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Procedure price report · Other therapeutic procedures, hemic and lymphatic system

Open biopsy or removal of deep armpit lymph nodes

CPT 38525the billing code this page is about

Through an incision in the armpit, the surgeon removes one or more deep lymph nodes for biopsy or treatment.

Hospitals typically charge $3,063 cash for this outpatient procedure — the median across 1,217 hospitals that filed a usable cash price; the average of the middle 60% is $3,249. Most fall between $874 and $7,846 (20th–80th percentile).

Hospitals
1,217
States
50
Filings dated
Aug 2022 – 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 1,217 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
$603$1,039$3,063$5,625$14,113

The most expensive tenth of hospitals charges at least 23× what the cheapest tenth charges ($603 vs $14,113).

How the prices are spread

$458 – $672: 88 hospitals$458$672 – $986: 132 hospitals$986 – $1,446: 161 hospitals$986$1,446 – $2,122: 91 hospitals$2,122 – $3,112: 81 hospitals$2,122$3,112 – $4,566: 199 hospitals$4,566 – $6,698: 126 hospitals$4,566$6,698 – $9,826: 94 hospitals$9,826 – $14,414: 67 hospitals$9,826$14,414 – $21,145: 60 hospitals$14,414median $3,063price bands are equal on a log scale
Hospitals per price band (1,099 of 1,217 — the bands cover the 5th to 95th percentile)
FromToHospitals
$458$67288
$672$986132
$986$1,446161
$1,446$2,12291
$2,122$3,11281
$3,112$4,566199
$4,566$6,698126
$6,698$9,82694
$9,826$14,41467
$14,414$21,14560

Against Medicare

Medicare pays (OPPS 2026, national rate)$4,000
Median cash price$3,063
Cash as a multiple of Medicare0.77×

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 $3,063.

Alaska: 6 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureAKMaine: median $728 across 12 hospitalsME$728Vermont: median $760 across 11 hospitalsVT$760New Hampshire: 9 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureNHWashington: median $1,646 across 31 hospitalsWA$1,646Idaho: median $6,140 across 15 hospitalsID$6,140Montana: median $928 across 12 hospitalsMT$928North Dakota: 4 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureNDMinnesota: median $2,181 across 43 hospitalsMN$2,181Illinois: median $1,617 across 52 hospitalsIL$1,617Wisconsin: median $2,078 across 62 hospitalsWI$2,078Michigan: median $1,299 across 45 hospitalsMI$1,299New York: median $4,531 across 64 hospitalsNY$4,531Massachusetts: median $5,325 across 13 hospitalsMA$5,325Oregon: median $1,065 across 29 hospitalsOR$1,065Nevada: 6 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureNVWyoming: 7 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureWYSouth Dakota: 8 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureSDIowa: median $1,070 across 52 hospitalsIA$1,070Indiana: median $2,262 across 33 hospitalsIN$2,262Ohio: median $3,963 across 64 hospitalsOH$3,963Pennsylvania: median $4,490 across 34 hospitalsPA$4,490New Jersey: median $4,540 across 36 hospitalsNJ$4,540Connecticut: 7 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureCTRhode Island: 5 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureRICalifornia: median $5,252 across 86 hospitalsCA$5,252Utah: 4 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureUTColorado: median $1,156 across 24 hospitalsCO$1,156Nebraska: median $1,038 across 19 hospitalsNE$1,038Missouri: median $1,260 across 36 hospitalsMO$1,260Kentucky: median $3,369 across 27 hospitalsKY$3,369West Virginia: median $1,400 across 24 hospitalsWV$1,400Virginia: median $14,238 across 19 hospitalsVA$14,238Maryland: 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 $13,275 across 11 hospitalsAZ$13,275New Mexico: 9 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureNMKansas: median $917 across 37 hospitalsKS$917Arkansas: median $2,657 across 14 hospitalsAR$2,657Tennessee: median $3,431 across 19 hospitalsTN$3,431North Carolina: median $3,709 across 13 hospitalsNC$3,709South Carolina: median $5,474 across 24 hospitalsSC$5,474Oklahoma: median $2,096 across 20 hospitalsOK$2,096Louisiana: median $2,898 across 21 hospitalsLA$2,898Mississippi: median $2,920 across 14 hospitalsMS$2,920Alabama: median $3,494 across 15 hospitalsAL$3,494Georgia: median $3,908 across 22 hospitalsGA$3,908Hawaii: 9 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureHITexas: median $4,197 across 61 hospitalsTX$4,197Florida: median $5,246 across 24 hospitalsFL$5,246
Cash price by state, most expensive first. National median $3,063. A state needs at least 10 hospitals with a usable price to show a figure.
StateHospitalsMedianvs national20th–80th
Virginia VA19$14,238+365%$1,986 – $19,694
Arizona AZ11$13,275+333%$682 – $18,744
Idaho ID15$6,140+100%$876 – $10,392
South Carolina SC24$5,474+79%$5,042 – $16,554
Massachusetts MA13$5,325+74%$1,748 – $10,380
California CA86$5,252+71%$2,042 – $10,250
Florida FL24$5,246+71%$1,672 – $16,219
New Jersey NJ36$4,540+48%$4,238 – $6,839
New York NY64$4,531+48%$1,007 – $4,595
Pennsylvania PA34$4,490+47%$254 – $9,497
Texas TX61$4,197+37%$3,302 – $6,140
Ohio OH64$3,963+29%$849 – $23,371
Georgia GA22$3,908+28%$1,010 – $7,153
North Carolina NC13$3,709+21%$865 – $8,694
Alabama AL15$3,494+14%$1,227 – $17,127
Tennessee TN19$3,431+12%$453 – $7,029
Kentucky KY27$3,369+10%$658 – $10,237
Mississippi MS14$2,920−5%$1,000 – $10,235
Louisiana LA21$2,898−5%$2,225 – $8,998
Arkansas AR14$2,657−13%$965 – $6,210
Indiana IN33$2,262−26%$502 – $16,119
Minnesota MN43$2,181−29%$754 – $3,977
Oklahoma OK20$2,096−32%$1,717 – $11,297
Wisconsin WI62$2,078−32%$1,176 – $3,488
Washington WA31$1,646−46%$863 – $3,964
Illinois IL52$1,617−47%$849 – $7,384
West Virginia WV24$1,400−54%$498 – $8,721
Michigan MI45$1,299−58%$844 – $6,722
Missouri MO36$1,260−59%$630 – $6,414
Colorado CO24$1,156−62%$673 – $20,160
Iowa IA52$1,070−65%$764 – $1,711
Oregon OR29$1,065−65%$816 – $1,790
Nebraska NE19$1,038−66%$869 – $1,914
Montana MT12$928−70%$811 – $2,057
Kansas KS37$917−70%$718 – $4,076
Vermont VT11$760−75%$428 – $3,220
Maine ME12$728−76%$372 – $1,183
Hawaii HI9not enough hospitals filed a usable price
New Hampshire NH9not enough hospitals filed a usable price
New Mexico NM9not enough hospitals filed a usable price
South Dakota SD8not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Connecticut CT7not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Wyoming WY7not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Alaska AK6not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Nevada NV6not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Rhode Island RI5not enough hospitals filed a usable price
North Dakota ND4not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Utah UT4not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Maryland MD3not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Delaware DE2not 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 $3,063.

Cash price by hospital segment. A segment needs at least 20 hospitals to show a figure.
SegmentHospitalsMedian20th–80th
Hospital type
Acute care871$4,197$1,100 – $9,631
Children’s10fewer than 20 hospitals
Critical access334$1,125$728 – $3,488
Ownership
For-profit132$5,266$2,042 – $16,533
Government235$1,267$815 – $4,159
Non-profit848$3,430$876 – $7,846
System affiliation
Part of a system926$3,898$1,024 – $8,657
Independent291$1,309$742 – $4,340

Cash price vs list price

Median list price (chargemaster)$3,786
Median cash price$3,063
Cash as a share of list, median hospital65%

At the typical hospital, asking for the cash price cuts the list price by about 35%. 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

643 hospitals filed a usable inpatient cash price for this code. The median is $2,042 and the average of the middle 60% is $2,439; most fall between $658 and $5,266.

Cash price percentiles, inpatient, across 643 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
$453$816$2,042$4,550$7,846

The most expensive tenth of hospitals charges at least 17× what the cheapest tenth charges ($453 vs $7,846).

Of the 701 hospitals that filed this code inpatient, 643 gave a usable cash price; 23 carried a plausibility flag, 0 filed a number their own filing marks as not a price, 0 gave an estimate, and 35 a list price only.

How complete is this

1,217 of the 3,956 hospitals with a price file in our corpus (31%) filed a usable outpatient cash price for this code, and those are the hospitals every figure on this page is computed from.

What the 1,330 hospitals that filed this code at all gave us
Usable cash price — counted1,217
Cash price carrying a plausibility flag — shown on the compare tool, excluded here62
A number the filing itself marks as not a price (a placeholder, a ratio) — excluded1
An estimate rather than a filed cash price — excluded10
A list price only, no cash figure — excluded40
Hospitals that filed this code1,330

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 therapeutic procedures, hemic and lymphatic system family.

Hospitals file this code under descriptions such as Bx/Exc Lymph Node Open Deep Axillary Node.

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, “Open biopsy or removal of deep armpit lymph nodes (CPT 38525) — cash price report,” computed September 25, 2026. https://hospitalrates.com/procedures/cpt-38525-open-biopsy-or-removal-of-deep-armpit-lymph-nodes