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 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.
- Average payment across these 28 hospitals
- $9,102
- Median hospital
- $8,149
- Lowest to highest
- $6,475–$14,939
- Medicare stays
- 943
28 hospitals reported at least 11 Medicare stays for this in 2024. Download as CSV
| Hospital | Cases | Average payment | vs national average | Medicare paid | Billed charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WakeMed, Cary Hospital | 18 | $6,475 | 31% below the national average | $4,933 | $42,703 |
| Rex Hospital | 60 | $6,673 | 29% below the national average | $5,159 | $22,667 |
| Frye Regional Medical Center | 14 | $6,861 | 27% below the national average | $5,696 | $39,415 |
| Atrium Health Pineville | 53 | $7,017 | 25% below the national average | $5,586 | $40,095 |
| Novant Health Matthews Medical Center | 11 | $7,278 | 22% below the national average | $5,943 | $31,991 |
| Novant Health Huntersville Medical Center | 14 | $7,307 | 22% below the national average | $5,780 | $23,727 |
| Novant Health Brunswick Medical Center | 20 | $7,359 | 21% below the national average | $6,217 | $30,469 |
| UNC Health Nash | 11 | $7,368 | 21% below the national average | $6,032 | $27,187 |
| FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital | 30 | $7,377 | 21% below the national average | $5,932 | $36,384 |
| Atrium Health Cleveland | 13 | $7,723 | 18% below the national average | $6,468 | $41,776 |
| Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center | 29 | $7,885 | 16% below the national average | $6,418 | $27,972 |
| Caromont Regional Medical Center | 31 | $8,067 | 14% below the national average | $5,948 | $43,975 |
| High Point Regional Health System | 14 | $8,103 | 14% below the national average | $6,475 | $29,298 |
| Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center | 28 | $8,108 | 13% below the national average | $6,715 | $33,147 |
| Carteret General Hospital | 12 | $8,190 | 13% below the national average | $6,932 | $13,576 |
| Memorial Mission Hospital And Asheville Surgery Ce | 105 | $8,239 | 12% below the national average | $6,203 | $34,539 |
| Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center | 101 | $8,325 | 11% below the national average | $6,480 | $27,662 |
| Atrium Health Union | 12 | $8,524 | About average | $5,550 | $38,656 |
| Carolinas Medical Center-Northeast | 47 | $8,724 | About average | $6,349 | $40,780 |
| Cape Fear Valley Medical Center | 26 | $8,803 | About average | $7,294 | $33,087 |
| Duke Regional Hospital | 15 | $9,110 | About average | $7,263 | $23,951 |
| Moses H. Cone The Memorial Hospital | 31 | $9,432 | About average | $7,506 | $28,448 |
| WakeMed, Raleigh Campus | 31 | $9,564 | About average | $7,263 | $47,728 |
| Ecu Health Medical Center | 78 | $10,386 | 11% above the national average | $6,857 | $29,008 |
| Carolinas Medical Center/Behavioral Health | 47 | $13,723 | 46% above the national average | $7,629 | $44,554 |
| North Carolina Baptist Hospital | 41 | $14,135 | 51% above the national average | $8,276 | $36,859 |
| Duke University Hospital | 32 | $14,282 | 52% above the national average | $7,891 | $36,716 |
| UNC Hospitals | 19 | $14,939 | 59% above the national average | $9,780 | $32,092 |
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.