Level 5 Musculoskeletal Procedures
In 2024, Medicare and patients paid an average of $12,402 per procedure at 2,213 hospitals. Half of hospitals averaged between $11,345 and $12,814.
Also known as: Orthopedic surgery, arthroscopy, outpatient joint surgery
National figures, 2024
- Average payment per case
- $12,402
- Typical range (middle half of hospitals)
- $11,345–$12,814
- Medicare’s share
- $10,772
- Average billed charge
- $72,739
- Hospitals reporting
- 2,213
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.
2,207 hospitals reported at least 11 Medicare procedures for this in 2024; showing 1,351–1,400. Download as CSV
| Hospital | Cases | Average payment | vs national average | Medicare paid | Billed charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intermountain Health St Vincent Regional Hospital | 357 | $12,172 | About average | $10,540 | $38,965 |
| Grand Island Regional Medical Center | 165 | $12,178 | About average | $10,546 | $42,135 |
| CHI Health St. Francis | 34 | $12,178 | About average | $10,546 | $43,780 |
| Knox Community Hospital | 58 | $12,182 | About average | $10,546 | $50,010 |
| Baylor St Lukes Medical Center | 67 | $12,187 | About average | $10,555 | $89,416 |
| Christus Southeast Texas- St Elizabeth | 111 | $12,187 | About average | $10,555 | $97,869 |
| East Houston Medical Center | 11 | $12,187 | About average | $10,555 | $88,704 |
| HCA Houston Healthcare Clear Lake | 70 | $12,187 | About average | $10,555 | $144,567 |
| HCA Houston Healthcare Kingwood | 143 | $12,187 | About average | $10,555 | $217,496 |
| HCA Houston Healthcare Medical Center | 12 | $12,187 | About average | $10,555 | $247,779 |
| HCA Houston Healthcare Northwest | 11 | $12,187 | About average | $10,555 | $268,548 |
| HCA Houston Healthcare Southeast | 31 | $12,187 | About average | $10,555 | $192,701 |
| HCA Houston Healthcare Tomball | 72 | $12,187 | About average | $10,555 | $224,528 |
| CHI St Luke's Health Brazosport | 19 | $12,187 | About average | $10,555 | $65,717 |
| Memorial Hermann Northeast Hospital | 14 | $12,187 | About average | $10,555 | $66,823 |
| Memorial Hermann Surgical Hospital Kingwood | 76 | $12,187 | About average | $10,552 | $45,433 |
| St Luke's Sugar Land Hospital | 14 | $12,187 | About average | $10,539 | $81,349 |
| St Luke's Patients Medical Center | 13 | $12,187 | About average | $10,537 | $69,825 |
| University Of Wisconsin Hospitals & Clinics Authority | 759 | $12,187 | About average | $10,552 | $57,649 |
| Edward Hospital | 249 | $12,188 | About average | $10,556 | $61,897 |
| Ngmc Barrow, LLC | 33 | $12,197 | About average | $10,565 | $109,475 |
| Piedmont Newton Hospital | 29 | $12,197 | About average | $10,565 | $120,397 |
| Piedmont Rockdale Hospital | 13 | $12,197 | About average | $10,565 | $118,033 |
| Southeastern Regional Medical Center, Inc | 27 | $12,197 | About average | $10,565 | $52,526 |
| Wellstar Douglas Medical Center | 48 | $12,197 | About average | $10,565 | $76,161 |
| Wellstar North Fulton Medical Center | 34 | $12,197 | About average | $10,565 | $77,289 |
| Tanner Medical Center Villa Rica | 28 | $12,197 | About average | $10,562 | $51,184 |
| Northern Light Mercy Hospital | 355 | $12,197 | About average | $10,565 | $47,688 |
| Parkland Medical Center | 13 | $12,198 | About average | $10,566 | $202,404 |
| Chelsea Hospital | 198 | $12,200 | About average | $10,567 | $44,051 |
| Reston Hospital Center | 467 | $12,201 | About average | $10,570 | $100,110 |
| Milton S Hershey Medical Center | 192 | $12,203 | About average | $10,570 | $125,332 |
| Mainehealth Maine Medical Center | 551 | $12,212 | About average | $10,579 | $57,351 |
| York Hospital | 79 | $12,213 | About average | $10,581 | $55,547 |
| Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center | 586 | $12,213 | About average | $10,580 | $56,353 |
| Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Marble Falls | 117 | $12,213 | About average | $10,581 | $56,626 |
| Childress Regional Medical Center | 28 | $12,213 | About average | $10,581 | $58,894 |
| Memorial Hospital | 26 | $12,213 | About average | $10,581 | $31,451 |
| Hendrick Medical Center Brownwood | 68 | $12,214 | About average | $10,574 | $118,742 |
| Munson Medical Center | 230 | $12,216 | About average | $10,584 | $31,790 |
| Pottstown Hospital | 88 | $12,218 | About average | $10,586 | $68,093 |
| Franciscan Health Munster | 157 | $12,223 | About average | $10,589 | $65,209 |
| Uchicago Medicine AdventHealth Bolingbrook | 43 | $12,225 | About average | $10,593 | $79,134 |
| Aurora Medical Center Kenosha | 83 | $12,227 | About average | $10,591 | $73,203 |
| McLaren Northern Michigan | 95 | $12,229 | About average | $10,591 | $32,221 |
| Carolina East Medical Center | 557 | $12,230 | About average | $10,598 | $47,262 |
| Phelps County Regional Medical Center | 185 | $12,232 | About average | $10,595 | $71,130 |
| Essentia Health Virginia | 82 | $12,234 | About average | $10,601 | $35,057 |
| Community Medical Center | 122 | $12,234 | About average | $10,600 | $58,302 |
| Presence St Marys Hospital | 173 | $12,236 | About average | $10,604 | $92,581 |
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 | $12K | $61K |
| 2021 | $12K | $66K |
| 2022 | $12K | $68K |
| 2023 | $13K | $71K |
| 2024 | $12K | $73K |
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 | 927 | $6,642 | $5,710–$7,857 |
| Alabama | 36 | 5,517 | $10,733 | $10,538–$10,928 |
| Mississippi | 25 | 1,977 | $10,843 | $10,672–$11,006 |
| Tennessee | 47 | 8,201 | $10,865 | $10,654–$11,195 |
| Louisiana | 44 | 5,417 | $10,909 | $10,733–$11,044 |
| West Virginia | 19 | 2,033 | $11,015 | $10,538–$11,114 |
| Ohio | 104 | 15,215 | $11,123 | $11,029–$11,497 |
| Oklahoma | 42 | 7,005 | $11,159 | $11,026–$11,326 |
| Arkansas | 28 | 5,195 | $11,206 | $11,043–$11,679 |
| South Carolina | 43 | 9,015 | $11,244 | $11,083–$11,366 |
| Kentucky | 42 | 5,097 | $11,263 | $10,995–$11,552 |
| Kansas | 34 | 6,049 | $11,345 | $11,166–$11,885 |
| Iowa | 29 | 5,825 | $11,405 | $11,208–$11,925 |
| Missouri | 53 | 8,629 | $11,419 | $11,333–$11,837 |
| Virginia | 55 | 13,156 | $11,531 | $11,183–$12,118 |
| Michigan | 73 | 8,557 | $11,535 | $11,319–$11,944 |
| Texas | 188 | 27,220 | $11,614 | $11,350–$11,866 |
| Georgia | 71 | 9,007 | $11,645 | $11,145–$12,011 |
| North Carolina | 65 | 11,812 | $11,652 | $11,347–$11,739 |
| New Mexico | 16 | 2,050 | $11,704 | $11,270–$12,005 |
| Utah | 32 | 3,863 | $11,712 | $11,479–$11,775 |
| Indiana | 64 | 9,630 | $11,754 | $11,642–$11,909 |
| Nebraska | 21 | 4,927 | $11,799 | $11,652–$12,128 |
| Florida | 133 | 23,438 | $11,799 | $11,730–$11,906 |
| Idaho | 15 | 2,954 | $11,894 | $11,784–$12,386 |
| Wisconsin | 56 | 7,721 | $11,921 | $11,695–$12,134 |
| Maine | 14 | 1,590 | $12,045 | $11,422–$12,212 |
| Pennsylvania | 105 | 17,854 | $12,207 | $11,693–$12,571 |
| Montana | 10 | 2,257 | $12,302 | $12,157–$12,991 |
| Illinois | 82 | 14,943 | $12,334 | $12,119–$12,518 |
| South Dakota | 13 | 3,867 | $12,387 | $12,258–$13,048 |
| North Dakota | 6 | 1,935 | $12,448 | $12,260–$12,787 |
| Colorado | 47 | 8,262 | $12,564 | $12,388–$12,511 |
| New Hampshire | 11 | 2,199 | $12,713 | $12,410–$12,672 |
| Minnesota | 42 | 6,532 | $12,735 | $12,361–$12,965 |
| Arizona | 47 | 9,066 | $12,802 | $12,653–$12,814 |
| Wyoming | 10 | 919 | $12,806 | $12,962–$13,194 |
| Delaware | 6 | 2,342 | $13,085 | $13,029–$13,172 |
| District of Columbia | 4 | 774 | $13,274 | $13,278–$13,444 |
| Rhode Island | 8 | 825 | $13,278 | $13,310–$13,335 |
| Washington | 43 | 7,875 | $13,453 | $13,133–$13,721 |
| Alaska | 6 | 992 | $13,858 | $13,747–$14,483 |
| Oregon | 29 | 3,599 | $13,939 | $13,452–$13,786 |
| Nevada | 16 | 2,147 | $13,956 | $13,488–$13,899 |
| Massachusetts | 43 | 9,382 | $13,997 | $13,872–$14,027 |
| New Jersey | 43 | 10,137 | $14,069 | $13,614–$14,536 |
| New York | 91 | 13,630 | $14,226 | $13,725–$14,676 |
| Connecticut | 23 | 3,597 | $14,579 | $14,481–$14,714 |
| Hawaii | 9 | 682 | $14,923 | $14,484–$15,494 |
| California | 164 | 27,002 | $16,486 | $15,996–$16,675 |
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.