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
Hospitals in Alabama
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 25 hospitals
- $15,164
- Median hospital
- $14,990
- Lowest to highest
- $12,320–$16,557
- Medicare procedures
- 1,210
25 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Princeton Baptist Medical Center | 13 | $12,320 | 29% below the national average | $10,684 | $160,100 |
| Marshall Medical Centers | 23 | $14,225 | 18% below the national average | $12,583 | $42,382 |
| Baptist Health Brookwood Hospital | 24 | $14,368 | 17% below the national average | $12,736 | $221,268 |
| North Alabama Medical Center | 21 | $14,587 | 16% below the national average | $12,955 | $63,533 |
| Springhill Medical Center | 34 | $14,611 | 16% below the national average | $12,979 | $52,848 |
| Mobile Infirmary Medical Center | 20 | $14,732 | 15% below the national average | $13,100 | $47,782 |
| Southeast Health Medical Center | 12 | $14,755 | 15% below the national average | $13,123 | $120,095 |
| Baptist Medical Center South | 35 | $14,816 | 15% below the national average | $13,184 | $45,780 |
| Grandview Medical Center | 135 | $14,820 | 15% below the national average | $13,184 | $250,790 |
| Thomas Hospital | 47 | $14,843 | 15% below the national average | $13,208 | $54,684 |
| Crestwood Medical Center | 48 | $14,876 | 14% below the national average | $13,244 | $221,287 |
| University Of Alabama Hospital | 50 | $14,971 | 14% below the national average | $13,339 | $94,641 |
| Walker Baptist Medical Center | 19 | $14,990 | 14% below the national average | $13,358 | $162,447 |
| Athens Limestone Hospital | 14 | $15,014 | 14% below the national average | $13,407 | $46,372 |
| The East Alabama Healthcare Authority | 22 | $15,185 | 13% below the national average | $13,596 | $22,212 |
| USA Health HCA Providence Hospital, LLC | 30 | $15,292 | 12% below the national average | $13,660 | $36,560 |
| Huntsville Hospital | 140 | $15,308 | 12% below the national average | $13,675 | $92,552 |
| Jack Hughston Memorial Hospital | 128 | $15,345 | 12% below the national average | $13,713 | $47,977 |
| Decatur Morgan Hospital - Decatur Campus | 39 | $15,349 | 12% below the national average | $13,717 | $72,213 |
| Gadsden Regional Medical Center | 18 | $15,421 | 11% below the national average | $13,789 | $215,264 |
| Baldwin Health | 22 | $15,439 | 11% below the national average | $13,807 | $214,447 |
| St Vincent's Birmingham | 219 | $15,464 | 11% below the national average | $13,830 | $61,137 |
| Baptist Medical Center East | 23 | $15,616 | 10% below the national average | $13,984 | $41,711 |
| Flowers Hospital | 34 | $15,969 | About average | $14,337 | $158,486 |
| Dch Regional Medical Center | 40 | $16,557 | About average | $14,925 | $61,378 |
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.