Tonsils and adenoids removal (under age 12) in Hickory, NC costs $3,025 to $7,716. Here's every hospital's price.
2 hospitals in the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC metro area publish a cash price for tonsils and adenoids removal (under age 12) (CPT 42820). We read their files every month so you don't have to.
Across the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC metro area, 2 hospitals list a cash price for tonsils and adenoids removal (under age 12) (CPT 42820). The lowest is $3,025 at Frye Regional Medical Center, the median is $3,025 and the highest is $7,716 at Catawba Valley Medical Center. The most expensive hospital lists 2.6 times the cheapest for the same code.
The Hickory, NC median of $3,025 is 30% below the national median of $4,321 across 446 US hospitals with a cash price for this code.
2 of these hospitals also publish the rates they negotiated with insurers, from $732 to $13,473. With insurance you pay a share of the negotiated rate, which is sometimes higher than the cash price; you may ask for the cash price instead.
The files behind these prices are dated July 2026. 2 other hospitals in the metro area have no readable price for this code: some publish no file, some block automated reading, some leave the code out. They are listed below so you can call them.
Sorted by cash price
Hospital facility fee onlyHickory · 9 mi · File Jul 2026
Hickory · 13 mi · Older file date unknown
What's in the price
The hospital facility fee for CPT 42820. The doctor, anesthesia and lab work usually bill separately.
Cash vs. insured
Cash is what you pay without insurance. With insurance you pay a share of the negotiated rate, which can be higher than cash. You may ask for the cash price.
What to say on the phone
"I'd like the self-pay price for CPT 42820, in writing, and whether it covers facility, physician and anesthesia."
About tonsils and adenoids removal (under age 12)
CPT 42820 is removal of the tonsils and adenoids in a child under 12, done for repeated throat infections or, more often today, for sleep-disordered breathing. It is an outpatient operation under general anesthesia, about 30 to 45 minutes, with one to two weeks of sore throat afterward.
What the price covers
The hospital's price is the facility fee for the operating room, anesthesia equipment, nursing, supplies and recovery. The ENT surgeon and the anesthesiologist bill separately. Children with sleep apnea or under three are sometimes kept overnight, which adds an observation charge.
Why prices vary
Children's hospitals and academic centers list the highest prices for this operation; community hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers list lower. The spread within a metro area is commonly three to five times for the facility fee alone.
Questions to ask
- What is the self-pay price for 42820, and what do surgeon and anesthesia add?
- Will my child need to stay overnight, and what does that cost?
- Can it be done at an ambulatory surgery center?
Hospitals in Hickory, NC without a price for this procedure
Listed so you know who to call. The reason is what we found on their website.
- Blue Ridge Healthcare Hospitals, INCWebsite blocks automated reading
- Caldwell Memorial HospitalWebsite blocks automated reading