Laparoscopic Appendectomy (Appendix Removal): what it covers and what it costs
What does a Laparoscopic Appendectomy (Appendix Removal) cost? Across 34 major U.S. metros, the typical insurer-negotiated price for an Appendectomy (CPT 44970) runs from about $989 in Raleigh, NC to $29,398 in Virginia Beach, VA, read from hospitals' own price-transparency files. 6 of those metros have at least one hospital publishing a self-pay cash price. This page explains what the billing code covers, what the quoted price does and does not include, and what actually drives the spread between hospitals. These are price references from public data — not a quote, a bill, or medical or financial advice.
These figures are aggregated from hospitals' public price-transparency files — not a quote, a bill, an insurance benefit determination, or medical advice. Your actual out-of-pocket cost depends on your insurance plan (deductible, copay, coinsurance, network), the exact service and any complications, and which hospital you use. Always confirm price and coverage with the hospital and your insurer before care.
What an Appendectomy price actually covers
A laparoscopic appendectomy removes the appendix through several small incisions using a camera and instruments. It is usually performed urgently rather than scheduled, which shapes how it is billed.
Code scope. 44970 = laparoscopic appendectomy (the dominant approach). Open appendectomy is 44950. Usually an emergency; a multi-day inpatient stay may instead group to a DRG (e.g., 338-343).
What is — and isn't — in the price
For an inpatient stay the hospital charge is generally a bundled amount covering the operating room, the room and board and routine supplies. Surgeon, anaesthesia and any consulting physicians bill separately. Because most appendectomies arrive through the emergency department, the ER visit and its imaging are typically additional charges.
Why Appendectomy prices differ so much between hospitals
Whether the case is billed as inpatient or as outpatient observation makes a substantial difference, and that classification depends on length of stay and clinical judgement rather than on the operation. A perforated appendix, which lengthens the stay and can require additional care, is grouped and priced differently from an uncomplicated one.
What else usually lands on the bill
The emergency department visit, the CT that established the diagnosis and the laboratory work all precede the operation and are billed separately. A drainage procedure for an abscess, if needed first, is its own charge.
What to ask before you book
Ask whether the published price assumes an uncomplicated case with a short stay, and whether emergency department and imaging charges preceding the operation are inside or outside that figure.
Where the money actually moves
Effectively unshoppable — it is an urgent operation and should be treated as one. The useful step comes afterwards: request an itemised bill and check whether the stay was billed as inpatient or observation, a classification that is sometimes revised.
What the Appendectomy numbers show nationally
A Appendectomy costs 29.7× as much in Virginia Beach as in Raleigh
Across the 34 metros priced here, the typical negotiated rate runs from $989 in Raleigh, NC to $29,398 in Virginia Beach, VA — the same billing codes, the same procedure, 2873% apart.
The individual hospitals reporting the lowest and highest Appendectomy prices
Lowest: HARPER UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL (Detroit, MI) at $10; JOHNSON MEMORIAL HOSPITAL (Hartford, CT) at $159; GRADY MEMORIAL HOSPITAL (Atlanta, GA) at $254. Highest: CEDARS-SINAI MEDICAL CENTER (Los Angeles, CA) at $33,335; SENTARA WILLIAMSBURG REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER (Virginia Beach, VA) at $29,398; SENTARA PRINCESS ANNE HOSPITAL (Virginia Beach, VA) at $29,398. These are the figures each hospital published in its own file, not an assessment of the care.
6 of 34 metros have a hospital publishing a self-pay Appendectomy price
Cheapest published cash price: $11,810 (St. Louis). A cash price is what the hospital will accept from someone paying directly; it is not required and many never publish one.
Insurers pay about 63% below the list price for an Appendectomy
Across the 8 metros publishing both, the chargemaster list price is typically 63% above what insurers negotiate. The widest gap is in Sacramento: $40,500 list against $7,407 negotiated.
How many hospitals actually publish an Appendectomy price
204 hospital price-file entries across 34 metros feed this page. A hospital appears only where its own file lists a rate for CPT 44970 — where it does not, it is absent from the table rather than filled in with a guess.
Appendectomy price by metro
The typical insurer-negotiated price for a Appendectomy, by metro — lowest first. 6 of these 34 metros have at least one hospital publishing a self-pay cash price; 9 publish a chargemaster list price. Open a metro for its full hospital-by-hospital breakdown and who those hospitals are.
| Metro | Typical negotiated | Range | Cash | Hospitals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raleigh, NC | $989 | $989–$1,791 | — | 3 |
| Indianapolis, IN | $1,220 | $414–$4,471 | — | 4 |
| Detroit, MI | $1,960 | $10–$5,997 | — | 6 |
| Phoenix, AZ | $3,669 | $3,043–$7,116 | — | 10 |
| Philadelphia, PA | $3,748 | $279–$10,000 | — | 11 |
| San Jose, CA | $5,024 | $2,027–$7,407 | — | 3 |
| Atlanta, GA | $5,405 | $254–$5,809 | — | 7 |
| Birmingham, AL | $5,475 | $5,475–$5,530 | — | 3 |
| Milwaukee, WI | $5,779 | $1,516–$11,037 | — | 9 |
| Cincinnati, OH | $6,009 | $5,891–$8,125 | $19,169 | 5 |
| Washington, DC | $6,066 | $4,926–$9,260 | — | 5 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | $6,119 | $5,840–$6,384 | — | 5 |
| St. Louis, MO | $6,182 | $5,697–$6,957 | $11,810 | 4 |
| Houston, TX | $6,186 | $5,454–$6,217 | — | 6 |
| Riverside, CA | $6,286 | $273–$7,090 | — | 4 |
| Kansas City, MO | $6,461 | $1,635–$10,961 | — | 7 |
| Nashville, TN | $6,489 | $2,465–$7,380 | — | 9 |
| Tampa, FL | $6,692 | $6,660–$6,735 | — | 6 |
| Hartford, CT | $7,032 | $159–$7,089 | — | 4 |
| Sacramento, CA | $7,407 | $7,407 | $22,680 | 3 |
| San Francisco, CA | $7,407 | $7,407 | $22,680 | 6 |
| New York, NY | $7,498 | $6,776–$7,726 | $35,959 | 7 |
| Buffalo, NY | $7,510 | $809–$9,037 | — | 3 |
| Denver, CO | $7,593 | $580–$12,739 | — | 10 |
| San Diego, CA | $8,048 | $7,776–$24,295 | — | 3 |
| Austin, TX | $8,360 | $2,240–$9,426 | — | 9 |
| Dallas, TX | $10,281 | $5,360–$17,684 | — | 10 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $10,342 | $7,090–$33,335 | — | 5 |
| Seattle, WA | $10,671 | $1,562–$12,951 | — | 8 |
| Miami, FL | $12,314 | $11,670–$25,225 | — | 4 |
| Cleveland, OH | $13,419 | $562–$15,523 | $17,445 | 9 |
| Portland, OR | $13,440 | $7,224–$13,440 | — | 7 |
| Chicago, IL | $16,965 | $16,965 | — | 3 |
| Virginia Beach, VA | $29,398 | $6,448–$29,398 | — | 6 |
Source: hospitals' own machine-readable Standard Charges files, published under the U.S. Hospital Price Transparency rule (45 CFR §180.50). Most recent hospital file in this dataset: July 2026. Prices are references, not quotes or bills, and never medical or financial advice — where a hospital reports no price, nothing is shown rather than a guess.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does an Appendectomy cost?
- Across 34 U.S. metros the typical insurer-negotiated price is about $6,692, ranging from $989 in Raleigh to $29,398 in Virginia Beach. Every figure is read from a named hospital's own price-transparency file for CPT 44970.
- Does the price include the doctor's fee?
- For an inpatient stay the hospital charge is generally a bundled amount covering the operating room, the room and board and routine supplies. Surgeon, anaesthesia and any consulting physicians bill separately. Because most appendectomies arrive through the emergency department, the ER visit and its imaging are typically additional charges.
- Why do Appendectomy prices differ so much between hospitals?
- Whether the case is billed as inpatient or as outpatient observation makes a substantial difference, and that classification depends on length of stay and clinical judgement rather than on the operation. A perforated appendix, which lengthens the stay and can require additional care, is grouped and priced differently from an uncomplicated one.