Level 3 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage — what U.S. hospitals charge
APC 5073 · Hospital outpatient visit · 1,817 U.S. hospitals publish a price
Cheapest quarter
under $13,106
Typical charge
$17,683
Dearest quarter
over $24,420
Actually paid
$2,661
The middle U.S. hospital bills $17,683 for Level 3 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage. The dearest hospitals charge about 3.5x what the cheapest do for the same coded work. Medicare actually paid about $2,661 per case.
These are charges, not quotes. What you pay depends on your insurance and your own case. The figures matter because the charge is where an uninsured or out-of-network bill starts.
Level 3 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage cost by state
The middle charge in each state where at least three hospitals publish a price, cheapest first.
| State | Hospitals | Typical charge | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | 38 | $10,490 | $3,904 – $17,541 |
| Wyoming | 5 | $10,805 | $6,865 – $18,181 |
| Massachusetts | 44 | $11,019 | $5,477 – $30,978 |
| North Dakota | 6 | $11,093 | $8,034 – $13,778 |
| Michigan | 58 | $11,330 | $5,591 – $26,665 |
| Vermont | 5 | $11,662 | $7,601 – $15,531 |
| Iowa | 22 | $11,896 | $8,115 – $22,800 |
| Montana | 10 | $11,929 | $5,399 – $19,715 |
| Rhode Island | 6 | $12,067 | $6,726 – $14,661 |
| South Dakota | 11 | $12,398 | $4,655 – $28,096 |
| Mississippi | 25 | $12,399 | $5,377 – $36,100 |
| Oklahoma | 29 | $12,758 | $7,299 – $40,801 |
| Alabama | 28 | $12,817 | $3,825 – $75,256 |
| Hawaii | 9 | $13,468 | $7,972 – $32,438 |
| Missouri | 43 | $13,720 | $7,605 – $45,599 |
| Maine | 11 | $13,860 | $11,466 – $21,642 |
| Arkansas | 21 | $14,070 | $7,461 – $42,122 |
| Kansas | 29 | $14,110 | $4,004 – $54,742 |
| Oregon | 22 | $14,407 | $10,627 – $21,685 |
| Idaho | 14 | $14,496 | $6,488 – $25,935 |
| Nebraska | 17 | $14,664 | $6,666 – $23,484 |
| North Carolina | 51 | $15,001 | $7,812 – $33,375 |
| Wisconsin | 46 | $15,061 | $7,254 – $24,240 |
| Tennessee | 38 | $15,736 | $5,537 – $57,735 |
| Connecticut | 20 | $15,858 | $6,800 – $25,677 |
| West Virginia | 17 | $15,939 | $7,456 – $20,146 |
| Delaware | 5 | $16,468 | $9,961 – $24,665 |
| New York | 79 | $16,498 | $3,908 – $41,736 |
| Utah | 10 | $16,712 | $12,018 – $30,329 |
| Indiana | 57 | $16,833 | $7,050 – $31,175 |
| Kentucky | 33 | $17,012 | $6,716 – $29,492 |
| Ohio | 85 | $17,126 | $6,418 – $32,736 |
| New Hampshire | 10 | $17,395 | $10,413 – $27,786 |
| Washington | 36 | $17,610 | $8,640 – $36,453 |
| Louisiana | 31 | $18,942 | $7,593 – $35,690 |
| New Jersey | 40 | $19,028 | $10,042 – $87,209 |
| South Carolina | 36 | $19,202 | $9,410 – $42,679 |
| Illinois | 75 | $20,110 | $7,407 – $33,656 |
| Virginia | 49 | $20,208 | $7,744 – $54,930 |
| Pennsylvania | 96 | $20,859 | $9,117 – $62,545 |
| California | 138 | $21,364 | $8,700 – $91,956 |
| Colorado | 37 | $22,006 | $7,081 – $94,742 |
| Texas | 140 | $22,692 | $9,057 – $78,082 |
| New Mexico | 11 | $22,778 | $8,484 – $39,469 |
| District of Columbia | 4 | $24,064 | $18,402 – $34,116 |
| Arizona | 39 | $24,269 | $10,679 – $64,003 |
| Alaska | 5 | $24,464 | $10,684 – $34,270 |
| Georgia | 51 | $24,957 | $7,909 – $44,312 |
| Florida | 112 | $28,086 | $10,318 – $94,557 |
| Nevada | 13 | $37,938 | $22,904 – $62,210 |
Where Level 3 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage is charged least
Hospitals that performed it at least eleven times, so a single case cannot set the figure.
| Hospital | Charged | Actually paid |
|---|---|---|
|
D W Mcmillan Memorial Hospital
Brewton, AL |
$3,825 | $2,328 |
|
Winona Health Services
Winona, MN |
$3,904 | $2,428 |
|
Flushing Hospital Medical Center
Flushing, NY |
$3,908 | $3,233 |
|
Hays Medical Center
Hays, KS |
$4,004 | $2,611 |
|
Black Hills Surgical Hospital Llc
Rapid City, SD |
$4,655 | $2,600 |
|
Nmc Health
Newton, KS |
$4,778 | $2,426 |
|
Aurelia Osborn Fox Memorial Hospital
Oneonta, NY |
$4,928 | $2,781 |
|
Labette Health
Parsons, KS |
$5,223 | $2,598 |
|
Greenwood Leflore Hospital
Greenwood, MS |
$5,377 | $2,367 |
|
Billings Clinic Hospital
Billings, MT |
$5,399 | $2,600 |
|
Milford Regional Medical Center
Milford, MA |
$5,477 | $3,052 |
|
Baptist Memorial Hospital Tipton
Covington, TN |
$5,537 | $1,981 |
Where it is charged most
Hospitals that performed it at least eleven times, so a single case cannot set the figure.
| Hospital | Charged | Actually paid |
|---|---|---|
|
Hca Healthone Presbyterian St. Lukes
Denver, CO |
$94,742 | $2,705 |
|
Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center
Palm Beach Gardens, FL |
$94,557 | $2,574 |
|
Hca Florida Pasadena Hospital A Part Of Hca Florid
Saint Petersburg, FL |
$93,886 | $2,574 |
|
Northbay Medical Center
Fairfield, CA |
$91,956 | $4,088 |
|
Capital Health Medical Center - Hopewell
Pennington, NJ |
$87,209 | $2,975 |
|
Hca Florida Englewood Hospital
Englewood, FL |
$86,482 | $2,481 |
|
South Texas Health System
Edinburg, TX |
$78,082 | $2,302 |
|
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Los Angeles, CA |
$76,280 | $3,469 |
|
Grandview Medical Center
Birmingham, AL |
$75,256 | $2,329 |
|
Hca Florida North Florida Hospital
Gainesville, FL |
$73,412 | $2,574 |
|
Sky Ridge Medical Center
Lone Tree, CO |
$71,822 | $2,705 |
|
Tampa General Hospital Brooksville
Brooksville, FL |
$64,852 | $2,574 |
Questions people ask
What do U.S. hospitals charge for Level 3 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage?
Across 1,817 U.S. hospitals, the middle charge for Level 3 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage is $17,683. Half of hospitals charge less than that and half charge more. The cheapest quarter charge under $13,106 and the dearest quarter over $24,420.
Why do hospitals charge such different amounts for the same procedure?
Because a hospital charge is a list price it sets itself, not a regulated rate. For Level 3 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage, the hospitals in the dearest tenth charge about 3.5x what the cheapest tenth charge for the same coded work. Insurers negotiate their own rates from those lists, which is why the charge and what is actually paid can be very far apart.
Is that what I would actually pay?
No. $2,661 is roughly what Medicare actually paid per case, against an average charge of $21,053. If you have insurance, your plan pays a negotiated rate and you pay your deductible and coinsurance. If you are uninsured or out of network, the hospital's charge is where your bill starts — which is why the gap matters. Ask for a written good-faith estimate before treatment.
What this code covers
CMS records this work as APC 5073: “Level 3 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage”. An APC covers one outpatient visit for that level of service — you go home the same day.