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Removal of the Ear Bone at the Side of the Skull

Massachusetts rates for HCPCS 69535

Removal of the temporal bone, the block of bone at the side of the skull that houses the ear canal and the hearing and balance organs, reached through an incision from the outside. It is done when a tumor or destructive disease has invaded the bone and cannot be cleared any other way. Hearing on that side is affected, and reconstruction is often needed afterward.

Rates data updated October 2026.

How much does Removal of the Ear Bone at the Side of the Skull cost?

$6,877

Typical total for the visit. In Massachusetts, October 2026.

Insurers have agreed to pay about $6,877 for this procedure. That total is two separate charges: $4,365 to the doctor who performs it, and $2,512 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 8 insurance carriers under federal price transparency rules.

What's inside this number

Part of the billTypicalRange
Physician feeThe doctor who performs it$4,365$3,090 to $7,762
Facility feeThe hospital or surgery center$2,512$776 to $3,467

How much rates vary

Facilitymedian $2,512 · 10th to 90th $479 to $4,365Professionalmedian $4,365 · 10th to 90th $2,291 to $17,783
$100$200$500$1K$2K$5K$10Kfacility $2,512professional $4,365

Distribution of negotiated rates across all payers (price axis is log-scale). Need provider-level prices or 24+ months of history? Contact us.

Rates by insurance carrier

Insurance Carrier
Aetna
Setting
Facility
Modifier
None
Typical Low
$2,691.53
Median
$3,090.30
Typical High
$5,623.41
Aetna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
None
Typical Low
$2,290.87
Median
$2,290.87
Typical High
$7,585.78
AllWays Health Partners
Setting
Facility
Modifier
None
Typical Low
$346.74
Median
$1,023.29
Typical High
$6,309.57
AllWays Health Partners
Setting
Professional
Modifier
None
Typical Low
$2,570.40
Median
$7,244.36
Typical High
$17,782.79
Cigna
Setting
Facility
Modifier
None
Typical Low
$50.12
Median
$954.99
Typical High
$1,380.38
Cigna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
None
Typical Low
$3,388.44
Median
$3,388.44
Typical High
$8,128.31
Fallon Health
Setting
Facility
Modifier
None
Typical Low
$2,344.23
Median
$3,235.94
Typical High
$4,265.80
Fallon Health
Setting
Professional
Modifier
None
Typical Low
$2,884.03
Median
$3,388.44
Typical High
$4,168.69
Harvard Pilgrim
Setting
Facility
Modifier
None
Typical Low
$295.12
Median
$954.99
Typical High
$4,073.80
Harvard Pilgrim
Setting
Professional
Modifier
None
Typical Low
$2,884.03
Median
$5,248.07
Typical High
$7,762.47
Mass General Brigham
Setting
Facility
Modifier
None
Typical Low
$346.74
Median
$1,023.29
Typical High
$6,309.57
Mass General Brigham
Setting
Professional
Modifier
None
Typical Low
$2,570.40
Median
$7,244.36
Typical High
$17,782.79
United
Setting
Facility
Modifier
None
Typical Low
$295.12
Median
$1,023.29
Typical High
$4,073.80
United
Setting
Professional
Modifier
None
Typical Low
$2,884.03
Median
$4,073.80
Typical High
$9,120.11
Well Sense
Setting
Facility
Modifier
None
Typical Low
$2,041.74
Median
$2,818.38
Typical High
$4,168.69
Well Sense
Setting
Professional
Modifier
None
Typical Low
$1,949.84
Median
$1,949.84
Typical High
$2,344.23
6 more rates with less common billing modifiers

A modifier changes what was billed, for example a reduced or repeated service. Each of these modifiers carries under 10% of the published rates for this code. Modifier combinations, and modifiers with fewer than 30 rates for a carrier, are not listed.

Insurance Carrier
Aetna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
52 · Reduced service
Typical Low
$1,148.15
Median
$1,148.15
Typical High
$3,801.89
Aetna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
53 · Discontinued
Typical Low
$457.09
Median
$457.09
Typical High
$1,513.56
Aetna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
54 · Surgery only
Typical Low
$1,737.80
Median
$1,737.80
Typical High
$5,754.40
Aetna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
55 · Aftercare only
Typical Low
$346.74
Median
$346.74
Typical High
$1,148.15
Aetna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
56 · Pre-op care only
Typical Low
$229.09
Median
$229.09
Typical High
$758.58
Aetna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
78 · Unplanned return to OR
Typical Low
$1,621.81
Median
$1,621.81
Typical High
$5,370.32

Where Massachusetts sits

The same service costs 10.4 times more in Maine than in Washington. Every bar is a state, most expensive first. Touch or drag across it to read any state, then open that state for its carriers and full range.

Physician feeFacility fee

Massachusetts· 20th of 51

$6,877

$4,365 physician + $2,512 facility

ME $30,463WA $2,927

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.