Stitches Cost

• Stitches typically are covered by health insurance. For patients covered by health insurance, the out-of-pocket cost typically would include a doctor visit or emergency room copay and possibly coinsurance of 10%-50% for the procedure.
• For patients without health insurance, stitches typically cost $200 -$3,000 or more, depending on the provider, the injury and the complexity of the repair. Urgent care centers, which typically charge a flat rate that includes the doctor fee and materials, fall on the lower end of the spectrum, while emergency rooms, which charge separately for the procedure, facility fee, materials and doctor fees, fall on the higher end.
• For example, Doctors on Demand, an urgent care group in California, charges $150 for repair of a minor laceration, $200 for a moderate laceration and $250 for a serious laceration. Solantic Baptist Urgent Care in Florida charges $239 for a repair of a laceration that requires stitches or adhesive. Playa Vista Medical Center, an urgent care center in California, charges about $266 with a cash discount for a moderately complex repair of a two-inch laceration. Health Quest Family Medicine in Arizona charges $210 for repair of a laceration up to 3 centimeters, $250 for a laceration of 3-6 centimeters and $310 for a laceration longer than 3 centimeters. Salisbury Urgent Care & Injury Center in Maryland charges about $365 for suturing a complex wound. At Saint Elizabeth Regional Medical Center, laceration repair typically costs $400 -$650, depending on complexity, not including doctor fee, which can add hundreds of dollars, or the emergency room fee, which can cost $200 -$1,200 or more.
• According to a recent study done in Washington state, the average emergency room charge for repair of an open wound of a finger was $927; of a hand was $1,063, of a forehead was $1,665 and of a scalp was $1,869. According to the Minnesota Council of Health Plans, a trip to the emergency room for a knife cut to the hand with tendon damage, including the emergency room fee, doctor fee and hospital fee and supplies could total $3,000 or more.

• The patient typically receives a local anesthetic, and the doctor assesses the wound to determine what type of closure material to use. If using sutures, the doctor might use a special needle pre-loaded with suture filament, and will place the stitches so as to minimize scarring as the wound heals. Adhesive or staples might be used. MedicineNet.com has an overview of wound closure.
• If the doctor used dissolvable stitches, they do not need to be removed. However, with standard stitches or staples, the provider will use a special tool to remove them, usually after about five to 10 days.

• A Tetanus shot typically costs $30 -$70 at an urgent care center or more in an emergency room.
• In some cases, there is a doctor fee of up to a few hundred dollars to have the stitches or staples removed after the wound has healed. Many urgent care centers and doctors include removal in the original price, but if the stitches were placed in an emergency room it would be necessary to pay another doctor to remove them.

• Many doctors and hospitals give discounts of up to 30% or more to uninsured/cash-paying patients. For example, Washington Hospital Healthcare System in California offers a 35% discount.
• The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services offers a locator for clinics that provide discounted care on a sliding scale based on income.

• Wounds must be stitched within 12 hours, so it is recommended to go to an emergency room or urgent care center, unless an appointment can be made within that time frame at a family doctor or clinic. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services offers a hospital-comparison tool that lists hospitals near a chosen zip code, how far away they are and whether they offer emergency services. And FindUrgentCare.com offers an urgent care center locator by zip code.

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