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Procedure price report · Endoscopy and endoscopic biopsy of the urinary tract

Kidney scope via nephrostomy with ureteral catheter

CPT 50553the billing code this page is about

A scope is passed into the kidney through an existing surgical opening in the skin or kidney, and a catheter is threaded into the ureter.

Hospitals typically charge $2,717 cash for this outpatient procedure — the median across 375 hospitals that filed a usable cash price; the average of the middle 60% is $3,168. Most fall between $722 and $6,599 (20th–80th percentile).

Hospitals
375
States
43
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 375 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
$585$923$2,717$6,016$9,149

The most expensive tenth of hospitals charges at least 16× what the cheapest tenth charges ($585 vs $9,149).

How the prices are spread

$516 – $699: 39 hospitals$516$699 – $946: 39 hospitals$946 – $1,282: 29 hospitals$946$1,282 – $1,736: 32 hospitals$1,736 – $2,352: 27 hospitals$1,736$2,352 – $3,185: 27 hospitals$3,185 – $4,314: 31 hospitals$3,185$4,314 – $5,843: 32 hospitals$5,843 – $7,914: 55 hospitals$5,843$7,914 – $10,718: 34 hospitals$7,914median $2,717price bands are equal on a log scale
Hospitals per price band (345 of 375 — the bands cover the 5th to 95th percentile)
FromToHospitals
$516$69939
$699$94639
$946$1,28229
$1,282$1,73632
$1,736$2,35227
$2,352$3,18527
$3,185$4,31431
$4,314$5,84332
$5,843$7,91455
$7,914$10,71834

Against Medicare

Medicare pays (OPPS 2026, national rate)$5,478
Median cash price$2,717
Cash as a multiple of Medicare0.50×

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 $2,717.

Alaska: 2 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureAKMaine: 1 hospital filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureMEVermont: 4 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureVTNew Hampshire: 4 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureNHWashington: 5 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureWAIdaho: 6 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureIDMontana: 1 hospital filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureMTNorth Dakota: 5 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureNDMinnesota: 1 hospital filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureMNIllinois: median $1,365 across 18 hospitalsIL$1,365Wisconsin: median $1,894 across 27 hospitalsWI$1,894Michigan: median $2,821 across 15 hospitalsMI$2,821New York: median $6,016 across 24 hospitalsNY$6,016Massachusetts: 3 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureMAOregon: median $710 across 11 hospitalsOR$710Nevada: 3 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureNVWyoming: 2 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureWYSouth Dakota: no hospital in the corpus filed a usable priceSDIowa: median $966 across 15 hospitalsIA$966Indiana: median $966 across 19 hospitalsIN$966Ohio: 7 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureOHPennsylvania: median $4,695 across 21 hospitalsPA$4,695New Jersey: median $5,632 across 30 hospitalsNJ$5,632Connecticut: no hospital in the corpus filed a usable priceCTRhode Island: no hospital in the corpus filed a usable priceRICalifornia: median $6,599 across 46 hospitalsCA$6,599Utah: no hospital in the corpus filed a usable priceUTColorado: 1 hospital filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureCONebraska: 3 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureNEMissouri: 1 hospital filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureMOKentucky: 3 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureKYWest Virginia: 3 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureWVVirginia: median $2,807 across 12 hospitalsVA$2,807Maryland: no hospital in the corpus filed a usable priceMDDelaware: no hospital in the corpus filed a usable priceDEArizona: 2 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureAZNew Mexico: 1 hospital filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureNMKansas: 1 hospital filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureKSArkansas: 1 hospital filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureARTennessee: 6 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureTNNorth Carolina: 4 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureNCSouth Carolina: 3 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureSCOklahoma: median $516 across 12 hospitalsOK$516Louisiana: 3 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureLAMississippi: 6 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureMSAlabama: 2 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureALGeorgia: 1 hospital filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureGAHawaii: no hospital in the corpus filed a usable priceHITexas: median $4,066 across 32 hospitalsTX$4,066Florida: 8 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureFL
Cash price by state, most expensive first. National median $2,717. A state needs at least 10 hospitals with a usable price to show a figure.
StateHospitalsMedianvs national20th–80th
California CA46$6,599+143%$3,238 – $10,718
New York NY24$6,016+121%$880 – $6,016
New Jersey NJ30$5,632+107%$4,881 – $6,783
Pennsylvania PA21$4,695+73%$1,082 – $9,151
Texas TX32$4,066+50%$585 – $4,066
Michigan MI15$2,821+4%$598 – $7,373
Virginia VA12$2,807+3%$714 – $2,864
Wisconsin WI27$1,894−30%$1,665 – $2,851
Illinois IL18$1,365−50%$700 – $5,762
Iowa IA15$966−64%$966 – $966
Indiana IN19$966−64%$700 – $1,523
Oregon OR11$710−74%$671 – $1,310
Oklahoma OK12$516−81%$516 – $516
Florida FL8not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Ohio OH7not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Idaho ID6not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Mississippi MS6not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Tennessee TN6not enough hospitals filed a usable price
North Dakota ND5not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Washington WA5not enough hospitals filed a usable price
North Carolina NC4not enough hospitals filed a usable price
New Hampshire NH4not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Vermont VT4not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Kentucky KY3not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Louisiana LA3not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Massachusetts MA3not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Nebraska NE3not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Nevada NV3not enough hospitals filed a usable price
South Carolina SC3not enough hospitals filed a usable price
West Virginia WV3not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Alaska AK2not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Alabama AL2not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Arizona AZ2not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Wyoming WY2not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Arkansas AR1not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Colorado CO1not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Georgia GA1not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Kansas KS1not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Maine ME1not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Minnesota MN1not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Missouri MO1not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Montana MT1not enough hospitals filed a usable price
New Mexico NM1not 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 $2,717.

Cash price by hospital segment. A segment needs at least 20 hospitals to show a figure.
SegmentHospitalsMedian20th–80th
Hospital type
Acute care321$3,015$720 – $6,599
Children’s3fewer than 20 hospitals
Critical access49$1,310$741 – $2,851
Ownership
For-profit32$1,665$700 – $5,762
Government40$1,523$585 – $6,016
Non-profit301$2,821$850 – $6,599
System affiliation
Part of a system327$2,851$856 – $6,599
Independent48$937$607 – $6,580

Cash price vs list price

Median list price (chargemaster)$3,168
Median cash price$2,717
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

260 hospitals filed a usable inpatient cash price for this code. The median is $2,280 and the average of the middle 60% is $2,813; most fall between $700 and $6,599.

Cash price percentiles, inpatient, across 260 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
$516$717$2,280$6,180$10,718

The most expensive tenth of hospitals charges at least 21× what the cheapest tenth charges ($516 vs $10,718).

Of the 287 hospitals that filed this code inpatient, 260 gave a usable cash price; 12 carried a plausibility flag, 0 filed a number their own filing marks as not a price, 0 gave an estimate, and 15 a list price only.

How complete is this

375 of the 3,956 hospitals with a price file in our corpus (9%) filed a usable outpatient cash price for this code, and those are the hospitals every figure on this page is computed from.

What the 404 hospitals that filed this code at all gave us
Usable cash price — counted375
Cash price carrying a plausibility flag — shown on the compare tool, excluded here21
A number the filing itself marks as not a price (a placeholder, a ratio) — excluded1
An estimate rather than a filed cash price — excluded0
A list price only, no cash figure — excluded7
Hospitals that filed this code404

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 Endoscopy and endoscopic biopsy of the urinary tract family.

Hospitals file this code under descriptions such as Renal Ndsc Nephrost W/Ureteral Cath W/WO Dila.

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, “Kidney scope via nephrostomy with ureteral catheter (CPT 50553) — cash price report,” computed September 25, 2026. https://hospitalrates.com/procedures/cpt-50553-kidney-scope-via-nephrostomy-with-ureteral-catheter