum aside without cutting through it to view the small bones and structures of the middle ear directly, checking for damage, fluid, or other abnormalities. A small tissue sample can be taken during the same visit if something suspicious is found. This approach gives a much closer view than what can be seen from outside the ear alone.

Rates data updated July 2026.

How much does Middle Ear Exploration Through Ear Canal cost?

$2,551

Typical total for the visit. In North Carolina, July 2026.

Insurers have agreed to pay about $2,551 for this procedure. That total is two separate charges: $891 to the doctor who performs it, and $1,660 to the hospital or surgery center where it takes place. Done somewhere without a facility charge, you pay only the first.

These are rates insurers have negotiated with providers, not the amount a patient is billed. What you owe depends on your plan's deductible and coinsurance. Based on rates published by 6 insurance carriers under federal price transparency rules.

What's inside this number

Part of the billTypicalRange
Physician feeThe doctor who performs it$891$676 to $1,318
Facility feeThe hospital or surgery center$1,660$955 to $6,457

How much rates vary

Facilitymedian $1,660 · 10th to 90th $676 to $8,710Professionalmedian $891 · 10th to 90th $661 to $1,950
$500.0$1.0K$2.0K$5.0K$10.0K$20.0K$50.0Kfacility $1,660professional $891

Distribution of negotiated rates across all payers (price axis is log-scale). Each curve is scaled to its own total: facility and professional rates are different services, shown together to compare where they cluster. Need provider-level prices or 24+ months of history? Contact us.

Rates by insurance carrier

Insurance Carrier
Aetna
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$676.08
Median
$2,398.83
Typical High
$8,709.64
Aetna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$645.65
Median
$758.58
Typical High
$1,698.24
BCBS
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$776.25
Median
$1,174.90
Typical High
$1,949.84
Cigna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$724.44
Median
$1,023.29
Typical High
$1,698.24
Medcost
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$676.08
Median
$891.25
Typical High
$1,348.96
Medcost
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$562.34
Median
$562.34
Typical High
$1,737.80
United
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$2,951.21
Median
$6,760.83
Typical High
$12,882.50
United
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$616.60
Median
$812.83
Typical High
$1,584.89
Wellcare
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$8,317.64
Median
$8,317.64
Typical High
$45,708.82
Wellcare
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$5,011.87
Median
$5,011.87
Typical High
$5,754.40

Where North Carolina sits

The same service costs 6.7 times more in South Carolina than in West Virginia. Every bar is a state, most expensive first. Pick one to see its carriers and full range.

Physician feeFacility feeNorth Carolina $2,551 · 45th of 50
SC $9,879WV $1,466

Median negotiated rate in each state, from every insurer that publishes one. States where no insurer publishes a rate for this service are not shown.