Inpatient stay · MS-DRG 472 · Surgery or procedure
Cervical spinal fusion with CC
In 2024, Medicare and patients paid an average of $28,116 per stay at 489 hospitals. Half of hospitals averaged between $22,497 and $30,259.
Also known as: Spinal fusion, back surgery, spine surgery
National figures, 2024
- Average payment per case
- $28,116
- Typical range (middle half of hospitals)
- $22,497–$30,259
- Medicare’s share
- $22,617
- Average billed charge
- $142,770
- Hospitals reporting
- 489
Compare hospitals
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.
489 hospitals reported at least 11 Medicare stays for this in 2024; showing 1–50. Download as CSV
| Hospital | Cases | Average payment | vs national average | Medicare paid | Billed charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University Of Vermont - Fletcher Allen Health Care | 14 | $15,523 | 45% below the national average | $13,033 | $106,998 |
| Crestwood Medical Center | 14 | $17,005 | 40% below the national average | $13,153 | $218,034 |
| Institute For Orthopaedic Surgery | 13 | $18,202 | 35% below the national average | $16,696 | $92,245 |
| The Spine Hospital Of Louisiana | 29 | $18,217 | 35% below the national average | $16,697 | $86,727 |
| St Joseph's Hospital - Savannah | 17 | $18,378 | 35% below the national average | $16,938 | $77,916 |
| Kansas Spine & Specialty Hospital, LLC | 62 | $18,405 | 35% below the national average | $17,010 | $71,141 |
| Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center | 14 | $18,406 | 35% below the national average | $17,007 | $304,735 |
| Arkansas Surgical Hospital | 11 | $18,516 | 34% below the national average | $17,032 | $43,989 |
| Kell West Regional Hospital | 27 | $18,559 | 34% below the national average | $16,874 | $34,654 |
| Springhill Medical Center | 19 | $18,648 | 34% below the national average | $16,499 | $43,839 |
| Pelham Medical Center | 11 | $18,762 | 33% below the national average | $17,575 | $101,186 |
| USA Health HCA Providence Hospital, LLC | 22 | $18,793 | 33% below the national average | $15,495 | $31,339 |
| Tulsa Spine & Specialty Hospital | 25 | $18,913 | 33% below the national average | $16,487 | $82,272 |
| Piedmont Medical Center | 12 | $18,947 | 33% below the national average | $17,587 | $242,278 |
| South Texas Spine And Surgical Hospital | 26 | $18,992 | 32% below the national average | $17,675 | $98,283 |
| Oklahoma Spine Hospital | 21 | $19,000 | 32% below the national average | $16,665 | $92,885 |
| The Hospital At Westlake Medical Center | 11 | $19,018 | 32% below the national average | $17,534 | $190,268 |
| Baptist Health Medical Center-Little Rock | 22 | $19,044 | 32% below the national average | $17,427 | $79,269 |
| St Vincent's Birmingham | 15 | $19,119 | 32% below the national average | $15,299 | $80,502 |
| Delray Medical Center | 32 | $19,244 | 32% below the national average | $15,395 | $266,863 |
| Barnes-Jewish St Peters Hospital | 11 | $19,247 | 32% below the national average | $17,610 | $87,326 |
| Parkwest Medical Center | 21 | $19,336 | 31% below the national average | $16,094 | $75,262 |
| Forrest General Hospital | 13 | $19,374 | 31% below the national average | $17,802 | $58,507 |
| Merit Health River Oaks | 16 | $19,392 | 31% below the national average | $17,862 | $273,727 |
| Baylor Surgical Hospital At Las Colinas | 13 | $19,413 | 31% below the national average | $17,781 | $46,455 |
| Flowers Hospital | 23 | $19,482 | 31% below the national average | $16,255 | $202,822 |
| MUSC Health Columbia Medical Center Downtown | 13 | $19,611 | 30% below the national average | $18,230 | $130,627 |
| St Vincent Medical Center/North | 19 | $19,617 | 30% below the national average | $15,856 | $103,974 |
| Treasure Valley Hospital | 12 | $19,622 | 30% below the national average | $15,786 | $97,379 |
| Baylor Scott & White Medical Center Plano | 12 | $19,624 | 30% below the national average | $18,128 | $93,081 |
| Marietta Memorial Hospital | 19 | $19,708 | 30% below the national average | $15,452 | $103,534 |
| Saint Thomas Hospital For Spinal Surgery | 58 | $19,714 | 30% below the national average | $16,360 | $58,603 |
| Grandview Medical Center | 16 | $19,764 | 30% below the national average | $16,695 | $307,186 |
| University Hospitals Ahuja Medical Center | 11 | $19,786 | 30% below the national average | $18,247 | $73,325 |
| Sierra Medical Center | 12 | $19,811 | 30% below the national average | $18,179 | $286,825 |
| Jupiter Medical Center | 25 | $19,890 | 29% below the national average | $18,258 | $105,751 |
| Washington Regional Medical Center | 46 | $19,915 | 29% below the national average | $17,714 | $66,699 |
| MetroHealth System | 16 | $20,004 | 29% below the national average | $15,117 | $58,975 |
| Maury Regional Hospital | 13 | $20,005 | 29% below the national average | $18,489 | $83,556 |
| Dunes Surgical Hospital | 12 | $20,010 | 29% below the national average | $18,378 | $91,379 |
| Mercy Hospital Oklahoma City, Inc | 17 | $20,046 | 29% below the national average | $18,510 | $87,455 |
| Sentara Princess Anne Hospital | 20 | $20,055 | 29% below the national average | $18,493 | $72,409 |
| CJW Medical Center | 33 | $20,091 | 29% below the national average | $18,445 | $488,551 |
| Orthopaedic Hospital At Parkview North | 15 | $20,104 | 28% below the national average | $18,905 | $115,468 |
| CHI St Lukes Lakeside Hospital | 30 | $20,129 | 28% below the national average | $18,551 | $140,083 |
| Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center | 16 | $20,147 | 28% below the national average | $18,572 | $90,355 |
| Saint Joseph's Hospital Of Atlanta, Inc | 14 | $20,228 | 28% below the national average | $18,789 | $66,342 |
| Jack Hughston Memorial Hospital | 24 | $20,283 | 28% below the national average | $15,893 | $41,773 |
| Black Hills Surgical Hospital LLC | 13 | $20,306 | 28% below the national average | $18,674 | $96,265 |
| Baptist Memorial Hospital | 32 | $20,328 | 28% below the national average | $17,812 | $84,349 |
National trend
Average payment and billed charge per stay, and how many Medicare stays were reported each year.
- Average payment
- Average billed charge
View data as a table
| Year of care | Average payment | Average billed charge |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $26K | $116K |
| 2021 | $28K | $129K |
| 2022 | $27K | $130K |
| 2023 | $28K | $136K |
| 2024 | $28K | $143K |
By state, 2024
Case-weighted average payment across each state’s reporting hospitals, lowest first.
Show all 49 states
| State | Hospitals | Cases | Average payment | Typical range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vermont | 1 | 14 | $15,523 | $15,523–$15,523 |
| Arkansas | 6 | 130 | $20,715 | $19,187–$20,906 |
| South Dakota | 3 | 42 | $21,040 | $20,158–$21,317 |
| Kansas | 6 | 159 | $21,342 | $22,142–$22,935 |
| Oklahoma | 9 | 157 | $21,908 | $20,046–$22,555 |
| Idaho | 5 | 65 | $21,935 | $20,388–$23,321 |
| Louisiana | 7 | 145 | $22,016 | $20,937–$24,102 |
| Tennessee | 14 | 303 | $22,733 | $20,332–$24,603 |
| Montana | 2 | 33 | $23,099 | $22,933–$23,287 |
| Kentucky | 5 | 105 | $23,553 | $22,265–$26,392 |
| Nebraska | 3 | 48 | $23,914 | $23,647–$26,543 |
| Mississippi | 3 | 65 | $24,476 | $19,383–$23,985 |
| Texas | 43 | 1,012 | $24,532 | $21,680–$26,268 |
| Alabama | 9 | 217 | $24,565 | $18,793–$20,283 |
| Florida | 39 | 1,001 | $24,817 | $22,906–$27,052 |
| South Carolina | 17 | 352 | $24,990 | $20,739–$26,206 |
| Iowa | 4 | 96 | $25,170 | $21,402–$24,358 |
| Ohio | 23 | 487 | $25,464 | $21,701–$27,335 |
| Wisconsin | 3 | 45 | $25,651 | $23,247–$27,400 |
| Missouri | 12 | 239 | $25,661 | $21,490–$24,981 |
| Virginia | 16 | 411 | $25,938 | $22,332–$27,201 |
| Utah | 5 | 78 | $25,978 | $24,158–$27,113 |
| Indiana | 9 | 156 | $26,152 | $22,404–$28,514 |
| Georgia | 13 | 300 | $26,207 | $23,277–$28,348 |
| North Carolina | 14 | 359 | $26,422 | $23,627–$27,738 |
| Arizona | 13 | 300 | $26,620 | $22,926–$29,300 |
| Colorado | 12 | 220 | $26,649 | $23,321–$28,668 |
| Michigan | 15 | 327 | $26,803 | $24,891–$28,066 |
| Maine | 2 | 41 | $27,090 | $26,711–$28,781 |
| Delaware | 1 | 67 | $27,247 | $27,247–$27,247 |
| Nevada | 2 | 58 | $27,767 | $27,523–$28,810 |
| New Jersey | 12 | 199 | $28,562 | $25,573–$30,301 |
| Pennsylvania | 20 | 468 | $28,595 | $24,105–$29,215 |
| Minnesota | 8 | 224 | $28,966 | $23,621–$29,534 |
| West Virginia | 3 | 65 | $29,515 | $25,774–$30,886 |
| Rhode Island | 1 | 11 | $29,616 | $29,616–$29,616 |
| Washington | 9 | 163 | $29,937 | $25,860–$31,938 |
| New Hampshire | 2 | 33 | $29,961 | $26,760–$30,902 |
| Illinois | 18 | 363 | $30,426 | $23,820–$35,529 |
| Oregon | 6 | 108 | $30,770 | $29,539–$33,382 |
| Connecticut | 3 | 41 | $31,239 | $28,969–$33,288 |
| New Mexico | 1 | 13 | $32,211 | $32,211–$32,211 |
| Alaska | 2 | 81 | $32,402 | $32,084–$33,558 |
| Massachusetts | 13 | 374 | $33,005 | $25,894–$36,027 |
| New York | 24 | 609 | $35,198 | $29,977–$36,749 |
| California | 36 | 946 | $35,973 | $29,950–$36,461 |
| District of Columbia | 2 | 91 | $37,825 | $37,828–$37,841 |
| Hawaii | 1 | 27 | $41,878 | $41,878–$41,878 |
| Maryland | 12 | 270 | $46,539 | $35,225–$53,670 |
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.