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Inpatient stay · MS-DRG 458 · Surgery or procedure

Spinal fusion except cervical with spinal curvature, malignancy, infection or extensive

In 2024, Medicare and patients paid an average of $41,355 per stay at 7 hospitals. Half of hospitals averaged between $29,802 and $42,329.

Also known as: Spinal fusion, back surgery, spine surgery

Limited data: use with caution

Only 7 hospitals reported this in 2024 (119 stays). Medicare covers few patients for some procedures (births, for example), and CMS leaves out hospitals with fewer than 11 cases, so these figures may not represent typical costs.

National figures, 2024

Average payment per case
$41,355
Typical range (middle half of hospitals)
$29,802–$42,329
Medicare’s share
$33,02680% of the payment
Average billed charge
$186,701
Hospitals reporting
7119 stays

Hospitals in Alabama

Narrow by a state, city or ZIP code (optionally a distance around it), and/or pick specific hospitals. With both, your picks are added to the area’s hospitals.

Location
Alabama
Specific hospitals up to 10
Average payment (1 hospital)
$29,527National $41,355 · Alabama $29,527
Too few hospitals to compare
An average across fewer than 3 hospitals says little about the area. Widen the distance or pick more hospitals.
Medicare stays
11

1 hospital reported at least 11 Medicare stays for this in 2024. Download as CSV

Medicare payments per case for Spinal fusion except cervical with spinal curvature, malignancy, infection or extensive by hospital, 2024
HospitalCasesAverage paymentvs national averageMedicare paidBilled charge
Grandview Medical CenterBirmingham, AL · CCN 01010411$29,52729% below the national average$27,863$451,208

National trend

Average payment and billed charge per stay, and how many Medicare stays were reported each year.

  • Average payment
  • Average billed charge
2020: 212 stays at 15 hospitals · 2021: 57 stays at 4 hospitals · 2022: 77 stays at 4 hospitals · 2023: 134 stays at 7 hospitals · 2024: 119 stays at 7 hospitals
View data as a table
National average payment and billed charge for Spinal fusion except cervical with spinal curvature, malignancy, infection or extensive
Year of careAverage paymentAverage billed charge
2020$40K$117K
2021$42K$128K
2022$43K$143K
2023$41K$147K
2024$41K$187K

By state, 2024

Case-weighted average payment across each state’s reporting hospitals, lowest first.

Show all 7 states
Average payment by state for Spinal fusion except cervical with spinal curvature, malignancy, infection or extensive, 2024
StateHospitalsCasesAverage paymentTypical range
Ohio112$28,016$28,016–$28,016
Alabama111$29,527$29,527–$29,527
Indiana113$30,077$30,077–$30,077
Oklahoma123$32,015$32,015–$32,015
Florida112$32,141$32,141–$32,141
District of Columbia117$52,518$52,518–$52,518
New York131$59,820$59,820–$59,820

About these numbers

Average payment is what Medicare paid plus the patient’s deductible and coinsurance (and any other insurer), averaged over the hospital’s Medicare cases. It covers the hospital’s part of the care; doctors bill separately. Billed charges are the hospital’s list prices, which few patients pay.

Medicare sets its payments by formula, adjusting for local wages, teaching programs, the share of low-income patients and unusually costly cases. Those adjustments drive most differences between hospitals, so a lower payment doesn’t mean better or worse care, and Medicare patients’ own costs usually vary much less than the totals. Private insurance pays different, usually higher, prices.

Source: CMS Medicare Inpatient Hospitals by Provider and Service (Medicare fee-for-service claims). CMS omits hospitals with fewer than 11 stays. More in the glossary.