Level 4 Musculoskeletal Procedures
In 2024, Medicare and patients paid an average of $6,708 per procedure at 2,236 hospitals. Half of hospitals averaged between $6,160 and $6,976.
Also known as: Orthopedic surgery, arthroscopy, outpatient joint surgery
National figures, 2024
- Average payment per case
- $6,708
- Typical range (middle half of hospitals)
- $6,160–$6,976
- Medicare’s share
- $5,339
- Average billed charge
- $46,846
- Hospitals reporting
- 2,236
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.
2,230 hospitals reported at least 11 Medicare procedures for this in 2024; showing 1,551–1,600. Download as CSV
| Hospital | Cases | Average payment | vs national average | Medicare paid | Billed charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Centura Health-St Anthony North Health Campus | 43 | $6,810 | About average | $5,426 | $48,150 |
| Longs Peak Hospital | 37 | $6,810 | About average | $5,426 | $48,371 |
| St Francis Hospital - Interquest | 26 | $6,810 | About average | $5,426 | $59,008 |
| St Mary-Corwin Hospital | 44 | $6,810 | About average | $5,426 | $51,711 |
| The Medical Center Of Aurora & South Hospital | 39 | $6,810 | About average | $5,426 | $135,390 |
| UCHealth Grandview Hospital | 40 | $6,810 | About average | $5,426 | $40,352 |
| UCH-Memorial Health System | 134 | $6,810 | About average | $5,426 | $51,000 |
| Denver Health & Hospital Authority | 14 | $6,810 | About average | $5,425 | $36,050 |
| Animas Surgical Hospital, LLC | 96 | $6,810 | About average | $5,424 | $36,547 |
| University Of Colorado Hospital Authority | 178 | $6,810 | About average | $5,424 | $58,169 |
| Parkview Medical Center, Inc | 80 | $6,810 | About average | $5,424 | $59,475 |
| Banner Fort Collins Medical Center | 42 | $6,810 | About average | $5,422 | $43,533 |
| Centura Health-St Anthony Hospital | 74 | $6,810 | About average | $5,421 | $48,205 |
| St Joseph Regional Medical Center | 65 | $6,811 | About average | $5,409 | $41,036 |
| Paoli Hospital | 114 | $6,811 | About average | $5,407 | $28,971 |
| Catholic Medical Center | 32 | $6,812 | About average | $5,392 | $41,221 |
| Banner Estrella Medical Center | 34 | $6,813 | About average | $5,395 | $50,145 |
| Hannibal Regional Hospital | 50 | $6,819 | About average | $5,433 | $55,648 |
| Oro Valley Hospital | 119 | $6,821 | About average | $5,400 | $73,646 |
| Maine General Medical Center | 83 | $6,823 | About average | $5,392 | $34,734 |
| Advocate Sherman Hospital | 68 | $6,825 | About average | $5,400 | $37,396 |
| MacNeal Hospital | 43 | $6,829 | About average | $5,414 | $51,525 |
| Norton-King's Daughters' Health | 27 | $6,830 | About average | $5,436 | $47,604 |
| Northwest Medical Center Sahuarita | 39 | $6,836 | About average | $5,416 | $77,672 |
| UCHealth Greeley Hospital | 14 | $6,837 | About average | $5,447 | $42,539 |
| Maple Grove Hospital | 56 | $6,838 | About average | $5,449 | $18,816 |
| M Health Fairview Southdale Hospital | 57 | $6,838 | About average | $5,449 | $31,215 |
| Northfield Hospital | 46 | $6,838 | About average | $5,449 | $27,021 |
| Ridgeview Medical Center | 45 | $6,838 | About average | $5,449 | $26,209 |
| Regions Hospital | 32 | $6,838 | About average | $5,449 | $24,542 |
| Fairview Lakes Health Services | 17 | $6,839 | About average | $5,445 | $28,482 |
| M Health Fairview Ridges Hospital | 24 | $6,839 | About average | $5,441 | $32,544 |
| Northwestern Memorial Hospital | 236 | $6,841 | About average | $5,426 | $61,832 |
| Uphs Marquette Dlp Hospital | 80 | $6,842 | About average | $5,451 | $60,239 |
| Southern NH Medical Center | 87 | $6,842 | About average | $5,438 | $34,071 |
| Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Hospital | 60 | $6,842 | About average | $5,451 | $83,712 |
| Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center | 113 | $6,843 | About average | $5,408 | $40,104 |
| Meadville Medical Center | 53 | $6,843 | About average | $5,452 | $25,113 |
| UPMC Somerset | 13 | $6,843 | About average | $5,452 | $30,800 |
| UPMC Altoona | 61 | $6,843 | About average | $5,449 | $34,868 |
| Banner Desert Medical Center | 84 | $6,844 | About average | $5,425 | $49,113 |
| Copley Memorial Hospital | 79 | $6,846 | About average | $5,423 | $44,213 |
| Elliot Hospital | 105 | $6,849 | About average | $5,434 | $34,478 |
| Doylestown Hospital | 104 | $6,851 | About average | $5,441 | $37,014 |
| The Core Institute Specialty Hospital | 194 | $6,852 | About average | $5,433 | $47,451 |
| Indiana Regional Medical Center | 28 | $6,855 | About average | $5,462 | $25,653 |
| Aspirus Rhinelander Hospital | 20 | $6,856 | About average | $5,462 | $21,531 |
| Marshfield Medical Center - Rice Lake | 18 | $6,856 | About average | $5,462 | $27,003 |
| Mile Bluff Medical Center | 15 | $6,856 | About average | $5,462 | $24,098 |
| Mercy Gilbert Medical Center | 95 | $6,859 | About average | $5,436 | $66,192 |
National trend
Average payment and billed charge per procedure, and how many Medicare procedures were reported each year.
- Average payment
- Average billed charge
View data as a table
| Year of care | Average payment | Average billed charge |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $5,850 | $36K |
| 2021 | $6,173 | $38K |
| 2022 | $6,265 | $41K |
| 2023 | $6,439 | $43K |
| 2024 | $6,708 | $47K |
By state, 2024
Case-weighted average payment across each state’s reporting hospitals, lowest first.
Show all 50 states
| State | Hospitals | Cases | Average payment | Typical range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vermont | 6 | 406 | $3,797 | $3,255–$3,916 |
| Alabama | 40 | 3,199 | $5,780 | $5,631–$5,969 |
| Mississippi | 27 | 1,649 | $5,823 | $5,775–$5,941 |
| Tennessee | 51 | 3,601 | $5,874 | $5,762–$6,061 |
| Louisiana | 44 | 2,934 | $5,934 | $5,870–$6,009 |
| South Carolina | 42 | 4,711 | $5,959 | $5,941–$6,150 |
| West Virginia | 19 | 1,042 | $6,000 | $5,847–$6,062 |
| Oklahoma | 47 | 4,231 | $6,079 | $5,978–$6,242 |
| Ohio | 97 | 6,480 | $6,094 | $6,004–$6,255 |
| Kentucky | 38 | 2,604 | $6,103 | $5,904–$6,196 |
| Arkansas | 27 | 3,228 | $6,128 | $5,995–$6,357 |
| Kansas | 37 | 3,194 | $6,178 | $6,076–$6,414 |
| Missouri | 54 | 4,429 | $6,179 | $6,129–$6,357 |
| Michigan | 73 | 3,919 | $6,197 | $6,092–$6,411 |
| Iowa | 26 | 1,799 | $6,231 | $6,040–$6,446 |
| Georgia | 73 | 4,396 | $6,231 | $6,047–$6,499 |
| Texas | 188 | 14,876 | $6,317 | $6,207–$6,467 |
| Virginia | 56 | 4,434 | $6,335 | $6,122–$6,565 |
| North Carolina | 65 | 5,586 | $6,354 | $6,226–$6,437 |
| Indiana | 65 | 4,325 | $6,361 | $6,324–$6,467 |
| Utah | 31 | 1,792 | $6,374 | $6,159–$6,409 |
| Florida | 131 | 10,094 | $6,397 | $6,364–$6,480 |
| Nebraska | 23 | 1,952 | $6,401 | $6,280–$6,540 |
| New Mexico | 17 | 768 | $6,455 | $6,082–$6,447 |
| Maine | 13 | 897 | $6,469 | $6,139–$6,618 |
| Idaho | 15 | 1,643 | $6,476 | $6,438–$6,749 |
| Wisconsin | 54 | 3,455 | $6,482 | $6,373–$6,665 |
| Pennsylvania | 105 | 7,105 | $6,566 | $6,340–$6,811 |
| Illinois | 83 | 5,712 | $6,652 | $6,540–$6,792 |
| South Dakota | 13 | 1,994 | $6,722 | $6,636–$7,053 |
| Montana | 9 | 943 | $6,754 | $6,664–$7,044 |
| North Dakota | 6 | 913 | $6,773 | $6,707–$6,936 |
| Colorado | 46 | 3,137 | $6,822 | $6,747–$6,810 |
| New Hampshire | 12 | 886 | $6,863 | $6,697–$6,917 |
| Minnesota | 41 | 2,455 | $6,909 | $6,681–$6,908 |
| Wyoming | 10 | 395 | $6,970 | $6,897–$7,183 |
| Arizona | 46 | 3,573 | $7,012 | $6,879–$6,976 |
| Rhode Island | 7 | 391 | $7,123 | $7,191–$7,260 |
| Delaware | 6 | 568 | $7,128 | $7,114–$7,167 |
| District of Columbia | 4 | 325 | $7,212 | $7,161–$7,276 |
| Washington | 43 | 3,552 | $7,247 | $7,117–$7,445 |
| Nevada | 18 | 1,135 | $7,592 | $7,431–$7,662 |
| New Jersey | 50 | 3,791 | $7,592 | $7,398–$7,661 |
| Massachusetts | 49 | 5,761 | $7,605 | $7,565–$7,683 |
| Oregon | 29 | 1,729 | $7,605 | $7,289–$7,507 |
| Alaska | 6 | 341 | $7,642 | $7,412–$7,862 |
| New York | 93 | 6,933 | $7,713 | $7,585–$8,061 |
| Connecticut | 21 | 1,133 | $7,916 | $7,863–$8,026 |
| Hawaii | 10 | 419 | $8,172 | $8,004–$8,526 |
| California | 170 | 11,641 | $9,047 | $8,737–$9,368 |
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. For outpatient procedures it is Medicare’s allowed amount, which leaves out extra “outlier” payments for unusually costly cases; those are shown under the hospital name where CMS reported any, and included in the CSV. 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 Outpatient Hospitals by Provider and Service (Medicare fee-for-service claims). CMS omits hospitals with fewer than 11 procedures. More in the glossary.