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 Tennessee
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 33 hospitals
- $15,325
- Median hospital
- $15,624
- Lowest to highest
- $8,954–$17,058
- Medicare procedures
- 2,084
33 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vanderbilt University Medical Center | 90 | $8,954 | 49% below the national average | $7,569 | $99,982 |
| Tennova Healthcare-Jefferson Memorial Hospital | 16 | $13,636 | 22% below the national average | $12,004 | $89,941 |
| Tristar Summit Medical Center | 47 | $14,389 | 17% below the national average | $12,792 | $122,920 |
| Saint Francis Bartlett Medical Center | 50 | $14,589 | 16% below the national average | $12,950 | $191,840 |
| Physicians Regional Medical Center | 37 | $14,638 | 16% below the national average | $13,006 | $85,142 |
| Methodist Medical Center Of Oak Ridge | 34 | $14,936 | 14% below the national average | $13,304 | $59,472 |
| Parkwest Medical Center | 189 | $14,980 | 14% below the national average | $13,346 | $76,484 |
| University Health System, Inc | 44 | $15,028 | 14% below the national average | $13,396 | $63,796 |
| Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center | 61 | $15,130 | 13% below the national average | $13,498 | $93,511 |
| Southern Tennessee Regional Health System Lawrence | 20 | $15,180 | 13% below the national average | $13,548 | $107,574 |
| West Tennessee Healthcare Henry County Hospital | 28 | $15,339 | 12% below the national average | $13,707 | $41,055 |
| Erlanger Medical Center | 38 | $15,526 | 11% below the national average | $13,894 | $56,524 |
| Tristar Stonecrest Medical Center | 49 | $15,533 | 11% below the national average | $13,901 | $131,593 |
| Wellmont Holston Valley Medical Center | 33 | $15,543 | 11% below the national average | $13,911 | $106,798 |
| Maury Regional Hospital | 116 | $15,606 | 10% below the national average | $13,972 | $67,901 |
| Saint Thomas Hospital For Spinal Surgery | 235 | $15,610 | 10% below the national average | $13,977 | $83,403 |
| Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital | 36 | $15,624 | 10% below the national average | $13,992 | $91,763 |
| Methodist Hospitals Of Memphis | 27 | $15,658 | About average | $14,018 | $115,566 |
| Memorial Healthcare System, Inc | 82 | $15,681 | About average | $14,049 | $73,434 |
| Baptist Memorial Hospital | 166 | $15,695 | About average | $14,063 | $53,295 |
| St Francis Hospital | 19 | $15,713 | About average | $14,081 | $177,096 |
| Affiliate Of Vitruvian Health | 18 | $15,850 | About average | $14,218 | $264,959 |
| Parkridge Medical Center | 31 | $15,850 | About average | $14,218 | $106,211 |
| Tristar Centennial Medical Center | 85 | $15,854 | About average | $14,222 | $106,601 |
| Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital | 91 | $15,866 | About average | $14,233 | $91,570 |
| Williamson Medical Center | 123 | $15,920 | About average | $14,296 | $58,629 |
| Wellmont Bristol Regional Medical Center | 52 | $15,977 | About average | $14,345 | $158,959 |
| Tristar Hendersonville Medical Center | 37 | $16,023 | About average | $14,391 | $109,348 |
| Blount Memorial Hospital | 47 | $16,157 | About average | $14,525 | $65,659 |
| Cumberland Medical Center | 13 | $16,426 | About average | $14,794 | $61,619 |
| Jackson-Madison County General Hospital | 81 | $16,677 | About average | $15,045 | $68,354 |
| Cookeville Regional Medical Center | 40 | $17,058 | About average | $15,426 | $55,959 |
| Vanderbilt Clarksville Hospital | 49 | $17,058 | About average | $15,426 | $134,056 |
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.