Level 4 Airway Endoscopy — what U.S. hospitals charge
APC 5154 · Hospital outpatient visit · 1,084 U.S. hospitals publish a price
Cheapest quarter
under $17,479
Typical charge
$22,694
Dearest quarter
over $31,788
Actually paid
$3,538
The middle U.S. hospital bills $22,694 for Level 4 Airway Endoscopy. The dearest hospitals charge about 3.5x what the cheapest do for the same coded work. Medicare actually paid about $3,538 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 4 Airway Endoscopy cost by state
The middle charge in each state where at least three hospitals publish a price, cheapest first.
| State | Hospitals | Typical charge | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas | 17 | $14,092 | $8,381 – $31,168 |
| Idaho | 7 | $14,927 | $11,066 – $33,508 |
| Massachusetts | 24 | $15,312 | $7,305 – $51,007 |
| Minnesota | 14 | $16,018 | $9,855 – $22,200 |
| North Dakota | 5 | $16,126 | $13,292 – $18,676 |
| Montana | 6 | $16,795 | $7,828 – $20,863 |
| Michigan | 41 | $16,875 | $8,411 – $54,474 |
| Utah | 6 | $16,958 | $14,444 – $25,534 |
| Mississippi | 14 | $16,980 | $7,304 – $35,671 |
| South Dakota | 9 | $17,455 | $9,636 – $27,628 |
| Alabama | 11 | $17,969 | $11,230 – $116,946 |
| Iowa | 14 | $18,106 | $8,432 – $36,553 |
| Oregon | 13 | $18,181 | $14,017 – $26,236 |
| Delaware | 3 | $18,611 | $9,935 – $24,274 |
| Maine | 8 | $18,801 | $12,731 – $25,250 |
| Louisiana | 21 | $18,852 | $12,898 – $42,657 |
| Washington | 22 | $19,231 | $9,126 – $45,774 |
| Missouri | 27 | $19,415 | $11,738 – $59,014 |
| West Virginia | 10 | $19,497 | $16,080 – $35,214 |
| Nebraska | 11 | $20,367 | $17,099 – $23,064 |
| Connecticut | 11 | $20,624 | $12,782 – $40,958 |
| Virginia | 33 | $20,898 | $10,266 – $94,851 |
| Hawaii | 3 | $20,959 | $16,523 – $22,642 |
| New York | 49 | $20,964 | $8,572 – $61,956 |
| Wisconsin | 22 | $21,037 | $12,407 – $36,461 |
| New Hampshire | 7 | $21,309 | $19,274 – $25,454 |
| Oklahoma | 16 | $21,637 | $7,045 – $54,782 |
| North Carolina | 38 | $22,085 | $8,845 – $51,022 |
| Kentucky | 21 | $22,284 | $9,417 – $38,862 |
| Tennessee | 23 | $22,292 | $7,624 – $70,947 |
| Ohio | 49 | $22,934 | $9,787 – $53,314 |
| New Jersey | 28 | $24,008 | $15,266 – $143,985 |
| District of Columbia | 4 | $24,157 | $17,753 – $43,918 |
| Kansas | 13 | $24,707 | $10,848 – $67,957 |
| Colorado | 22 | $24,746 | $9,030 – $120,222 |
| Arizona | 21 | $25,364 | $13,035 – $75,037 |
| South Carolina | 22 | $25,436 | $10,575 – $124,518 |
| Indiana | 37 | $25,442 | $13,118 – $55,110 |
| Illinois | 50 | $27,316 | $10,925 – $64,966 |
| Pennsylvania | 58 | $27,616 | $12,487 – $58,142 |
| Georgia | 36 | $28,774 | $15,103 – $74,041 |
| Texas | 70 | $29,963 | $11,582 – $79,044 |
| New Mexico | 6 | $30,948 | $12,020 – $44,362 |
| Florida | 72 | $31,631 | $10,406 – $140,967 |
| California | 73 | $33,175 | $11,654 – $156,149 |
| Nevada | 10 | $51,983 | $13,863 – $58,545 |
Where Level 4 Airway Endoscopy is charged least
Hospitals that performed it at least eleven times, so a single case cannot set the figure.
| Hospital | Charged | Actually paid |
|---|---|---|
|
Campbell County Health
Gillette, WY |
$6,744 | $3,760 |
|
Oklahoma Heart Hospital, Llc
Oklahoma City, OK |
$7,045 | $3,227 |
|
Southwest Ms Regional Medical Center
Mccomb, MS |
$7,304 | $3,058 |
|
South Shore Hospital
South Weymouth, MA |
$7,305 | $4,022 |
|
Mount Auburn Hospital
Cambridge, MA |
$7,559 | $4,022 |
|
West Tennessee Healthcare Henry County Hospital
Paris, TN |
$7,624 | $3,088 |
|
St. Patrick Hospital
Missoula, MT |
$7,828 | $3,511 |
|
Massachusetts Eye And Ear Infirmary -
Boston, MA |
$8,199 | $3,978 |
|
University Of Arkansas Medical Sciences
Little Rock, AR |
$8,381 | $3,210 |
|
Bronson Methodist Hospital
Kalamazoo, MI |
$8,411 | $3,223 |
|
St Lukes Regional Medical Center
Sioux City, IA |
$8,432 | $3,213 |
|
Glens Falls Hospital
Glens Falls, NY |
$8,572 | $3,970 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
|
Adventist Health St Helena
Saint Helena, CA |
$156,149 | $4,806 |
|
Capital Health Medical Center - Hopewell
Pennington, NJ |
$143,985 | $3,764 |
|
Hca Florida Fort Walton-Destin Hospital
Fort Walton Beach, FL |
$140,967 | $3,327 |
|
Good Samaritan Hospital
San Jose, CA |
$139,660 | $5,273 |
|
Musc Health Florence Medical Center
Florence, SC |
$124,518 | $3,207 |
|
Sky Ridge Medical Center
Lone Tree, CO |
$120,222 | $3,565 |
|
Grandview Medical Center
Birmingham, AL |
$116,946 | $2,941 |
|
San Ramon Regional Medical Center
San Ramon, CA |
$110,834 | $5,214 |
|
Hca Florida Citrus Hospital
Inverness, FL |
$104,550 | $3,392 |
|
Hca Florida Trinity Hospital
Trinity, FL |
$101,298 | $3,392 |
|
Northbay Medical Center
Fairfield, CA |
$96,928 | $5,388 |
|
Alaska Regional Hospital
Anchorage, AK |
$96,830 | $3,865 |
Questions people ask
What do U.S. hospitals charge for Level 4 Airway Endoscopy?
Across 1,084 U.S. hospitals, the middle charge for Level 4 Airway Endoscopy is $22,694. Half of hospitals charge less than that and half charge more. The cheapest quarter charge under $17,479 and the dearest quarter over $31,788.
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 4 Airway Endoscopy, 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. $3,538 is roughly what Medicare actually paid per case, against an average charge of $27,795. 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 5154: “Level 4 Airway Endoscopy”. An APC covers one outpatient visit for that level of service — you go home the same day.