Tummy tuck cost: the three bills behind one abdominoplasty
A full tummy tuck, priced as an anesthesia team and an operating room each bill it, for the metro area you choose; the surgeon line comes from your quote.
Tummy tuck, estimated total before the surgeon at national rates
$3,115
Anesthesia $266, operating room $2,848.
| Surgeon's fee | not included, enter your quote |
| Anesthesia, 13 units | $266 |
| Operating room, surgery center | $2,848 |
Benchmark, not a quote: the operating room and anesthesia lines are 2026 Medicare rates for the same codes; private prices for cosmetic work are set by each practice and are often higher. No public file prices the surgeon's fee: it counts only once you enter the figure from your own quote.
| Code | CMS short descriptor | Share paid | National rate | Local amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPT 15830 | Exc excessive skin abdomen | 100 % | $2,848 | $2,848 |
Compiled by Radif Partners · Where each line comes from · CMS 2026 rate files · not a quote
The two public lines of a full tummy tuck, the operating room and the anesthesia, add up to a benchmark of $3,115 at national rates in 2026. Anesthesia comes to $266, which is 5 base units for an operation on the lower abdominal wall plus 8 time units for the 120 minutes CMS records for the procedure, at the 2026 Medicare factor. A surgery center's operating room is paid $2,848 by Medicare for code 15830, and a hospital outpatient department $6,784, so the setting alone moves the bill by $3,936. The surgeon's fee is a third bill, set by each practice: no public file publishes it, so the calculator adds it only when you type the figure from your own quote. Private facilities usually charge more than these Medicare amounts, which makes the room and anesthesia lines a floor rather than a quote.
What the code covers
A full abdominoplasty removes loose skin and fat below the navel and usually tightens the abdominal muscles, as the MedlinePlus page on abdominal wall surgery describes. Surgeons and facilities bill it under CPT 15830, whose short descriptor in the CMS files reads "Exc excessive skin abdomen". The muscle repair is part of the same operation for billing purposes. A mini tummy tuck, limited to the skin below the navel, has no separate code: practices price it themselves, usually below the full operation.
| Line | What sets it | National benchmark |
|---|---|---|
| Surgeon's fee | Set by the practice; no public file | your quote |
| Anesthesia | 5 base units (code 00802) + 8 time units | $266 |
| Operating room, surgery center | Addendum AA, CPT 15830 | $2,848 |
| Operating room, hospital department | Addendum B, comprehensive APC 5092 | $6,784 |
| Room and anesthesia, surgery center | $3,115 |
Why the hospital line is so much higher
In a hospital outpatient department, CPT 15830 carries status J1 in Addendum B: it is a comprehensive payment that packages everything done in the session, including supplies, recovery room time and minor procedures on the same day. The national rate for its group is $6,784, more than twice what a surgery center receives for the same code. Many cosmetic surgeons operate in an accredited surgery center, sometimes their own, and a quote that names a hospital should be read with that gap in mind. Where the operation happens is a medical decision as well as a financial one: patients with certain health conditions may be safer in a hospital, a point the surgeon and the anesthesia team settle.
The room for a tummy tuck, center against hospital
Operating room for tummy tuck, hospital minus surgery center
$3,936
| Surgery center (ASC) | $2,848 |
| Hospital outpatient department | $6,784 |
| Hospital as a multiple of the center | 2.38 x |
Anesthesia time is where quotes differ
Anesthesia is billed by the quarter hour on top of a fixed number of base units. CMS records a median of 120 minutes of skin-to-skin time for this code; real anesthesia time also includes the minutes before the first incision and after the last stitch, so a real anesthesia bill is longer. MedlinePlus puts the whole operation at 2 to 6 hours; billed for four hours, the anesthesia line would be $430 at the national factor. Each extra half hour adds $41 at the national factor. Adding liposuction of the flanks, as many surgeons do, lengthens the session: the combined room and anesthesia benchmark for the two procedures in one session is $4,323, with $970 saved on the room because the second code is paid at half rate.
The metro area
Across the 26 metro areas priced here, the room and anesthesia benchmark runs from $2,856 in San Antonio to $4,125 in San Francisco; New York stands at $3,531. The spread is narrow because only local wages and the anesthesia factor move it. Surgeons set their own fees and no public file measures them, by metro or nationally, so the gap between a quote and this benchmark is mostly the surgeon's line plus whatever the private facility and anesthesia group charge above Medicare.
Check what a tummy tuck quote leaves for the surgeon
Left for the surgeon once the room and anesthesia are counted at Medicare rates
$10,885
| Your quote | $14,000 |
| Operating room at the Medicare rate | $2,848 |
| Anesthesia at the Medicare rate | $266 |
| Left for the surgeon | $10,885 |
After the operation
A tummy tuck is followed by a recovery period at home whose length the surgeon sets, with an elastic dressing over the abdomen and sometimes small drains, which MedlinePlus mentions. Those weeks cost money even when nothing is billed: unpaid days off work are part of the price. The calculator above adds them when you open its detailed fields; the page on time off work explains the figure. A mommy makeover combines this operation with breast surgery, and the financing page shows what spreading the bill over months costs.