Cervical spinal fusion with complications in California
What 36 hospitals in California charged and were paid for a Medicare hospital stay for cervical spinal fusion with complications (DRG 472), from 2024 Medicare claims.
Average charge
$220,820
Hospital list price billed
Average payment
$35,973
Medicare + patient + other payers
Medicare paid
$31,048
Average per stay
State rank
#37 of 38
1 = lowest average payment
Hospitals in California billed an average of $220,820 for cervical spinal fusion with complications, about 6.1 times the average total payment of $35,973. That payment is 28% above the U.S. average 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 $35,973Billed $220,820
About 16¢ was paid for every $1 hospitals in California billed for this stay.
Medicare prices this stay in 3 versions, by how sick the patient was. Compare them in California:
California hospitals: cervical spinal fusion with complications
Every California hospital that billed Medicare for this stay at least 11 times. Click a column to sort.
| Hospital | Stays | Avg charge | Avg payment | Medicare paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UCSF Medical CenterSan Francisco | 82 | $228,396 | $49,484 | $42,685 |
| Fresno Surgical HospitalFresno | 59 | $44,383 | $27,031 | $25,482 |
| Cedars-Sinai Medical CenterLos Angeles | 58 | $404,495 | $36,355 | $31,577 |
| Scripps Green HospitalLa Jolla | 52 | $281,457 | $35,293 | $31,562 |
| Stanford HospitalPalo Alto | 48 | $355,360 | $48,030 | $39,300 |
| Hoag Orthopedic InstituteIrvine | 42 | $127,819 | $27,320 | $24,814 |
| University of California Davis Medical CenterSacramento | 41 | $343,383 | $45,282 | $38,700 |
| USC University HospitalLos Angeles | 35 | $176,969 | $44,235 | $32,083 |
| UCI Health-OrangeOrange | 29 | $184,484 | $45,295 | $38,509 |
| St Joseph HospitalOrange | 28 | $95,276 | $32,386 | $25,968 |
| Hoag Memorial Hospital PresbyterianNewport Beach | 27 | $149,022 | $27,900 | $26,663 |
| Huntington Memorial HospitalPasadena | 27 | $190,410 | $30,023 | $28,593 |
| Sutter Roseville Medical CenterRoseville | 25 | $179,127 | $35,453 | $26,604 |
| Santa Rosa Memorial HospitalSanta Rosa | 23 | $233,295 | $35,972 | $30,574 |
| Los Robles Hospital & Medical CenterThousand Oaks | 23 | $521,620 | $33,441 | $25,668 |
| Eisenhower Memorial HospitalRancho Mirage | 23 | $161,453 | $32,447 | $30,451 |
| Mercy Medical Center ReddingRedding | 22 | $128,550 | $29,984 | $28,325 |
| Community Regional Medical CenterFresno | 21 | $181,648 | $32,901 | $31,082 |
| John Muir Medical Center - Walnut Creek CampusWalnut Creek | 20 | $288,904 | $30,600 | $29,286 |
| Saint John's Health CenterSanta Monica | 20 | $114,372 | $28,336 | $26,743 |
| Sutter Tracy Community HospitalTracy | 20 | $126,638 | $32,843 | $22,695 |
| Mercy San Juan Medical CenterCarmichael | 20 | $158,305 | $36,812 | $26,538 |
| Santa Monica - UCLA Med Ctr & Orthopaedic HospitalSanta Monica | 19 | $173,859 | $34,281 | $32,148 |
| Sierra Vista Regional Medical CenterSan Luis Obispo | 19 | $236,812 | $28,787 | $27,327 |
| Long Beach Memorial Medical CenterLong Beach | 18 | $183,225 | $32,416 | $26,957 |
| University of California San Diego Medical CenterSan Diego | 17 | $222,955 | $44,640 | $38,112 |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital la JollaLa Jolla | 15 | $251,115 | $28,214 | $26,582 |
| Sutter General HospitalSacramento | 14 | $140,791 | $42,226 | $28,479 |
| Glendale Adventist Medical CtrGlendale | 14 | $216,155 | $31,959 | $30,283 |
| Torrance Memorial Medical CenterTorrance | 14 | $166,311 | $28,002 | $26,604 |
| Mission Hospital Regional Med CenterMission Viejo | 13 | $133,215 | $28,253 | $26,621 |
| Mercy General HospitalSacramento | 12 | $250,184 | $31,079 | $29,537 |
| Northbay Medical CenterFairfield | 12 | $576,956 | $36,781 | $35,264 |
| Orange Coast Memorial Medical CenterFountain Valley | 12 | $146,806 | $33,235 | $22,520 |
| Grossmont HospitalLa Mesa | 11 | $232,389 | $29,848 | $28,364 |
| Santa Barbara Cottage HospitalSanta Barbara | 11 | $150,070 | $30,666 | $28,891 |
Lowest and highest payments in California
Among hospitals with at least 11 Medicare hospital stays. Differences reflect local wage costs, teaching status and how sick patients were, as well as price.
Lowest
| Fresno Surgical HospitalFresno, CA | $27,031 |
|---|---|
| Hoag Orthopedic InstituteIrvine, CA | $27,320 |
| Hoag Memorial Hospital PresbyterianNewport Beach, CA | $27,900 |
| Torrance Memorial Medical CenterTorrance, CA | $28,002 |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital la JollaLa Jolla, CA | $28,214 |
Highest
| UCSF Medical CenterSan Francisco, CA | $49,484 |
|---|---|
| Stanford HospitalPalo Alto, CA | $48,030 |
| UCI Health-OrangeOrange, CA | $45,295 |
| University of California Davis Medical CenterSacramento, CA | $45,282 |
| University of California San Diego Medical CenterSan Diego, CA | $44,640 |
Cervical spinal fusion with complications in other states
Questions
How much does cervical spinal fusion with complications cost in California?
In 2024 Medicare data, a hospital stay for cervical spinal fusion with complications (DRG 472) at 36 hospitals in California was billed at $220,820 on average, while the average total payment was $35,973, of which Medicare paid $31,048. Your own cost depends on your insurance, deductible and the hospital.
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 California, average charges were 6.1 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.