What does code 42720 cost?

Across the published hospital price files, the disclosed cash price for 42720 ranges from $967 to $9,145. This is public hospital price transparency data, not a guaranteed estimate of your bill.

Will this be my final bill?

Actual patient responsibility may vary based on your insurance plan, deductible, coinsurance, network status, diagnosis, setting, bundled services, clinical circumstances, and hospital billing practices.

42720 is the billing code hospitals use to identify "Drainage of throat abscess" on their published price files. We use it to line up the same service across different hospitals.

Why do prices for this code differ between hospitals?

Each hospital sets its own prices and negotiates separately with each insurer, so the disclosed price for the same code can vary widely from one hospital to another — and even between plans at a single hospital. Comparing the published figures is what this page is for; a difference does not by itself mean one hospital is better or worse.

What this page is not

It is not a quote, a guarantee, or medical advice. It shows what hospitals have published for this code, so you can compare and ask informed questions — your actual cost depends on your insurance, the exact services performed, and the care setting.

42720

HCPCS

Drainage of throat abscess

Verified from hospital fileNot a bill estimate

iDirect answer

Based on the latest published hospital price files, code 42720 (Drainage of throat abscess) appears at 45 hospitals with disclosed cash prices from $967 to $9,145. This is public hospital price transparency data, not a guaranteed estimate of your bill.

Published-price availability

hospitals publish a price

list this service without a published price

Cash

List

Negotiated

Allowed

A blank price (“—”) means a hospital names this service but did not publish a dollar amount — it is not a free service or a $0 price.

Compare 42720 prices

Filter by hospital, city, setting, or payer — the summary and charts update with your filters.

Based on hospital-published prices verified from each hospital’s own file. Coverage expands as data is verified.

Published cash prices for code 42720 vary by about 9.5× across the 34 hospitals with disclosed prices here — from $967 to $9,145. Shopping around can matter.

Hospitals

Prices shown

$967

Lowest cash

$9,145

Highest cash

code 42720 cash price36 disclosed · 34 hospitals

$967median ~$9,145$9,145

Lowest cash price by hospital

Cash price by city

Reflects your current filters.

Cash price by city$967 – $1,700

Valdez · 1 hospital$967–$1,069
Kodiak · 1 hospital$973–$1,653
Cadillac · 1 hospital$1,000
Tarzana · 1 hospital$1,471
San Pedro · 1 hospital$1,700
Torrance · 1 hospital$1,700

55 prices shown.

Service	Hospital	Code	List price	Cash price	Negotiated range	Allowed (median)
Drainage of throat abscess Outpatient	Endeavor Health Edward Hospital	42720 HCPCS	—	—	$1,193 – $5,724	—
Hc Incision & Drainage Abscess; Retropharyngeal/Parapharyngeal, Intraoral Approach Inpatient & outpatient	University of Chicago Medical Center	42720 HCPCS	—	—	—	—
Drainage of throat abscess Outpatient	University of Chicago Medical Center	42720 HCPCS	—	—	—	—
I&D abscess retropharyngeal or parapharyngeal intraoral 42720 Inpatient	Munson Healthcare Cadillac	42720 CPT	$1,176	$1,000	$706 – $1,000	—
HC ED DRAINAGE OF THROAT ABSCESS CDM Inpatient & outpatient	Providence Alaska Medical Center	42720 HCPCS	$7,162	$5,586	—	—
HC ED DRAINAGE OF THROAT ABSCESS CDM Inpatient & outpatient	Providence Kodiak Island Medical Center	42720 HCPCS	$1,248	$973	—	—
HC PR ED 42720 DRAINAGE OF THROAT ABSCESS CDM Inpatient & outpatient	Providence Kodiak Island Medical Center	42720 HCPCS	$2,119	$1,653	—	—
I&D ABSC RTRPHRNGL/PARAPHARYNGEAL INTRAORAL Inpatient & outpatient	Antioch Medical Center	42720 CPT	$16,330	$9,145	$3,919 – $12,272	—
I&D ABSC RTRPHRNGL/PARAPHARYNGEAL INTRAORAL Inpatient & outpatient	Fremont Medical Center	42720 CPT	$16,330	$9,145	$3,919 – $12,272	—
HC ED DRAINAGE OF THROAT ABSCESS CDM Inpatient & outpatient	Providence Seward Hospital	42720 HCPCS	$7,922	$6,179	—	—
HC ED DRAINAGE OF THROAT ABSCESS CDM Inpatient & outpatient	Providence Valdez Medical Center	42720 HCPCS	$1,240	$967	—	—
HC PR ED 42720 DRAINAGE OF THROAT ABSCESS CDM Inpatient & outpatient	Providence Valdez Medical Center	42720 HCPCS	$1,371	$1,069	—	—
HC ED DRAINAGE OF THROAT ABSCESS CDM Inpatient & outpatient	Healdsburg Hospital	42720 HCPCS	$6,855	$3,496	—	—
HC ED DRAINAGE OF THROAT ABSCESS CDM Inpatient & outpatient	Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center	42720 HCPCS	$4,202	$1,471	—	—
HC ED DRAINAGE OF THROAT ABSCESS CDM Inpatient & outpatient	Providence Holy Cross Medical Center	42720 HCPCS	$4,946	$1,731	—	—
HC ED DRAINAGE OF THROAT ABSCESS CDM Inpatient & outpatient	Providence Little Co of Mary Med Center San Pedro	42720 HCPCS	$4,857	$1,700	—	—
I&D ABSC RTRPHRNGL/PARAPHARYNGEAL INTRAORAL Inpatient & outpatient	Fresno Medical Center	42720 CPT	$16,330	$9,145	$3,919 – $12,272	—
I&D ABSC RTRPHRNGL/PARAPHARYNGEAL INTRAORAL Inpatient & outpatient	Oakland Medical Center	42720 CPT	$16,330	$9,145	$3,919 – $12,272	—
I&D ABSC RTRPHRNGL/PARAPHARYNGEAL INTRAORAL Inpatient & outpatient	Redwood City Medical Center	42720 CPT	$16,330	$9,145	$3,919 – $12,272	—
I&D ABSC RTRPHRNGL/PARAPHARYNGEAL INTRAORAL Inpatient & outpatient	Richmond Medical Center	42720 CPT	$16,330	$9,145	$3,919 – $12,272	—
I&D ABSC RTRPHRNGL/PARAPHARYNGEAL INTRAORAL Inpatient & outpatient	Roseville Medical Center	42720 CPT	$16,330	$9,145	$3,919 – $12,272	—
I&D ABSC RTRPHRNGL/PARAPHARYNGEAL INTRAORAL Inpatient & outpatient	Sacramento Medical Center	42720 CPT	$16,330	$9,145	$3,919 – $12,272	—
I&D ABSC RTRPHRNGL/PARAPHARYNGEAL INTRAORAL Inpatient & outpatient	San Francisco Medical Center	42720 CPT	$16,330	$9,145	$3,919 – $12,272	—
I&D ABSC RTRPHRNGL/PARAPHARYNGEAL INTRAORAL Inpatient & outpatient	San Jose Medical Center	42720 CPT	$16,330	$9,145	$3,919 – $12,272	—
I&D ABSC RTRPHRNGL/PARAPHARYNGEAL INTRAORAL Inpatient & outpatient	San Leandro Medical Center	42720 CPT	$16,330	$9,145	$3,919 – $12,272	—

How to read these prices

Cash price: The discounted self-pay price for paying directly, without insurance.
List price: The hospital’s full undiscounted charge — rarely what anyone pays.
Negotiated rate: A rate for a specific insurer and plan; your share depends on your benefits.
Allowed amount: A historical reference for what was actually allowed, where disclosed.

Hospitals that publish 42720 prices

Open a hospital to see this code in the context of its full published prices.

Endeavor Health Edward Hospital University of Chicago Medical Center Munson Healthcare Cadillac Providence Alaska Medical Center Providence Kodiak Island Medical Center Antioch Medical Center Fremont Medical Center Providence Seward Hospital Providence Valdez Medical Center Healdsburg Hospital Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center Providence Holy Cross Medical Center Providence Little Co of Mary Med Center San Pedro Fresno Medical Center Oakland Medical Center Redwood City Medical Center Richmond Medical Center Roseville Medical Center Sacramento Medical Center San Francisco Medical Center San Jose Medical Center San Leandro Medical Center San Rafael Medical Center Santa Clara Medical Center Santa Rosa Medical Center Texas Health Center for Diagnostics and Surgery Plano South Sacramento Medical Center South San Francisco Medical Center Stockton Medical Center - Manteca Stockton Medical Center - Modesto Vacaville Medical Center Vallejo Medical Center Walnut Creek Medical Center Orange County Anaheim Medical Center Providence Little Company of Mary Med Center Torrance Providence Saint John's Health Center Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center Jefferson Abington Hospital Jefferson Bucks Hospital Jefferson Cherry Hill Hospital Jefferson Frankford Hospital Jefferson Lansdale Hospital Jefferson Methodist Hospital Atrium Health Mercy Atrium Health Union

Code 42720: frequently asked

What does code 42720 cost?: Across the published hospital price files, the disclosed cash price for 42720 ranges from $967 to $9,145. This is public hospital price transparency data, not a guaranteed estimate of your bill.
Will this be my final bill?: Actual patient responsibility may vary based on your insurance plan, deductible, coinsurance, network status, diagnosis, setting, bundled services, clinical circumstances, and hospital billing practices.
What is code 42720?: 42720 is the billing code hospitals use to identify "Drainage of throat abscess" on their published price files. We use it to line up the same service across different hospitals.
Why do prices for this code differ between hospitals?: Each hospital sets its own prices and negotiates separately with each insurer, so the disclosed price for the same code can vary widely from one hospital to another — and even between plans at a single hospital. Comparing the published figures is what this page is for; a difference does not by itself mean one hospital is better or worse.
What this page is not: It is not a quote, a guarantee, or medical advice. It shows what hospitals have published for this code, so you can compare and ask informed questions — your actual cost depends on your insurance, the exact services performed, and the care setting.

All CPT / HCPCS codes Browse hospitals How to read this data

Hospitals publishing code 42720 by state

Alaska hospital prices California hospital prices Illinois hospital prices Michigan hospital prices North Carolina hospital prices New Jersey hospital prices Pennsylvania hospital prices Texas hospital prices