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Procedure price report · Tracheostomy, temporary and permanent

Planned tracheostomy (opening in the windpipe)

CPT 31600the billing code this page is about

A planned surgical opening in the neck into the windpipe to place a breathing tube, done as a separate procedure in a patient age 2 or older.

Hospitals typically charge $2,902 cash for this outpatient procedure — the median across 1,157 hospitals that filed a usable cash price; the average of the middle 60% is $2,932. Most fall between $878 and $5,496 (20th–80th percentile).

Hospitals
1,157
States
50
Filings dated
Mar 2023 – Sep 2026
Computed
September 25, 2026
Prices checked
through September 24, 2026

Median: half of hospitals filed less, half more — and it is a price some hospital actually filed. Average of the middle 60%: the mean of the prices between the 20th and 80th percentiles. We never publish the plain average, the lowest or the highest price: the extremes in hospital price files are chargemaster artefacts, not prices anyone pays.

What hospitals charge, from cheapest to most expensive

Cash price percentiles, outpatient, across 1,157 hospitals. Each figure is a price a hospital filed. 10th: one in ten hospitals charges less; 25th: a quarter charge less; Median: half charge less; 75th: three quarters charge less; 90th: nine in ten charge less.
10th25thMedian75th90th
$552$1,056$2,902$4,884$6,558

The most expensive tenth of hospitals charges at least 12× what the cheapest tenth charges ($552 vs $6,558).

How the prices are spread

$436 – $592: 77 hospitals$436$592 – $803: 85 hospitals$803 – $1,089: 81 hospitals$803$1,089 – $1,478: 73 hospitals$1,478 – $2,006: 84 hospitals$1,478$2,006 – $2,722: 93 hospitals$2,722 – $3,693: 139 hospitals$2,722$3,693 – $5,011: 189 hospitals$5,011 – $6,800: 180 hospitals$5,011$6,800 – $9,226: 46 hospitals$6,800median $2,902price bands are equal on a log scale
Hospitals per price band (1,047 of 1,157 — the bands cover the 5th to 95th percentile)
FromToHospitals
$436$59277
$592$80385
$803$1,08981
$1,089$1,47873
$1,478$2,00684
$2,006$2,72293
$2,722$3,693139
$3,693$5,011189
$5,011$6,800180
$6,800$9,22646

Against Medicare

Medicare pays (OPPS 2026, national rate)$3,387
Median cash price$2,902
Cash as a multiple of Medicare0.86×

The Medicare figure is the national unadjusted OPPS rate for this code — what Medicare itself pays a hospital before local wage adjustment. It is a benchmark, not a price anyone is charged.

By state

The median cash price in each state, against the national median of $2,902.

Alaska: 8 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureAKMaine: 6 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureMEVermont: 5 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureVTNew Hampshire: 8 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureNHWashington: median $3,719 across 41 hospitalsWA$3,719Idaho: 8 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureIDMontana: 8 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureMTNorth Dakota: 5 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureNDMinnesota: median $1,938 across 39 hospitalsMN$1,938Illinois: median $2,446 across 41 hospitalsIL$2,446Wisconsin: median $3,307 across 36 hospitalsWI$3,307Michigan: median $878 across 31 hospitalsMI$878New York: median $3,710 across 42 hospitalsNY$3,710Massachusetts: median $4,518 across 13 hospitalsMA$4,518Oregon: median $1,590 across 33 hospitalsOR$1,590Nevada: 9 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureNVWyoming: 6 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureWYSouth Dakota: 6 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureSDIowa: median $761 across 21 hospitalsIA$761Indiana: median $916 across 25 hospitalsIN$916Ohio: median $2,624 across 70 hospitalsOH$2,624Pennsylvania: median $3,389 across 44 hospitalsPA$3,389New Jersey: median $4,350 across 40 hospitalsNJ$4,350Connecticut: 9 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureCTRhode Island: 3 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureRICalifornia: median $4,633 across 114 hospitalsCA$4,633Utah: 1 hospital filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureUTColorado: median $2,048 across 17 hospitalsCO$2,048Nebraska: median $736 across 15 hospitalsNE$736Missouri: median $2,755 across 27 hospitalsMO$2,755Kentucky: median $710 across 15 hospitalsKY$710West Virginia: median $1,659 across 24 hospitalsWV$1,659Virginia: median $1,804 across 22 hospitalsVA$1,804Maryland: 3 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureMDDelaware: 2 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureDEArizona: median $4,762 across 17 hospitalsAZ$4,762New Mexico: 7 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureNMKansas: median $739 across 13 hospitalsKS$739Arkansas: median $1,760 across 10 hospitalsAR$1,760Tennessee: median $1,299 across 21 hospitalsTN$1,299North Carolina: median $1,604 across 25 hospitalsNC$1,604South Carolina: median $5,992 across 23 hospitalsSC$5,992Oklahoma: median $1,732 across 21 hospitalsOK$1,732Louisiana: median $2,512 across 23 hospitalsLA$2,512Mississippi: median $1,072 across 22 hospitalsMS$1,072Alabama: 9 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureALGeorgia: median $1,767 across 49 hospitalsGA$1,767Hawaii: 8 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureHITexas: median $4,445 across 70 hospitalsTX$4,445Florida: median $4,313 across 42 hospitalsFL$4,313
Cash price by state, most expensive first. National median $2,902. A state needs at least 10 hospitals with a usable price to show a figure.
StateHospitalsMedianvs national20th–80th
South Carolina SC23$5,992+106%$5,269 – $6,251
Arizona AZ17$4,762+64%$1,728 – $4,804
California CA114$4,633+60%$2,401 – $5,806
Massachusetts MA13$4,518+56%$2,321 – $5,342
Texas TX70$4,445+53%$2,829 – $5,439
New Jersey NJ40$4,350+50%$3,590 – $5,741
Florida FL42$4,313+49%$2,909 – $9,986
Washington WA41$3,719+28%$2,038 – $5,088
New York NY42$3,710+28%$698 – $4,139
Pennsylvania PA44$3,389+17%$230 – $4,783
Wisconsin WI36$3,307+14%$1,667 – $4,257
Missouri MO27$2,755−5%$639 – $3,866
Ohio OH70$2,624−10%$1,225 – $5,612
Louisiana LA23$2,512−13%$753 – $5,299
Illinois IL41$2,446−16%$812 – $4,521
Colorado CO17$2,048−29%$712 – $2,396
Minnesota MN39$1,938−33%$535 – $3,291
Virginia VA22$1,804−38%$1,299 – $5,929
Georgia GA49$1,767−39%$1,362 – $6,157
Arkansas AR10$1,760−39%$703 – $2,480
Oklahoma OK21$1,732−40%$483 – $4,300
West Virginia WV24$1,659−43%$618 – $3,811
North Carolina NC25$1,604−45%$1,155 – $3,429
Oregon OR33$1,590−45%$565 – $8,179
Tennessee TN21$1,299−55%$714 – $1,299
Mississippi MS22$1,072−63%$870 – $2,264
Indiana IN25$916−68%$463 – $1,436
Michigan MI31$878−70%$878 – $3,703
Iowa IA21$761−74%$568 – $3,804
Kansas KS13$739−75%$505 – $2,781
Nebraska NE15$736−75%$669 – $1,748
Kentucky KY15$710−76%$436 – $13,022
Alabama AL9not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Connecticut CT9not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Nevada NV9not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Alaska AK8not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Hawaii HI8not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Idaho ID8not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Montana MT8not enough hospitals filed a usable price
New Hampshire NH8not enough hospitals filed a usable price
New Mexico NM7not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Maine ME6not enough hospitals filed a usable price
South Dakota SD6not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Wyoming WY6not enough hospitals filed a usable price
North Dakota ND5not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Vermont VT5not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Maryland MD3not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Rhode Island RI3not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Delaware DE2not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Utah UT1not enough hospitals filed a usable price

Hospitals like yours

The same distribution cut by the kind of hospital. Hospital type and ownership come from CMS; a hospital counts as part of a system when its price file is shared with at least one other hospital under the same brand. The national median is $2,902.

Cash price by hospital segment. A segment needs at least 20 hospitals to show a figure.
SegmentHospitalsMedian20th–80th
Hospital type
Acute care955$3,305$1,042 – $5,606
Children’s15fewer than 20 hospitals
Critical access181$1,274$565 – $4,257
Ownership
For-profit95$3,314$1,019 – $5,269
Government170$2,166$714 – $4,187
Non-profit886$3,094$878 – $5,606
System affiliation
Part of a system985$3,277$984 – $5,606
Independent172$1,262$665 – $4,290

Cash price vs list price

Median list price (chargemaster)$5,342
Median cash price$2,902
Cash as a share of list, median hospital60%

At the typical hospital, asking for the cash price cuts the list price by about 40%. The share is the median of each hospital’s own cash ÷ list ratio, over hospitals that filed both — not the ratio of the two medians above.

The same procedure, inpatient

845 hospitals filed a usable inpatient cash price for this code. The median is $2,902 and the average of the middle 60% is $3,113; most fall between $885 and $5,606.

Cash price percentiles, inpatient, across 845 hospitals. Each figure is a price a hospital filed. 10th: one in ten hospitals charges less; 25th: a quarter charge less; Median: half charge less; 75th: three quarters charge less; 90th: nine in ten charge less.
10th25thMedian75th90th
$552$1,225$2,902$5,346$7,040

The most expensive tenth of hospitals charges at least 13× what the cheapest tenth charges ($552 vs $7,040).

Of the 900 hospitals that filed this code inpatient, 845 gave a usable cash price; 37 carried a plausibility flag, 0 filed a number their own filing marks as not a price, 0 gave an estimate, and 18 a list price only.

How complete is this

1,157 of the 3,956 hospitals with a price file in our corpus (29%) filed a usable outpatient cash price for this code, and those are the hospitals every figure on this page is computed from.

What the 1,238 hospitals that filed this code at all gave us
Usable cash price — counted1,157
Cash price carrying a plausibility flag — shown on the compare tool, excluded here63
A number the filing itself marks as not a price (a placeholder, a ratio) — excluded0
An estimate rather than a filed cash price — excluded0
A list price only, no cash figure — excluded18
Hospitals that filed this code1,238

Sections not shown for this setting

  • Since our last snapshot: there is no earlier snapshot at least 90 days older than this one yet.

We last checked these hospitals’ price files for changes between September 4, 2026 and September 24, 2026; the figures were computed September 25, 2026 from filings loaded through September 24, 2026. The percentiles and averages use only the “counted” row.

Related procedures

Part of the Tracheostomy, temporary and permanent family.

Hospitals file this code under descriptions such as Tracheostomy Planned Separate Procedure.

Method

Source
The machine-readable price files every U.S. hospital is required by CMS to publish, parsed per hospital. Nothing is surveyed, sampled or modelled.
What counts
One cash (self-pay) price per hospital for this code and setting. A hospital’s own filing can rule its number out — a placeholder, a “not applicable” note, a list price standing in for cash — and our plausibility checks can flag a price far below what every other hospital files. Both kinds are disclosed above and excluded from the statistics; on the compare tool a flagged price is still shown.
Statistics
Percentiles are discrete: each is a price some hospital filed. The average is the mean of the prices between the 20th and 80th percentiles. We never publish the plain mean, the minimum or the maximum. A state needs 10 hospitals and a segment 20 to show a figure; otherwise the row shows its count and no number. Medicare is the national unadjusted OPPS rate where one exists.
Names
Procedure names on these pages are our own plain-language titles, not the AMA’s copyrighted CPT descriptors. The code is the identity.

The full rules — sources, statistics, thresholds, limitations — are on the methodology page.

Download this page’s figures: JSON · CSV. Aggregates only — the per-hospital prices are on the compare tool.

Cite: HospitalRates.com, “Planned tracheostomy (opening in the windpipe) (CPT 31600) — cash price report,” computed September 25, 2026. https://hospitalrates.com/procedures/cpt-31600-planned-tracheostomy-opening-in-the-windpipe