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Procedure price report · Other non-OR therapeutic procedures on respiratory system

Placement of radiation marker in chest, through the skin

CPT 32553the billing code this page is about

Needle placement of one or more small markers inside the chest, through the skin, to help target later radiation treatment; the code covers single or multiple markers in one session.

Hospitals typically charge $2,103 cash for this outpatient procedure — the median across 825 hospitals that filed a usable cash price; the average of the middle 60% is $2,152. Most fall between $1,063 and $3,809 (20th–80th percentile).

Hospitals
825
States
50
Filings dated
Jun 2024 – 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 825 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
$572$1,274$2,103$3,115$4,875

The most expensive tenth of hospitals charges at least 8.5× what the cheapest tenth charges ($572 vs $4,875).

How the prices are spread

$386 – $502: 33 hospitals$386$502 – $652: 23 hospitals$652 – $848: 22 hospitals$652$848 – $1,103: 57 hospitals$1,103 – $1,433: 74 hospitals$1,103$1,433 – $1,863: 113 hospitals$1,863 – $2,422: 117 hospitals$1,863$2,422 – $3,149: 153 hospitals$3,149 – $4,093: 45 hospitals$3,149$4,093 – $5,321: 109 hospitals$4,093median $2,103price bands are equal on a log scale
Hospitals per price band (746 of 825 — the bands cover the 5th to 95th percentile)
FromToHospitals
$386$50233
$502$65223
$652$84822
$848$1,10357
$1,103$1,43374
$1,433$1,863113
$1,863$2,422117
$2,422$3,149153
$3,149$4,09345
$4,093$5,321109

Against Medicare

Medicare pays (OPPS 2026, national rate)$1,414
Median cash price$2,103
Cash as a multiple of Medicare1.49×

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 $2,103.

Alaska: 3 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureAKMaine: 2 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureMEVermont: 1 hospital filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureVTNew Hampshire: 5 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureNHWashington: median $2,896 across 26 hospitalsWA$2,896Idaho: 6 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureIDMontana: 5 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureMTNorth Dakota: 4 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureNDMinnesota: median $1,535 across 15 hospitalsMN$1,535Illinois: median $1,251 across 36 hospitalsIL$1,251Wisconsin: median $2,106 across 18 hospitalsWI$2,106Michigan: median $1,575 across 30 hospitalsMI$1,575New York: median $1,619 across 34 hospitalsNY$1,619Massachusetts: median $4,875 across 17 hospitalsMA$4,875Oregon: 7 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureORNevada: 4 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureNVWyoming: 2 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureWYSouth Dakota: 1 hospital filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureSDIowa: median $1,304 across 15 hospitalsIA$1,304Indiana: median $1,688 across 31 hospitalsIN$1,688Ohio: median $1,585 across 52 hospitalsOH$1,585Pennsylvania: median $1,843 across 46 hospitalsPA$1,843New Jersey: median $4,500 across 33 hospitalsNJ$4,500Connecticut: 7 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureCTRhode Island: 4 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureRICalifornia: median $2,726 across 82 hospitalsCA$2,726Utah: 1 hospital filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureUTColorado: median $1,229 across 23 hospitalsCO$1,229Nebraska: 7 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureNEMissouri: median $2,332 across 19 hospitalsMO$2,332Kentucky: 1 hospital filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureKYWest Virginia: 2 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureWVVirginia: median $1,925 across 23 hospitalsVA$1,925Maryland: 1 hospital filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureMDDelaware: 1 hospital filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureDEArizona: median $1,966 across 16 hospitalsAZ$1,966New Mexico: 2 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureNMKansas: 6 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureKSArkansas: 5 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureARTennessee: 9 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureTNNorth Carolina: median $1,860 across 24 hospitalsNC$1,860South Carolina: 8 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureSCOklahoma: median $834 across 23 hospitalsOK$834Louisiana: 8 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureLAMississippi: median $977 across 10 hospitalsMS$977Alabama: 2 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureALGeorgia: median $3,115 across 32 hospitalsGA$3,115Hawaii: 4 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureHITexas: median $2,554 across 61 hospitalsTX$2,554Florida: median $3,246 across 51 hospitalsFL$3,246
Cash price by state, most expensive first. National median $2,103. A state needs at least 10 hospitals with a usable price to show a figure.
StateHospitalsMedianvs national20th–80th
Massachusetts MA17$4,875+132%$2,292 – $5,731
New Jersey NJ33$4,500+114%$1,516 – $5,855
Florida FL51$3,246+54%$2,103 – $4,907
Georgia GA32$3,115+48%$2,905 – $3,115
Washington WA26$2,896+38%$1,917 – $3,951
California CA82$2,726+30%$1,723 – $4,621
Texas TX61$2,554+21%$1,555 – $3,940
Missouri MO19$2,332+11%$1,628 – $2,509
Wisconsin WI18$2,1060%$2,106 – $2,355
Arizona AZ16$1,966−7%$398 – $2,783
Virginia VA23$1,925−8%$1,220 – $2,545
North Carolina NC24$1,860−12%$1,227 – $2,332
Pennsylvania PA46$1,843−12%$1,069 – $4,167
Indiana IN31$1,688−20%$972 – $2,813
New York NY34$1,619−23%$872 – $2,309
Ohio OH52$1,585−25%$1,326 – $2,831
Michigan MI30$1,575−25%$406 – $4,136
Minnesota MN15$1,535−27%$851 – $1,535
Iowa IA15$1,304−38%$1,304 – $2,470
Illinois IL36$1,251−41%$562 – $3,253
Colorado CO23$1,229−42%$1,010 – $2,805
Mississippi MS10$977−54%$697 – $1,290
Oklahoma OK23$834−60%$288 – $1,077
Tennessee TN9not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Louisiana LA8not enough hospitals filed a usable price
South Carolina SC8not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Connecticut CT7not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Nebraska NE7not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Oregon OR7not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Idaho ID6not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Kansas KS6not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Arkansas AR5not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Montana MT5not enough hospitals filed a usable price
New Hampshire NH5not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Hawaii HI4not enough hospitals filed a usable price
North Dakota ND4not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Nevada NV4not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Rhode Island RI4not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Alaska AK3not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Alabama AL2not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Maine ME2not enough hospitals filed a usable price
New Mexico NM2not enough hospitals filed a usable price
West Virginia WV2not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Wyoming WY2not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Delaware DE1not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Kentucky KY1not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Maryland MD1not enough hospitals filed a usable price
South Dakota SD1not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Utah UT1not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Vermont VT1not 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 $2,103.

Cash price by hospital segment. A segment needs at least 20 hospitals to show a figure.
SegmentHospitalsMedian20th–80th
Hospital type
Acute care750$2,120$1,090 – $3,996
Children’s11fewer than 20 hospitals
Critical access60$1,326$563 – $2,771
Ownership
For-profit72$2,419$1,077 – $3,115
Government98$1,699$940 – $2,905
Non-profit651$2,118$1,077 – $4,064
System affiliation
Part of a system734$2,136$1,130 – $3,940
Independent91$1,585$776 – $3,083

Cash price vs list price

Median list price (chargemaster)$3,757
Median cash price$2,103
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

641 hospitals filed a usable inpatient cash price for this code. The median is $2,355 and the average of the middle 60% is $2,300; most fall between $1,090 and $4,064.

Cash price percentiles, inpatient, across 641 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
$590$1,304$2,355$3,246$4,875

The most expensive tenth of hospitals charges at least 8.3× what the cheapest tenth charges ($590 vs $4,875).

Of the 679 hospitals that filed this code inpatient, 641 gave a usable cash price; 14 carried a plausibility flag, 2 filed a number their own filing marks as not a price, 0 gave an estimate, and 22 a list price only.

How complete is this

825 of the 3,956 hospitals with a price file in our corpus (21%) filed a usable outpatient cash price for this code, and those are the hospitals every figure on this page is computed from.

What the 883 hospitals that filed this code at all gave us
Usable cash price — counted825
Cash price carrying a plausibility flag — shown on the compare tool, excluded here34
A number the filing itself marks as not a price (a placeholder, a ratio) — excluded2
An estimate rather than a filed cash price — excluded0
A list price only, no cash figure — excluded22
Hospitals that filed this code883

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 Other non-OR therapeutic procedures on respiratory system family.

Hospitals file this code under descriptions such as Plmt Ntrstl Dev Radj Thx Gid Prq Intrathrc 1/Mlt.

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, “Placement of radiation marker in chest, through the skin (CPT 32553) — cash price report,” computed September 25, 2026. https://hospitalrates.com/procedures/cpt-32553-placement-of-radiation-marker-in-chest-through-the-skin