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
Hospitals in Iowa
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 26 hospitals
- $6,231
- Median hospital
- $6,135
- Lowest to highest
- $5,814–$6,869
- Medicare procedures
- 1,799
26 hospitals reported at least 11 Medicare procedures for this in 2024. Download as CSV
| Hospital | Cases | Average payment | vs national average | Medicare paid | Billed charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MercyOne Newton Medical Center | 15 | $5,814 | 13% below the national average | $4,555 | $25,536 |
| MercyOne Waterloo Medical Center | 60 | $5,957 | 11% below the national average | $4,713 | $64,265 |
| Spencer Municipal Hospital | 71 | $5,982 | 11% below the national average | $4,739 | $25,875 |
| St Lukes Hospital | 55 | $5,992 | 11% below the national average | $4,737 | $28,671 |
| Mercy Medical Center - Cedar Rapids | 115 | $6,024 | 10% below the national average | $4,778 | $25,611 |
| Sartori Memorial Hospital, Inc | 52 | $6,026 | 10% below the national average | $4,782 | $48,661 |
| Mary Greeley Medical Center | 130 | $6,031 | 10% below the national average | $4,782 | $25,510 |
| Finley Hospital | 92 | $6,067 | About average | $4,822 | $25,283 |
| MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center | 142 | $6,085 | About average | $4,842 | $38,321 |
| UnityPoint Health - Des Moines Iowa Methodist Medi | 150 | $6,111 | About average | $4,859 | $37,211 |
| Lakes Regional Healthcare | 47 | $6,120 | About average | $4,876 | $21,809 |
| Allen Hospital | 85 | $6,120 | About average | $4,875 | $26,848 |
| Trinity - Bettendorf | 26 | $6,130 | About average | $4,876 | $24,510 |
| Broadlawns Medical Center | 16 | $6,140 | About average | $4,892 | $43,533 |
| Genesis Medical Center-Davenport | 94 | $6,169 | About average | $4,915 | $24,060 |
| Ottumwa Regional Health Center | 14 | $6,231 | About average | $4,888 | $33,193 |
| University Of Iowa Health Care Medical Center Down | 50 | $6,385 | About average | $5,087 | $37,144 |
| University Of Iowa Hospital & Clinics | 136 | $6,385 | About average | $5,087 | $35,420 |
| Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center | 64 | $6,443 | About average | $5,100 | $28,558 |
| Methodist Jennie Edmundson | 62 | $6,447 | About average | $5,133 | $28,913 |
| CHI Health Mercy Council Bluffs | 25 | $6,447 | About average | $5,132 | $40,600 |
| MercyOne Siouxland Medical Center | 11 | $6,447 | About average | $5,119 | $37,521 |
| MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center | 87 | $6,463 | About average | $5,134 | $34,721 |
| Trinity Regional Medical Center | 33 | $6,554 | About average | $5,222 | $33,411 |
| UnityPoint Health - Marshalltown | 29 | $6,576 | About average | $5,240 | $30,666 |
| MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center | 138 | $6,869 | About average | $5,464 | $46,022 |
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.