Level 6 Musculoskeletal Procedures
In 2024, Medicare and patients paid an average of $17,392 per procedure at 1,481 hospitals. Half of hospitals averaged between $16,055 and $18,131.
Also known as: Orthopedic surgery, arthroscopy, outpatient joint surgery
National figures, 2024
- Average payment per case
- $17,392
- Typical range (middle half of hospitals)
- $16,055–$18,131
- Medicare’s share
- $15,763
- Average billed charge
- $97,523
- Hospitals reporting
- 1,481
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.
1,479 hospitals reported at least 11 Medicare procedures for this in 2024; showing 951–1,000. Download as CSV
| Hospital | Cases | Average payment | vs national average | Medicare paid | Billed charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OhioHealth O'Bleness Hospital | 17 | $17,433 | About average | $15,796 | $83,584 |
| Genesis Hospital | 24 | $17,433 | About average | $15,791 | $72,444 |
| Avera St Lukes | 22 | $17,434 | About average | $15,802 | $73,472 |
| Benefis Hospitals Inc | 20 | $17,434 | About average | $15,802 | $83,588 |
| Intermountain Health St Vincent Regional Hospital | 63 | $17,434 | About average | $15,802 | $63,363 |
| Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center | 97 | $17,434 | About average | $15,802 | $83,470 |
| Sanford Medical Center Fargo | 112 | $17,434 | About average | $15,801 | $53,689 |
| Sanford Medical Center Bismarck | 106 | $17,434 | About average | $15,800 | $59,339 |
| Great Falls Clinic Hospital | 23 | $17,434 | About average | $15,798 | $74,206 |
| Inova Alexandria Hospital | 104 | $17,437 | About average | $15,805 | $68,812 |
| Inova Loudoun Hospital | 12 | $17,437 | About average | $15,805 | $84,812 |
| Mary Washington Hospital | 48 | $17,437 | About average | $15,805 | $52,729 |
| Uva Health Culpeper Medical Center | 20 | $17,437 | About average | $15,805 | $103,283 |
| Virginia Hospital Center | 45 | $17,437 | About average | $15,805 | $87,424 |
| Warren Memorial Hospital | 12 | $17,437 | About average | $15,805 | $45,890 |
| Jefferson Abington Hospital | 87 | $17,444 | About average | $15,812 | $62,664 |
| Physicians Care Surgical Hospital | 93 | $17,444 | About average | $15,810 | $50,511 |
| Hendrick Medical Center | 41 | $17,454 | About average | $15,822 | $196,384 |
| St Alexius Medical Center | 26 | $17,455 | About average | $15,819 | $63,253 |
| McLaren Northern Michigan | 19 | $17,461 | About average | $15,829 | $50,482 |
| Mymichigan Medical Center Alpena | 29 | $17,461 | About average | $15,829 | $35,626 |
| Mymichigan Medical Center Midland | 44 | $17,461 | About average | $15,829 | $36,388 |
| Ascension Genesys Hospital | 39 | $17,467 | About average | $15,835 | $68,678 |
| AdventHealth Porter | 69 | $17,468 | About average | $15,836 | $130,733 |
| Mainehealth Maine Medical Center | 105 | $17,471 | About average | $15,839 | $78,093 |
| Mainehealth Mid Coast Hospital | 15 | $17,471 | About average | $15,839 | $71,408 |
| Northern Light Mercy Hospital | 55 | $17,471 | About average | $15,839 | $102,188 |
| York Hospital | 37 | $17,471 | About average | $15,839 | $92,794 |
| UCHealth Broomfield Hospital | 70 | $17,472 | About average | $15,834 | $107,795 |
| Sky Ridge Medical Center | 63 | $17,481 | About average | $15,857 | $288,395 |
| Concord Hospital | 63 | $17,481 | About average | $15,849 | $67,185 |
| Chelsea Hospital | 25 | $17,484 | About average | $15,852 | $50,505 |
| Poudre Valley Hospital | 222 | $17,484 | About average | $15,852 | $70,905 |
| M Health Fairview University Of Mn Medical Center | 21 | $17,485 | About average | $15,853 | $71,445 |
| Froedtert South Inc. | 26 | $17,488 | About average | $15,856 | $73,201 |
| Presence St Marys Hospital | 32 | $17,488 | About average | $15,856 | $115,877 |
| Riverside Medical Center | 40 | $17,488 | About average | $15,856 | $106,405 |
| St Mary Medical Center Inc | 27 | $17,488 | About average | $15,856 | $60,458 |
| Community Hospital | 43 | $17,488 | About average | $15,855 | $67,823 |
| Methodist Hospitals Inc | 13 | $17,488 | About average | $15,838 | $98,949 |
| Spartanburg Medical Center | 75 | $17,493 | About average | $15,861 | $92,990 |
| M Health Fairview Southdale Hospital | 59 | $17,501 | About average | $15,869 | $48,178 |
| UPMC Hanover | 25 | $17,503 | About average | $15,871 | $57,831 |
| Ridgeview Medical Center | 119 | $17,503 | About average | $15,870 | $49,484 |
| Abbott Northwestern Hospital | 60 | $17,505 | About average | $15,872 | $53,128 |
| Mayo Clinic Health System-Franciscan Medical Center Inc | 25 | $17,518 | About average | $15,886 | $58,336 |
| Medical Center Of The Rockies | 92 | $17,526 | About average | $15,894 | $114,445 |
| Munson Healthcare Manistee Hospital | 11 | $17,533 | About average | $15,901 | $42,438 |
| Rush University Medical Center | 91 | $17,542 | About average | $15,910 | $68,653 |
| Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital | 48 | $17,548 | About average | $15,916 | $60,161 |
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 | $15K | $75K |
| 2021 | $15K | $116K |
| 2022 | $16K | $92K |
| 2023 | $21K | $112K |
| 2024 | $17K | $98K |
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 | 3 | 119 | $8,999 | $8,453–$10,624 |
| Alabama | 25 | 1,210 | $15,164 | $14,755–$15,349 |
| Utah | 23 | 1,080 | $15,193 | $16,244–$16,659 |
| Tennessee | 33 | 2,084 | $15,325 | $15,130–$15,866 |
| Mississippi | 14 | 683 | $15,430 | $15,026–$15,570 |
| Louisiana | 30 | 1,108 | $15,576 | $15,464–$15,754 |
| West Virginia | 12 | 558 | $15,715 | $14,973–$15,721 |
| Oklahoma | 30 | 1,351 | $15,834 | $15,611–$16,023 |
| Arkansas | 21 | 1,202 | $15,872 | $15,523–$16,345 |
| South Carolina | 30 | 1,929 | $15,906 | $15,619–$16,100 |
| Ohio | 73 | 3,030 | $15,978 | $15,826–$16,279 |
| Kentucky | 22 | 1,410 | $16,042 | $15,742–$16,096 |
| Kansas | 23 | 1,240 | $16,065 | $15,767–$16,241 |
| Iowa | 20 | 1,326 | $16,087 | $15,847–$16,340 |
| Missouri | 35 | 1,775 | $16,103 | $15,799–$16,551 |
| Virginia | 41 | 2,439 | $16,328 | $15,963–$17,432 |
| Texas | 127 | 5,228 | $16,373 | $16,124–$16,789 |
| Michigan | 44 | 1,746 | $16,380 | $15,785–$17,123 |
| Georgia | 42 | 1,898 | $16,409 | $15,899–$17,257 |
| North Carolina | 45 | 2,608 | $16,492 | $16,184–$16,710 |
| Indiana | 47 | 2,034 | $16,575 | $16,509–$16,797 |
| Florida | 86 | 5,085 | $16,629 | $16,634–$16,845 |
| Nebraska | 16 | 1,011 | $16,771 | $16,741–$16,936 |
| Wisconsin | 38 | 1,368 | $16,885 | $16,647–$17,067 |
| Idaho | 13 | 741 | $16,900 | $16,735–$17,428 |
| New Mexico | 9 | 300 | $17,126 | $15,882–$17,343 |
| Maine | 7 | 292 | $17,280 | $16,837–$17,471 |
| Pennsylvania | 65 | 3,133 | $17,344 | $16,610–$17,938 |
| Illinois | 56 | 2,463 | $17,391 | $17,185–$17,654 |
| North Dakota | 6 | 437 | $17,467 | $17,235–$18,360 |
| South Dakota | 10 | 790 | $17,472 | $17,281–$18,289 |
| Montana | 9 | 516 | $17,606 | $17,193–$18,232 |
| Colorado | 37 | 2,121 | $17,744 | $17,468–$17,701 |
| Minnesota | 27 | 1,383 | $18,117 | $17,504–$18,536 |
| Wyoming | 8 | 289 | $18,154 | $18,579–$18,669 |
| New Hampshire | 11 | 403 | $18,184 | $17,654–$18,332 |
| Arizona | 37 | 2,369 | $18,231 | $17,996–$18,131 |
| Delaware | 5 | 457 | $18,546 | $18,654–$18,654 |
| Rhode Island | 3 | 157 | $18,657 | $18,634–$18,765 |
| District of Columbia | 4 | 199 | $18,848 | $18,878–$19,023 |
| Washington | 33 | 1,628 | $19,062 | $18,661–$19,156 |
| Alaska | 3 | 180 | $19,345 | $18,819–$19,653 |
| New Jersey | 28 | 1,653 | $19,847 | $19,222–$20,663 |
| Oregon | 20 | 929 | $19,883 | $19,066–$19,507 |
| Massachusetts | 34 | 1,711 | $19,887 | $19,966–$19,966 |
| New York | 51 | 1,970 | $19,922 | $19,552–$20,841 |
| Nevada | 9 | 617 | $19,943 | $19,802–$19,910 |
| Connecticut | 16 | 778 | $20,733 | $20,681–$20,925 |
| Hawaii | 3 | 70 | $21,247 | $21,066–$22,304 |
| California | 97 | 4,332 | $23,412 | $22,851–$23,737 |
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.