Cervical spinal fusion with complications
What 489 hospitals in the U.S. charged and were paid for a Medicare hospital stay for cervical spinal fusion with complications (DRG 472), from 2024 Medicare claims.
Average charge
$142,770
Hospital list price billed
Average payment
$28,116
Medicare + patient + other payers
Medicare paid
$22,617
Average per stay
Volume
11,118
Medicare hospital stays
Hospitals in the U.S. billed an average of $142,770 for cervical spinal fusion with complications, about 5.1 times the average total payment of $28,116.
These are averages for patients with original (fee-for-service) Medicare. Private insurance pays different, negotiated prices, and what you owe depends on your plan's deductible and coinsurance. Use these figures to compare hospitals, not as a quote.
Paid $28,116Billed $142,770
About 20¢ was paid for every $1 hospitals in the U.S. billed for this stay.
Medicare prices this stay in 3 versions, by how sick the patient was. Compare them:
Lowest and highest payments
Among hospitals with at least 20 Medicare hospital stays. Differences reflect local wage costs, teaching status and how sick patients were, as well as price.
Lowest
| The Spine Hospital of LouisianaBaton Rouge, LA | $18,217 |
|---|---|
| Kansas Spine Hospital LLCWichita, KS | $18,405 |
| Kell West Regional HospitalWichita Falls, TX | $18,559 |
| Providence HospitalMobile, AL | $18,793 |
| Tulsa Spine & Specialty HospitalTulsa, OK | $18,913 |
| South Texas Spine and Surgical HospitalSan Antonio, TX | $18,992 |
| Oklahoma Spine HospitalOklahoma City, OK | $19,000 |
| Baptist Health Medical Center-Little RockLittle Rock, AR | $19,044 |
| Delray Medical CenterDelray Beach, FL | $19,244 |
| Parkwest Medical CenterKnoxville, TN | $19,336 |
Highest
| University of Maryland Medical CenterBaltimore, MD | $63,838 |
|---|---|
| UCSF Medical CenterSan Francisco, CA | $49,484 |
| The Johns Hopkins HospitalBaltimore, MD | $48,379 |
| Stanford HospitalPalo Alto, CA | $48,030 |
| UCI Health-OrangeOrange, CA | $45,295 |
| University of California Davis Medical CenterSacramento, CA | $45,282 |
| Mount Sinai HospitalNew York, NY | $44,881 |
| USC University HospitalLos Angeles, CA | $44,235 |
| The Queens Medical CenterHonolulu, HI | $41,878 |
| NYU Hospitals CenterNew York, NY | $40,697 |
Cervical spinal fusion with complications cost by state
Volume-weighted averages for each state's hospitals. Select a state to see every hospital.
| State | Hospitals | Avg charge | Avg payment | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 9 | $126,443 | $24,565 | $17,005 – $39,925 |
| Alaska | 2 | $212,350 | $32,402 | $31,347 – $34,294 |
| Arizona | 13 | $194,538 | $26,620 | $20,865 – $37,981 |
| Arkansas | 6 | $72,831 | $20,715 | $18,516 – $26,901 |
| California | 36 | $220,820 | $35,973 | $27,031 – $49,484 |
| Colorado | 12 | $195,347 | $26,649 | $21,647 – $34,480 |
| Connecticut | 3 | $89,664 | $31,239 | $25,652 – $34,290 |
| Delaware | 1 | $75,388 | $27,247 | – |
| Florida | 39 | $175,514 | $24,817 | $18,406 – $35,301 |
| Georgia | 13 | $126,072 | $26,207 | $18,378 – $32,065 |
| Hawaii | 1 | $156,845 | $41,878 | – |
| Idaho | 5 | $105,374 | $21,935 | $19,622 – $24,594 |
| Illinois | 18 | $128,879 | $30,426 | $21,166 – $42,471 |
| Indiana | 9 | $171,156 | $26,152 | $20,104 – $33,071 |
| Iowa | 4 | $116,824 | $25,170 | $21,192 – $29,936 |
| Kansas | 6 | $114,707 | $21,342 | $18,405 – $24,560 |
| Kentucky | 5 | $144,411 | $23,553 | $21,540 – $26,446 |
| Louisiana | 7 | $118,136 | $22,016 | $18,217 – $24,735 |
| Maine | 2 | $87,911 | $27,090 | $25,676 – $29,816 |
| Maryland | 12 | $51,634 | $46,539 | $28,033 – $63,838 |
| Massachusetts | 13 | $87,523 | $33,005 | $24,099 – $43,970 |
| Michigan | 15 | $92,271 | $26,803 | $22,464 – $34,023 |
| Minnesota | 8 | $86,556 | $28,966 | $23,210 – $38,871 |
| Mississippi | 3 | $129,117 | $24,476 | $19,374 – $28,578 |
| Missouri | 12 | $102,148 | $25,661 | $19,247 – $30,772 |
| Montana | 2 | $60,251 | $23,099 | $22,756 – $23,464 |
| Nebraska | 3 | $92,529 | $23,914 | $21,044 – $26,835 |
| Nevada | 2 | $158,182 | $27,767 | $26,879 – $29,454 |
| New Hampshire | 2 | $100,158 | $29,961 | $24,689 – $32,973 |
| New Jersey | 12 | $151,363 | $28,562 | $22,860 – $36,746 |
| New Mexico | 1 | $72,156 | $32,211 | – |
| New York | 24 | $156,148 | $35,198 | $25,676 – $44,881 |
| North Carolina | 14 | $109,422 | $26,422 | $20,147 – $32,750 |
| Ohio | 23 | $111,921 | $25,464 | $18,202 – $35,861 |
| Oklahoma | 9 | $137,137 | $21,908 | $18,913 – $29,874 |
| Oregon | 6 | $116,889 | $30,770 | $24,068 – $36,228 |
| Pennsylvania | 20 | $143,649 | $28,595 | $20,934 – $37,771 |
| Rhode Island | 1 | $64,157 | $29,616 | – |
| South Carolina | 17 | $146,891 | $24,990 | $18,762 – $35,551 |
| South Dakota | 3 | $105,431 | $21,040 | $20,010 – $22,328 |
| Tennessee | 14 | $100,908 | $22,733 | $19,336 – $33,300 |
| Texas | 43 | $176,802 | $24,532 | $18,559 – $35,805 |
| Utah | 5 | $71,090 | $25,978 | $23,303 – $27,896 |
| Vermont | 1 | $106,998 | $15,522 | – |
| Virginia | 16 | $151,319 | $25,938 | $20,055 – $35,614 |
| Washington | 9 | $131,199 | $29,937 | $24,871 – $36,612 |
| West Virginia | 3 | $130,477 | $29,515 | $22,497 – $32,721 |
| Wisconsin | 3 | $89,164 | $25,651 | $20,707 – $29,013 |
Hospitals that treat the most Medicare patients for this
| Hospital | Stays | Avg charge | Avg payment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas Jefferson University HospitalPhiladelphia, PA | 97 | $126,924 | $33,549 |
| Adventhealth OrlandoOrlando, FL | 88 | $195,760 | $26,811 |
| UCSF Medical CenterSan Francisco, CA | 82 | $228,396 | $49,484 |
| Hospital for Special SurgeryNew York, NY | 80 | $150,533 | $36,408 |
| Medstar Georgetown University HospitalWashington, DC | 78 | $123,639 | $37,821 |
| Barnes Jewish HospitalSt Louis, MO | 74 | $123,216 | $30,772 |
| Baylor Surgical Hospital at Fort WorthFort Worth, TX | 70 | $64,898 | $21,533 |
| Christiana Care Health Services, INC.Newark, DE | 67 | $75,388 | $27,247 |
| New York-Presbyterian HospitalNew York, NY | 67 | $165,359 | $40,476 |
| NYU Hospitals CenterNew York, NY | 67 | $316,826 | $40,697 |
| Kansas Spine Hospital LLCWichita, KS | 62 | $71,141 | $18,405 |
| The Johns Hopkins HospitalBaltimore, MD | 60 | $54,849 | $48,379 |
| Fresno Surgical HospitalFresno, CA | 59 | $44,383 | $27,031 |
| Medical Center of PlanoPlano, TX | 59 | $392,939 | $25,998 |
| Cedars-Sinai Medical CenterLos Angeles, CA | 58 | $404,495 | $36,355 |
Questions
How much does cervical spinal fusion with complications cost in the U.S.?
In 2024 Medicare data, a hospital stay for cervical spinal fusion with complications (DRG 472) at 489 hospitals in the U.S. was billed at $142,770 on average, while the average total payment was $28,116, of which Medicare paid $22,617. Your own cost depends on your insurance, deductible and the hospital.
Which states pay the most and least for cervical spinal fusion with complications?
Among states with at least three hospitals reporting, the average total payment was highest in Maryland ($46,539), California ($35,973), New York ($35,198) and lowest in Arkansas ($20,715), South Dakota ($21,040), Kansas ($21,342).
Why are hospital charges so much higher than payments?
Charges are a hospital's list prices. Medicare pays fixed rates set in advance, and private insurers negotiate their own discounts, so almost nobody pays the full charge. For this stay in the U.S., average charges were 5.1 times the average payment. Uninsured patients can ask the hospital about its financial assistance (charity care) policy and cash prices.
Source: CMS, Medicare Inpatient Hospitals by Provider and Service, 2024. Average total payment includes Medicare's payment, the patient's deductible and coinsurance, and any other payer. CMS omits hospitals with fewer than 11 hospital stays for privacy. About the data.