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 2,201–2,230. Download as CSV
| Hospital | Cases | Average payment | vs national average | Medicare paid | Billed charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento | 114 | $9,866 | 47% above the national average | $8,229 | $44,444 |
| Community Hospital Of The Monterey Peninsula | 50 | $9,897 | 48% above the national average | $8,265 | $48,176 |
| Sequoia Hospital | 108 | $9,910 | 48% above the national average | $8,274 | $75,277 |
| Providence Queen Of The Valley Medical Center | 76 | $9,917 | 48% above the national average | $8,285 | $65,459 |
| Highland Hospital | 16 | $9,927 | 48% above the national average | $8,274 | $61,161 |
| Alta Bates Summit Medical Center - Alta Bates Camp | 26 | $9,927 | 48% above the national average | $8,268 | $50,422 |
| John Muir Medical Center - Walnut Creek Campus | 22 | $9,953 | 48% above the national average | $8,321 | $109,464 |
| Contra Costa Regional Medical Center | 16 | $9,953 | 48% above the national average | $8,321 | $30,916 |
| John Muir Medical Center - Concord Campus | 18 | $9,953 | 48% above the national average | $8,321 | $83,384 |
| San Ramon Regional Medical Center | 37 | $9,953 | 48% above the national average | $8,317 | $92,669 |
| California Pacific Medical Center- Van Ness Campus | 35 | $9,972 | 49% above the national average | $8,340 | $42,876 |
| Stanford Health Care | 575 | $9,975 | 49% above the national average | $8,345 | $102,226 |
| Novato Community Hospital | 42 | $9,983 | 49% above the national average | $8,351 | $48,381 |
| MarinHealth Medical Center | 83 | $9,983 | 49% above the national average | $8,351 | $128,378 |
| UCSF Medical Center | 340 | $9,991 | 49% above the national average | $8,359 | $62,172 |
| El Camino Health | 124 | $9,998 | 49% above the national average | $8,363 | $97,864 |
| Providence Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital | 94 | $10,011 | 49% above the national average | $8,378 | $115,400 |
| Salinas Valley Health Medical Center | 43 | $10,066 | 50% above the national average | $8,434 | $58,189 |
| Washington Hospital | 61 | $10,066 | 50% above the national average | $8,434 | $71,106 |
| Regional Medical Center Of San Jose | 16 | $10,066 | 50% above the national average | $8,434 | $155,771 |
| Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley | 147 | $10,066 | 50% above the national average | $8,432 | $77,296 |
| Good Samaritan Hospital | 64 | $10,066 | 50% above the national average | $8,432 | $177,405 |
| Santa Clara Valley Medical Center | 21 | $10,066 | 50% above the national average | $8,423 | $39,792 |
| California Pacific Medical Center-Davies Campus Hospital | 60 | $10,074 | 50% above the national average | $8,441 | $40,049 |
| NorthBay Medical Center | 43 | $10,092 | 50% above the national average | $8,450 | $208,179 |
| Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital & Trauma Center | 18 | $10,217 | 52% above the national average | $8,585 | $83,593 |
| California Pacific Medical Center - Mission Bernal | 14 | $10,217 | 52% above the national average | $8,585 | $47,221 |
| UCSF Health Saint Francis Hospital | 16 | $10,217 | 52% above the national average | $8,585 | $80,856 |
| UCSF Health St. Mary's Hospital | 26 | $10,217 | 52% above the national average | $8,582 | $50,528 |
| Sutter Solano Medical Center | 14 | $10,284 | 53% above the national average | $8,652 | $36,674 |
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.