Medical back problems without MCC
In 2024, Medicare and patients paid an average of $9,373 per stay at 1,284 hospitals. Half of hospitals averaged between $7,503 and $10,232.
National figures, 2024
- Average payment per case
- $9,373
- Typical range (middle half of hospitals)
- $7,503–$10,232
- Medicare’s share
- $7,114
- Average billed charge
- $50,120
- Hospitals reporting
- 1,284
Hospitals in Pennsylvania
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.
- Average payment across these 76 hospitals
- $8,592
- Median hospital
- $7,904
- Lowest to highest
- $5,769–$13,342
- Medicare stays
- 2,748
76 hospitals reported at least 11 Medicare stays for this in 2024; showing 51–76. Download as CSV
| Hospital | Cases | Average payment | vs national average | Medicare paid | Billed charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main Line Hospital Lankenau | 31 | $8,722 | About average | $6,965 | $62,269 |
| UPMC Hamot | 52 | $8,724 | About average | $7,101 | $54,756 |
| Mount Nittany Medical Center | 29 | $8,755 | About average | $7,241 | $26,090 |
| Lehigh Valley Hospital | 276 | $8,798 | About average | $6,511 | $55,519 |
| Jefferson Health- Northeast | 61 | $8,980 | About average | $6,426 | $30,796 |
| Nazareth Hospital | 11 | $9,083 | About average | $7,151 | $30,632 |
| Jefferson Einstein Montgomery Hospital | 21 | $9,129 | About average | $6,747 | $36,570 |
| Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center | 22 | $9,315 | About average | $7,439 | $29,711 |
| Penn State Health Lancaster Medical Center | 18 | $9,352 | About average | $4,284 | $33,118 |
| Crozer Chester Medical Center | 21 | $9,598 | About average | $7,511 | $71,806 |
| Pennsylvania Hospital | 18 | $9,783 | About average | $7,963 | $64,335 |
| St Lukes Hospital | 95 | $9,817 | About average | $7,285 | $70,369 |
| UPMC Mercy | 36 | $10,057 | About average | $7,413 | $65,242 |
| Allegheny General Hospital | 62 | $10,220 | About average | $6,704 | $39,841 |
| UPMC Presbyterian Shadyside | 67 | $10,244 | About average | $6,886 | $91,435 |
| Penn Presbyterian Medical Center | 26 | $10,335 | 10% above the national average | $8,389 | $67,559 |
| Wellspan York Hospital | 60 | $10,401 | 11% above the national average | $6,394 | $33,240 |
| Penn State Health Hampden Medical Center | 12 | $10,728 | 14% above the national average | $4,481 | $28,126 |
| Robert Packer Hospital | 23 | $11,166 | 19% above the national average | $6,251 | $41,880 |
| Geisinger Medical Center | 48 | $11,177 | 19% above the national average | $7,073 | $72,944 |
| St Luke's Hospital - Anderson Campus | 73 | $11,538 | 23% above the national average | $7,701 | $70,587 |
| Milton S Hershey Medical Center | 17 | $11,607 | 24% above the national average | $7,610 | $54,222 |
| Hospital Of University Of Pennsylvania | 22 | $12,728 | 36% above the national average | $8,833 | $83,537 |
| Jefferson Einstein Philadelphia Hospital | 17 | $13,155 | 40% above the national average | $9,391 | $40,673 |
| Thomas Jefferson University Hospital | 43 | $13,186 | 41% above the national average | $8,217 | $63,095 |
| Temple University Hospital | 24 | $13,342 | 42% above the national average | $9,803 | $118,763 |
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 | $7,959 | $40K |
| 2021 | $8,469 | $42K |
| 2022 | $8,599 | $46K |
| 2023 | $9,001 | $47K |
| 2024 | $9,373 | $50K |
By state, 2024
Case-weighted average payment across each state’s reporting hospitals, lowest first.
Show all 51 states
| State | Hospitals | Cases | Average payment | Typical range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas | 15 | 261 | $7,198 | $6,678–$7,444 |
| Mississippi | 11 | 276 | $7,405 | $6,803–$7,590 |
| Iowa | 15 | 446 | $7,532 | $6,781–$7,579 |
| Kentucky | 15 | 492 | $7,648 | $6,929–$8,342 |
| Louisiana | 13 | 336 | $7,658 | $6,700–$8,419 |
| Montana | 7 | 116 | $7,819 | $7,463–$8,038 |
| Kansas | 12 | 567 | $7,955 | $6,873–$8,028 |
| Missouri | 29 | 1,091 | $8,204 | $6,742–$8,237 |
| Ohio | 57 | 1,814 | $8,251 | $6,870–$8,914 |
| West Virginia | 11 | 300 | $8,257 | $7,136–$8,707 |
| Florida | 116 | 4,956 | $8,304 | $7,218–$8,890 |
| Indiana | 28 | 897 | $8,318 | $7,290–$8,346 |
| Oklahoma | 10 | 338 | $8,356 | $7,349–$8,414 |
| Colorado | 20 | 466 | $8,431 | $7,705–$8,631 |
| North Dakota | 4 | 142 | $8,473 | $7,531–$8,811 |
| Virginia | 31 | 1,194 | $8,487 | $7,330–$8,464 |
| South Carolina | 24 | 662 | $8,491 | $7,159–$9,243 |
| New Hampshire | 10 | 295 | $8,537 | $7,584–$8,830 |
| Pennsylvania | 76 | 2,748 | $8,592 | $7,084–$9,175 |
| Alabama | 19 | 509 | $8,643 | $6,976–$8,231 |
| Nebraska | 10 | 322 | $8,645 | $7,478–$9,172 |
| Michigan | 42 | 1,528 | $8,667 | $7,911–$9,393 |
| Vermont | 1 | 31 | $8,707 | $8,707–$8,707 |
| Arizona | 22 | 739 | $8,733 | $7,413–$9,673 |
| Maine | 3 | 77 | $8,744 | $8,167–$8,915 |
| Wisconsin | 18 | 484 | $8,798 | $7,216–$8,732 |
| Minnesota | 19 | 694 | $8,895 | $7,403–$8,898 |
| Tennessee | 26 | 808 | $8,900 | $7,224–$8,825 |
| New Mexico | 5 | 81 | $8,952 | $7,482–$10,259 |
| Idaho | 4 | 103 | $8,953 | $8,893–$9,256 |
| Texas | 83 | 2,642 | $8,978 | $7,716–$9,435 |
| Utah | 8 | 208 | $9,079 | $7,160–$9,467 |
| South Dakota | 4 | 139 | $9,101 | $8,076–$9,558 |
| North Carolina | 28 | 943 | $9,102 | $7,366–$9,191 |
| Delaware | 3 | 218 | $9,137 | $8,735–$10,572 |
| Washington | 23 | 508 | $9,217 | $8,203–$9,655 |
| Illinois | 62 | 2,172 | $9,297 | $7,563–$9,486 |
| Nevada | 13 | 468 | $9,378 | $8,495–$9,931 |
| Massachusetts | 38 | 1,673 | $9,466 | $7,936–$10,530 |
| Rhode Island | 3 | 83 | $9,631 | $8,335–$10,319 |
| Alaska | 2 | 54 | $9,673 | $9,059–$10,063 |
| New Jersey | 48 | 1,949 | $9,831 | $8,208–$10,725 |
| Wyoming | 2 | 38 | $9,868 | $9,383–$10,184 |
| Oregon | 10 | 243 | $10,385 | $9,789–$11,180 |
| District of Columbia | 4 | 106 | $10,417 | $10,203–$12,526 |
| Georgia | 34 | 1,003 | $10,614 | $7,765–$10,284 |
| Connecticut | 15 | 412 | $10,795 | $9,404–$10,640 |
| California | 126 | 4,008 | $11,463 | $9,954–$12,124 |
| New York | 72 | 3,118 | $12,009 | $9,136–$13,026 |
| Maryland | 30 | 1,161 | $12,869 | $10,118–$15,578 |
| Hawaii | 3 | 62 | $12,935 | $12,011–$15,135 |
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.