Septoplasty (deviated septum repair) cost.
What septoplasty (deviated septum repair) costs at 117 US hospitals across 57 metros, pulled from the federally-mandated machine-readable files each hospital is required to publish. Cash-pay range: $342 to $74,227 (217× spread). CPT code 30520.
Top 5 cheapest hospitals for septoplasty.
| # | Hospital | Cash price |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Jefferson Regional Medical Center
Jefferson Hills, PA
|
$342 to $353 |
| 2 |
Allegheny General Hospital
Pittsburgh, PA
|
$432 to $446 |
| 3 |
Cedars-Sinai Marina del Rey Hospital
Marina del Rey, CA
|
$656 to $18,448 |
| 4 |
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Nashville, TN
|
$1,053 |
| 5 |
John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital
Chicago, IL
|
$1,156 |
See all 117 hospitals, your insurance, your zip.
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Compare septoplasty prices →What is septoplasty (deviated septum repair)?
Surgery to straighten the wall between the nostrils.
Outpatient ENT surgery for a deviated septum causing breathing issues. About 1-2 hours under general anesthesia; recovery 1-2 weeks.
Frequently performed at Ambulatory Surgical Centers at significantly lower cost than hospitals. The published rate is the facility fee. Sometimes bundled with turbinate reduction (CPT 30130/30140) at additional cost.
Why prices vary this much.
The same septoplasty (deviated septum repair) on the same equipment can cost 217 times more at one hospital than another. Three reasons.
Chargemasters are arbitrary. The "sticker price" hospitals publish was never designed for consumers. It's a starting number for negotiation with insurance companies, with adjustments stacked on top for decades. Almost no one pays the chargemaster.
Negotiated rates are confidential bilateral contracts. Each insurance company negotiates its own rate with each hospital. Aetna at Hospital A might pay 60% of what Cigna pays at the same hospital for the same code. You see one rate; the hospital sees dozens.
Cash pay is a separate thing entirely. Many hospitals offer a "self-pay" or "cash-pay" rate that's dramatically cheaper than what they'd bill insurance, especially for elective imaging. If you have a high-deductible plan, paying cash and filing for reimbursement (or just eating the cost) can be the cheapest path.
What to ask the hospital before you book.
The four questions that surface hidden costs:
1. "Is the price you're quoting me the all-in price, or just the facility fee?" Hospitals often quote the facility fee and bill the radiologist or anesthesiologist separately on a different invoice.
2. "What's the cash-pay rate vs the rate you'd bill my insurance?" Don't assume insurance is cheaper. For high-deductible plans, cash pay is often the better deal.
3. "If I'm uninsured, do you have a financial assistance policy I qualify for?" Federally-tax-exempt hospitals are required to have one, and it can knock 50-100% off the bill for households under specific income thresholds.
4. "If I get a bill and the price is different than what was quoted, what's your dispute process?" Get the answer before you book, in writing if possible. If the bill comes in higher than the quote, you have leverage.