Inpatient stay · MS-DRG 460 · Surgery or procedure

Spinal fusion except cervical without MCC

In 2024, Medicare and patients paid an average of $34,025 per stay at 656 hospitals. Half of hospitals averaged between $26,898 and $37,465.

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

National figures, 2024

Average payment per case: $34,025
Typical range (middle half of hospitals): $26,898–$37,465
Medicare’s share: $27,89282% of the payment
Average billed charge: $167,448
Hospitals reporting: 65618,008 stays

Hospitals in North Carolina

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.

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North Carolina

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Average payment across these 22 hospitals: $30,523National $34,025 · North Carolina $30,523
Median hospital: $27,248
Lowest to highest: $24,274–$42,676
Medicare stays: 581

22 hospitals reported at least 11 Medicare stays for this in 2024. Download as CSV

Medicare payments per case for Spinal fusion except cervical without MCC by hospital, 2024
Hospital	Cases	Average payment	vs national average	Medicare paid	Billed charge
Frye Regional Medical CenterHickory, NC · CCN 340116	12	$24,274	29% below the national average	$22,914	$215,940
Haywood Regional Medical CenterClyde, NC · CCN 340184	27	$24,852	27% below the national average	$23,281	$142,502
Pardee Hospital Henderson CountyHendersonville, NC · CCN 340017	31	$24,943	27% below the national average	$23,268	$84,891
Caromont Regional Medical CenterGastonia, NC · CCN 340032	11	$25,285	26% below the national average	$23,884	$128,144
Novant Health Rowan Medical CenterSalisbury, NC · CCN 340015	15	$25,382	25% below the national average	$23,730	$146,303
Duke Health Lake Norman HospitalMooresville, NC · CCN 340129	21	$26,191	23% below the national average	$22,398	$184,273
WakeMed, Cary HospitalCary, NC · CCN 340173	14	$26,309	23% below the national average	$21,298	$154,735
Duke Health Raleigh HospitalRaleigh, NC · CCN 340073	31	$26,597	22% below the national average	$23,803	$97,328
FirstHealth Moore Regional HospitalPinehurst, NC · CCN 340115	17	$26,697	22% below the national average	$22,272	$111,909
Memorial Mission Hospital And Asheville Surgery CeAsheville, NC · CCN 340002	15	$26,969	21% below the national average	$25,162	$221,696
Novant Health Presbyterian Medical CenterCharlotte, NC · CCN 340053	39	$27,181	20% below the national average	$25,601	$178,455
Carolinas Medical Center-NortheastConcord, NC · CCN 340001	11	$27,315	20% below the national average	$25,430	$151,716
Rex HospitalRaleigh, NC · CCN 340114	47	$27,556	19% below the national average	$21,385	$94,049
WakeMed, Raleigh CampusRaleigh, NC · CCN 340069	28	$28,938	15% below the national average	$26,931	$185,416
Atrium Health PinevilleCharlotte, NC · CCN 340098	15	$29,036	15% below the national average	$20,153	$175,653
Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical CenterWilmington, NC · CCN 340141	36	$30,188	11% below the national average	$28,499	$132,356
Moses H. Cone The Memorial HospitalGreensboro, NC · CCN 340091	15	$31,306	About average	$25,018	$102,845
Novant Health Forsyth Medical CenterWinston-Salem, NC · CCN 340014	27	$33,232	About average	$23,231	$122,129
Carolinas Medical Center/Behavioral HealthCharlotte, NC · CCN 340113	66	$34,596	About average	$27,691	$186,350
Duke University HospitalDurham, NC · CCN 340030	66	$38,625	14% above the national average	$30,516	$129,935
UNC HospitalsChapel Hill, NC · CCN 340061	14	$40,632	19% above the national average	$28,380	$103,540
North Carolina Baptist HospitalWinston-Salem, NC · CCN 340047	23	$42,676	25% above the national average	$31,865	$219,692

National trend

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

Average payment
Average billed charge

2020: 32,715 stays at 946 hospitals · 2021: 28,014 stays at 835 hospitals · 2022: 29,798 stays at 881 hospitals · 2023: 26,777 stays at 823 hospitals · 2024: 18,008 stays at 656 hospitals

View data as a table

National average payment and billed charge for Spinal fusion except cervical without MCC
Year of care	Average payment	Average billed charge
2020	$32K	$133K
2021	$33K	$141K
2022	$34K	$149K
2023	$33K	$158K
2024	$34K	$167K

By state, 2024

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

Show all 50 states

Average payment by state for Spinal fusion except cervical without MCC, 2024
State	Hospitals	Cases	Average payment	Typical range
Arkansas	8	136	$25,680	$23,598–$25,415
Oklahoma	13	422	$25,857	$24,169–$27,162
Kansas	12	375	$25,970	$24,690–$28,676
Mississippi	6	86	$26,197	$24,125–$27,296
Vermont	1	35	$26,442	$26,442–$26,442
Maine	1	14	$26,574	$26,574–$26,574
Alabama	11	374	$26,705	$22,820–$25,270
Nebraska	6	172	$27,829	$25,036–$32,433
Louisiana	11	209	$28,027	$23,001–$32,848
Iowa	8	301	$28,493	$24,739–$26,853
South Dakota	6	142	$28,731	$25,809–$30,780
Tennessee	14	489	$28,967	$24,448–$31,678
Florida	48	1,270	$29,337	$26,184–$30,486
Texas	47	1,290	$29,932	$25,104–$33,347
Missouri	18	367	$30,376	$25,530–$31,017
North Carolina	22	581	$30,523	$26,220–$31,026
Ohio	29	875	$30,575	$26,818–$33,250
Michigan	18	509	$30,829	$26,943–$31,893
Idaho	6	96	$31,030	$28,070–$35,102
South Carolina	17	441	$31,162	$25,032–$35,416
Montana	4	115	$31,215	$30,262–$31,875
North Dakota	2	30	$31,382	$28,245–$32,337
Arizona	17	474	$31,836	$27,742–$33,457
Indiana	18	527	$32,158	$26,300–$37,534
Pennsylvania	35	971	$32,284	$26,847–$34,376
Utah	6	228	$32,403	$28,571–$30,587
West Virginia	4	81	$32,539	$28,698–$31,851
Delaware	1	146	$32,779	$32,779–$32,779
Virginia	22	631	$32,891	$27,600–$33,904
Kentucky	6	163	$32,900	$29,527–$35,084
Wisconsin	8	177	$32,992	$28,959–$34,509
Colorado	9	192	$33,087	$28,748–$35,167
Georgia	20	471	$33,354	$27,736–$35,212
Nevada	4	75	$34,565	$34,321–$36,438
New Hampshire	5	99	$34,597	$28,429–$34,599
Illinois	23	630	$34,731	$29,433–$41,901
New Mexico	2	45	$35,210	$34,027–$39,631
New Jersey	19	393	$36,873	$32,609–$38,482
Rhode Island	3	89	$37,152	$33,882–$40,350
Minnesota	10	283	$37,290	$29,661–$33,938
Oregon	4	66	$37,944	$33,172–$43,924
Massachusetts	17	645	$38,887	$33,472–$42,623
Washington	9	204	$40,126	$36,579–$39,611
District of Columbia	4	215	$41,002	$38,648–$43,031
Connecticut	7	197	$41,102	$36,989–$44,072
California	43	1,144	$44,401	$37,168–$46,655
Hawaii	1	29	$45,398	$45,398–$45,398
Alaska	3	59	$46,935	$41,387–$51,354
New York	29	826	$46,978	$35,705–$47,377
Maryland	19	619	$52,847	$43,861–$59,357

CMS splits many procedures by how sick the patient was: “with MCC” means a major complication or comorbidity, “with CC” a lesser one.

Spinal fusion except cervical with spinal curvature, malignancy, infection or extensiveMS-DRG 456 · $122,272 average
Spinal fusion except cervical with spinal curvature, malignancy, infection or extensiveMS-DRG 457 · $65,757 average
Spinal fusion except cervical with spinal curvature, malignancy, infection or extensiveMS-DRG 458 · $41,355 average
Spinal fusion except cervical with MCCMS-DRG 459 · $68,211 average

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.