Inpatient stay · MS-DRG 552
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 1–50. Download as CSV
| Hospital | Cases | Average payment | vs national average | Medicare paid | Billed charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heritage Valley Sewickley | 12 | $5,769 | 38% below the national average | $5,050 | $11,070 |
| Ahn Wexford Hospital | 13 | $6,094 | 35% below the national average | $4,413 | $24,824 |
| Jefferson Hospital | 24 | $6,375 | 32% below the national average | $4,947 | $31,613 |
| St Clair Hospital | 11 | $6,396 | 32% below the national average | $4,912 | $23,567 |
| Jefferson Lansdale Hospital | 24 | $6,459 | 31% below the national average | $4,827 | $27,097 |
| Geisinger St. Luke's Hospital | 21 | $6,462 | 31% below the national average | $5,362 | $32,575 |
| Wellspan Evangelical Community Hospital | 15 | $6,500 | 31% below the national average | $5,086 | $42,370 |
| UPMC Carlisle | 12 | $6,618 | 29% below the national average | $5,258 | $24,769 |
| St Luke's Hospital - Grand View Campus | 52 | $6,675 | 29% below the national average | $5,178 | $29,486 |
| Doylestown Hospital | 24 | $6,694 | 29% below the national average | $5,354 | $23,245 |
| Penn State Health Holy Spirit Medical Center | 39 | $6,727 | 28% below the national average | $5,108 | $42,676 |
| Riddle Memorial Hospital | 19 | $6,799 | 27% below the national average | $5,769 | $60,819 |
| UPMC Memorial | 16 | $6,832 | 27% below the national average | $5,691 | $32,892 |
| Lehigh Valley Hospital - Hazleton | 15 | $6,838 | 27% below the national average | $5,426 | $45,058 |
| UPMC East | 14 | $6,839 | 27% below the national average | $5,445 | $29,608 |
| UPMC Northwest | 12 | $6,931 | 26% below the national average | $5,696 | $20,606 |
| Pottstown Hospital | 16 | $6,982 | 26% below the national average | $5,554 | $47,036 |
| Paoli Hospital | 61 | $7,014 | 25% below the national average | $5,354 | $62,149 |
| Wilkes-Barre General Hospital | 36 | $7,057 | 25% below the national average | $5,301 | $43,299 |
| UPMC Williamsport | 35 | $7,093 | 24% below the national average | $5,386 | $40,530 |
| UPMC Passavant | 46 | $7,134 | 24% below the national average | $4,726 | $43,927 |
| Forbes Hospital | 48 | $7,148 | 24% below the national average | $5,032 | $34,915 |
| Regional Hospital Of Scranton | 12 | $7,173 | 23% below the national average | $5,303 | $45,649 |
| Uniontown Hospital | 19 | $7,182 | 23% below the national average | $5,550 | $16,061 |
| Chester County Hospital | 47 | $7,262 | 23% below the national average | $5,593 | $43,146 |
| The Washington Hospital | 11 | $7,308 | 22% below the national average | $5,837 | $12,731 |
| Penn Highlands Dubois | 40 | $7,341 | 22% below the national average | $5,589 | $24,965 |
| Holy Redeemer Hospital And Medical Center | 35 | $7,396 | 21% below the national average | $5,665 | $26,582 |
| Meadville Medical Center | 14 | $7,444 | 21% below the national average | $5,581 | $20,822 |
| St Luke's Hospital - Monroe Campus | 24 | $7,493 | 20% below the national average | $5,998 | $68,585 |
| Geisinger-Community Medical Center | 48 | $7,531 | 20% below the national average | $5,919 | $77,163 |
| Indiana Regional Medical Center | 13 | $7,554 | 19% below the national average | $5,630 | $19,560 |
| Bryn Mawr Hospital | 23 | $7,554 | 19% below the national average | $6,039 | $56,692 |
| UPMC St Margaret | 20 | $7,648 | 18% below the national average | $5,671 | $37,633 |
| Lehigh Valley Hospital - Pocono | 32 | $7,681 | 18% below the national average | $5,799 | $45,882 |
| UPMC Altoona | 34 | $7,821 | 17% below the national average | $5,595 | $28,770 |
| Lancaster General Hospital | 105 | $7,875 | 16% below the national average | $5,898 | $32,282 |
| Phoenixville Hospital | 23 | $7,892 | 16% below the national average | $6,238 | $42,572 |
| St Luke's Hospital - Carbon Campus | 11 | $7,917 | 16% below the national average | $4,730 | $66,253 |
| Lehigh Valley Hospital - Dickson City | 15 | $8,011 | 15% below the national average | $4,532 | $30,197 |
| St Mary Medical Center | 55 | $8,012 | 15% below the national average | $5,838 | $30,925 |
| UPMC Pinnacle Hospitals | 43 | $8,017 | 14% below the national average | $6,458 | $30,332 |
| Wellspan Chambersburg Hospital | 30 | $8,064 | 14% below the national average | $6,224 | $29,263 |
| Saint Vincent Hospital | 25 | $8,279 | 12% below the national average | $6,726 | $40,903 |
| St Luke's Hospital - Upper Bucks Campus | 14 | $8,283 | 12% below the national average | $7,117 | $63,532 |
| Penn State Health St. Joseph | 13 | $8,309 | 11% below the national average | $6,130 | $33,679 |
| Jefferson Abington Hospital | 133 | $8,331 | 11% below the national average | $6,400 | $34,641 |
| Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center | 44 | $8,347 | 11% below the national average | $6,403 | $80,687 |
| Reading Hospital | 103 | $8,552 | About average | $6,841 | $37,254 |
| UPMC Lititz | 12 | $8,641 | About average | $6,649 | $24,078 |
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.