Level 5 Airway Endoscopy — what U.S. hospitals charge
APC 5155 · Hospital outpatient visit · 775 U.S. hospitals publish a price
Cheapest quarter
under $29,062
Typical charge
$38,483
Dearest quarter
over $53,972
Actually paid
$6,448
The middle U.S. hospital bills $38,483 for Level 5 Airway Endoscopy. The dearest hospitals charge about 3.5x what the cheapest do for the same coded work. Medicare actually paid about $6,448 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 5 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 | 8 | $22,044 | $12,753 – $39,227 |
| Montana | 7 | $22,497 | $15,195 – $37,143 |
| Massachusetts | 18 | $23,306 | $14,033 – $63,185 |
| Delaware | 3 | $23,461 | $15,614 – $28,163 |
| Minnesota | 14 | $24,743 | $13,473 – $38,280 |
| Mississippi | 10 | $27,394 | $19,922 – $52,621 |
| Hawaii | 5 | $27,429 | $17,460 – $33,347 |
| Oregon | 7 | $28,273 | $19,923 – $54,778 |
| Idaho | 5 | $28,761 | $19,522 – $74,746 |
| Maine | 4 | $29,008 | $17,812 – $36,472 |
| North Dakota | 5 | $29,204 | $19,037 – $37,562 |
| New Hampshire | 4 | $29,544 | $23,123 – $43,026 |
| Nebraska | 9 | $29,832 | $23,001 – $44,102 |
| Missouri | 18 | $30,324 | $15,300 – $132,965 |
| Utah | 3 | $30,459 | $19,538 – $33,666 |
| Michigan | 26 | $30,953 | $12,268 – $86,978 |
| Connecticut | 6 | $31,274 | $19,569 – $42,963 |
| North Carolina | 23 | $31,980 | $17,723 – $47,991 |
| West Virginia | 8 | $33,083 | $28,041 – $55,846 |
| Louisiana | 16 | $33,665 | $15,236 – $76,760 |
| Kansas | 13 | $33,666 | $16,305 – $118,486 |
| New York | 33 | $33,869 | $19,109 – $111,761 |
| Virginia | 19 | $34,562 | $14,586 – $155,647 |
| Tennessee | 18 | $34,836 | $15,991 – $111,391 |
| Wisconsin | 17 | $34,909 | $23,337 – $66,152 |
| Washington | 16 | $36,218 | $22,762 – $67,982 |
| South Dakota | 7 | $36,351 | $24,779 – $82,251 |
| Iowa | 8 | $37,057 | $24,759 – $48,951 |
| Kentucky | 15 | $37,060 | $18,760 – $52,032 |
| Oklahoma | 16 | $37,627 | $12,215 – $81,047 |
| Indiana | 25 | $38,973 | $21,635 – $66,643 |
| Ohio | 37 | $39,746 | $20,491 – $82,394 |
| District of Columbia | 4 | $40,112 | $27,261 – $65,965 |
| Colorado | 14 | $42,445 | $23,911 – $192,702 |
| Alabama | 8 | $43,313 | $14,307 – $137,578 |
| Arizona | 13 | $44,616 | $29,177 – $63,912 |
| Pennsylvania | 41 | $44,657 | $19,795 – $105,434 |
| New Jersey | 15 | $44,819 | $25,134 – $119,919 |
| Illinois | 34 | $45,927 | $17,007 – $88,131 |
| South Carolina | 17 | $46,358 | $24,898 – $107,385 |
| Texas | 60 | $47,883 | $14,364 – $115,349 |
| Georgia | 28 | $51,437 | $17,740 – $110,814 |
| California | 48 | $52,333 | $20,387 – $213,210 |
| Florida | 51 | $53,989 | $32,767 – $212,768 |
| New Mexico | 6 | $55,217 | $23,934 – $100,338 |
| Nevada | 9 | $65,975 | $22,551 – $90,441 |
Where Level 5 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 |
|---|---|---|
|
Northeastern Health System
Tahlequah, OK |
$12,215 | $5,843 |
|
Mymichigan Medical Center Midland
Midland, MI |
$12,268 | $6,427 |
|
Mercy Hospital Fort Smith
Fort Smith, AR |
$12,753 | $5,821 |
|
Lakeview Memorial Hospital
Stillwater, MN |
$13,473 | $5,595 |
|
Boston Medical Center-Brighton
Brighton, MA |
$14,033 | $7,351 |
|
Thomas Hospital
Fairhope, AL |
$14,307 | $5,300 |
|
Baylor Scott & White Medical Center Hillcrest
Waco, TX |
$14,364 | $6,162 |
|
Lowell General Hospital
Lowell, MA |
$14,472 | $7,351 |
|
Inova Fairfax Hospital
Falls Church, VA |
$14,586 | $6,333 |
|
Bronson Methodist Hospital
Kalamazoo, MI |
$14,618 | $4,965 |
|
St Lukes Hospital
Duluth, MN |
$14,684 | $6,493 |
|
Billings Clinic Hospital
Billings, MT |
$15,195 | $5,717 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
|
Good Samaritan Hospital
San Jose, CA |
$213,210 | $9,631 |
|
Hca Florida Fort Walton-Destin Hospital
Fort Walton Beach, FL |
$212,768 | $6,092 |
|
Sky Ridge Medical Center
Lone Tree, CO |
$192,702 | $6,515 |
|
Hca Florida Citrus Hospital
Inverness, FL |
$174,248 | $6,200 |
|
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Los Angeles, CA |
$169,822 | $8,368 |
|
The Medical Center Of Aurora & South Hospital
Aurora, CO |
$167,371 | $6,403 |
|
Cjw Medical Center
Richmond, VA |
$155,647 | $5,821 |
|
Stanford Health Care
Stanford, CA |
$154,448 | $9,521 |
|
Hca Florida West Hospital
Pensacola, FL |
$153,689 | $6,200 |
|
Hca Florida Orange Park Hospital
Orange Park, FL |
$142,343 | $6,200 |
|
Los Robles Hospital & Medical Center
Thousand Oaks, CA |
$138,147 | $8,413 |
|
Grandview Medical Center
Birmingham, AL |
$137,578 | $5,600 |
Questions people ask
What do U.S. hospitals charge for Level 5 Airway Endoscopy?
Across 775 U.S. hospitals, the middle charge for Level 5 Airway Endoscopy is $38,483. Half of hospitals charge less than that and half charge more. The cheapest quarter charge under $29,062 and the dearest quarter over $53,972.
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 5 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. $6,448 is roughly what Medicare actually paid per case, against an average charge of $48,356. 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 5155: “Level 5 Airway Endoscopy”. An APC covers one outpatient visit for that level of service — you go home the same day.