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Procedure price report · Other therapeutic procedures on eyelids, conjunctiva, cornea

Removal of a stone or foreign object from tear ducts

CPT 68530the billing code this page is about

Surgery to take out a foreign body or a hardened tear-duct stone from the tear drainage passages.

Hospitals typically charge $693 cash for this outpatient procedure — the median across 355 hospitals that filed a usable cash price; the average of the middle 60% is $729. Most fall between $354 and $1,586 (20th–80th percentile).

Hospitals
355
States
46
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 355 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
$287$392$693$1,230$2,707

The most expensive tenth of hospitals charges at least 9.4× what the cheapest tenth charges ($287 vs $2,707).

How the prices are spread

$217 – $298: 19 hospitals$217$298 – $408: 66 hospitals$408 – $560: 40 hospitals$408$560 – $768: 46 hospitals$768 – $1,054: 53 hospitals$768$1,054 – $1,445: 35 hospitals$1,445 – $1,981: 37 hospitals$1,445$1,981 – $2,717: 7 hospitals$2,717 – $3,726: 11 hospitals$2,717$3,726 – $5,110: 7 hospitals$3,726median $693price bands are equal on a log scale
Hospitals per price band (321 of 355 — the bands cover the 5th to 95th percentile)
FromToHospitals
$217$29819
$298$40866
$408$56040
$560$76846
$768$1,05453
$1,054$1,44535
$1,445$1,98137
$1,981$2,7177
$2,717$3,72611
$3,726$5,1107

Against Medicare

Medicare pays (OPPS 2026, national rate)$324
Median cash price$693
Cash as a multiple of Medicare2.1×

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 $693.

Alaska: 2 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureAKMaine: no hospital in the corpus filed a usable priceMEVermont: 3 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: 1 hospital filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureNDMinnesota: median $1,652 across 13 hospitalsMN$1,652Illinois: median $611 across 18 hospitalsIL$611Wisconsin: median $608 across 13 hospitalsWI$608Michigan: 7 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureMINew York: median $377 across 29 hospitalsNY$377Massachusetts: 4 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureMAOregon: 6 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureORNevada: 1 hospital 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 $1,067 across 13 hospitalsIA$1,067Indiana: 5 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureINOhio: 8 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureOHPennsylvania: median $365 across 26 hospitalsPA$365New Jersey: median $3,113 across 31 hospitalsNJ$3,113Connecticut: no hospital in the corpus filed a usable priceCTRhode Island: 1 hospital filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureRICalifornia: median $1,658 across 28 hospitalsCA$1,658Utah: 1 hospital filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureUTColorado: 2 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureCONebraska: 3 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureNEMissouri: 4 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureMOKentucky: 5 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureKYWest Virginia: median $365 across 11 hospitalsWV$365Virginia: median $318 across 11 hospitalsVA$318Maryland: no hospital in the corpus filed a usable priceMDDelaware: 1 hospital filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureDEArizona: 1 hospital filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureAZNew Mexico: no hospital in the corpus filed a usable priceNMKansas: 5 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureKSArkansas: 3 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureARTennessee: 6 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureTNNorth Carolina: 7 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureNCSouth Carolina: 4 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureSCOklahoma: median $413 across 17 hospitalsOK$413Louisiana: 8 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureLAMississippi: 5 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureMSAlabama: 1 hospital filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureALGeorgia: 7 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureGAHawaii: 2 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureHITexas: median $811 across 20 hospitalsTX$811Florida: 3 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureFL
Cash price by state, most expensive first. National median $693. A state needs at least 10 hospitals with a usable price to show a figure.
StateHospitalsMedianvs national20th–80th
New Jersey NJ31$3,113+349%$331 – $5,110
California CA28$1,658+139%$937 – $1,658
Minnesota MN13$1,652+138%$1,219 – $1,652
Iowa IA13$1,067+54%$1,067 – $1,067
Texas TX20$811+17%$796 – $862
Illinois IL18$611−12%$432 – $2,146
Wisconsin WI13$608−12%$522 – $634
Oklahoma OK17$413−40%$268 – $413
New York NY29$377−46%$354 – $1,116
Pennsylvania PA26$365−47%$161 – $644
West Virginia WV11$365−47%$365 – $406
Virginia VA11$318−54%$181 – $318
Louisiana LA8not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Ohio OH8not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Georgia GA7not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Michigan MI7not enough hospitals filed a usable price
North Carolina NC7not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Idaho ID6not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Oregon OR6not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Tennessee TN6not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Indiana IN5not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Kansas KS5not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Kentucky KY5not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Mississippi MS5not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Washington WA5not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Massachusetts MA4not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Missouri MO4not enough hospitals filed a usable price
New Hampshire NH4not enough hospitals filed a usable price
South Carolina SC4not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Arkansas AR3not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Florida FL3not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Nebraska NE3not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Vermont VT3not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Alaska AK2not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Colorado CO2not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Hawaii HI2not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Wyoming WY2not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Alabama AL1not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Arizona AZ1not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Delaware DE1not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Montana MT1not enough hospitals filed a usable price
North Dakota ND1not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Nevada NV1not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Rhode Island RI1not enough hospitals filed a usable price
South Dakota SD1not 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 $693.

Cash price by hospital segment. A segment needs at least 20 hospitals to show a figure.
SegmentHospitalsMedian20th–80th
Hospital type
Acute care302$635$354 – $1,658
Children’s9fewer than 20 hospitals
Critical access44$811$608 – $1,100
Ownership
For-profit31$656$474 – $1,230
Government45$496$354 – $1,127
Non-profit279$766$354 – $1,652
System affiliation
Part of a system297$679$354 – $1,652
Independent58$718$392 – $1,332

Cash price vs list price

Median list price (chargemaster)$1,191
Median cash price$693
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

219 hospitals filed a usable inpatient cash price for this code. The median is $745 and the average of the middle 60% is $727; most fall between $329 and $1,254.

Cash price percentiles, inpatient, across 219 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
$264$413$745$1,067$1,658

The most expensive tenth of hospitals charges at least 6.3× what the cheapest tenth charges ($264 vs $1,658).

Of the 232 hospitals that filed this code inpatient, 219 gave a usable cash price; 10 carried a plausibility flag, 0 filed a number their own filing marks as not a price, 0 gave an estimate, and 3 a list price only.

How complete is this

355 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 391 hospitals that filed this code at all gave us
Usable cash price — counted355
Cash price carrying a plausibility flag — shown on the compare tool, excluded here29
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 — excluded5
Hospitals that filed this code391

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 on eyelids, conjunctiva, cornea family.

Hospitals file this code under descriptions such as Rmvl FB/Dacryolith Lacrimal Passages.

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, “Removal of a stone or foreign object from tear ducts (CPT 68530) — cash price report,” computed September 25, 2026. https://hospitalrates.com/procedures/cpt-68530-removal-of-a-stone-or-foreign-object-from-tear-ducts