Tonsils and adenoids removal (under age 12) in Philadelphia, PA-NJ-DE-MD costs $312 to $6,936. Here's every hospital's price.
3 hospitals in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 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 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area, 3 hospitals list a cash price for tonsils and adenoids removal (under age 12) (CPT 42820). The lowest is $312 at Jefferson Abington Hospital, the median is $6,936 and the highest is $6,936 at Jefferson Einstein Montgomery Hospital. The most expensive hospital lists 22 times the cheapest for the same code.
The Philadelphia, PA-NJ-DE-MD median of $6,936 is 61% above the national median of $4,321 across 447 US hospitals with a cash price for this code.
11 of these hospitals also publish the rates they negotiated with insurers, from $56 to $27,015. 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 between March 2026 and September 2026. 40 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 onlyAbington · 18 mi · File Sep 2026
Philadelphia · 13 mi · File Sep 2026
East Norriton · 18 mi · File Sep 2026
Elmer · 22 mi · File Mar 2026
Meadowbrook · 19 mi · File Sep 2026
Philadelphia · 9 mi · File Sep 2026
Royersford · 26 mi · File Jun 2026
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 Philadelphia, PA-NJ-DE-MD without a price for this procedure
Listed so you know who to call. The reason is what we found on their website.
- Chester County HospitalNo price file found
- Children's Hospital of Philadelphiacode not in file
- Christiana HospitalFile in an unsupported format
- Cooper University HospitalWebsite blocks automated reading
- Crozer Chester Medical CenterNo price file found
- Deborah Heart and Lung CenterNo price file found
- Doylestown HospitalWebsite blocks automated reading
- Eagleville HospitalWebsite blocks automated reading
- Hospital of Univ of PennsylvaniaNo price file found
- Kensington HospitalNo price file found
- Lower Bucks Hospitalcode not in file
- Main Line Hospital LankenauFile in an unsupported format
- Mercy Catholic Medical Center- Mercy Fitzgeraldcode not in file
- Nazareth HospitalNo website on record
- Nemours Children's Hospital, Delawarecode not in file
- Paoli HospitalFile in an unsupported format
- Penn Presbyterian Medical CenterNo price file found
- Pennsylvania HospitalNo price file found
- Phoenixville Hospitalcode not in file
- Pottstown Hospitalcode not in file
- Riddle Memorial HospitalFile in an unsupported format
- Rothman Orthopaedic Specialty Hospitalcode not in file
- Roxborough Memorial Hospitalcode not in file
- Shriners Hospitals for Children - Philadelphiacode not in file
- St Christopher's Hospital for Childrencode not in file
- St Francis Hospitalcode not in file
- St Luke's Hospital - Grand View CampusWebsite blocks automated reading
- St Luke's Hospital - Upper Bucks CampusFile could not be read
- St Mary Medical Centercode not in file
- Suburban Community HospitalFile found, not read yet
- Temple Health - Chestnut Hill HospitalNo price file found
- Temple University HospitalNo website on record
- Union Hospital of Cecil CountyFile in an unsupported format
- Valley Forge Medical Centercode not in file
- Virtua Mount Holly Hospitalcode not in file
- Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes Hospitalcode not in file
- Virtua Willingboro Hospitalcode not in file
- Weisman Childrens Rehabilitation Hospitalcode not in file
- West Jersey Hospitalcode not in file
- Wills Eye Hospitalcode not in file