Bilateral or Multiple Major Joint Procedures of Lower Extremity without Major — what U.S. hospitals charge
MS-DRG 462 · Inpatient stay · 25 U.S. hospitals publish a price
Cheapest quarter
under $90,083
Typical charge
$108,617
Dearest quarter
over $126,507
Actually paid
$27,998
The middle U.S. hospital bills $108,617 for Bilateral or Multiple Major Joint Procedures of Lower Extremity without Major. The dearest hospitals charge about 3.1x what the cheapest do for the same coded work. Medicare actually paid about $27,998 per case.
These are charges, not quotes. What you pay depends on your insurance and your own case. The figures matter because the charge is where an uninsured or out-of-network bill starts.
Bilateral or Multiple Major Joint Procedures of Lower Extremity without Major cost by state
The middle charge in each state where at least three hospitals publish a price, cheapest first.
| State | Hospitals | Typical charge | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | 4 | $102,319 | $65,635 – $108,617 |
| New York | 4 | $126,548 | $111,184 – $189,583 |
| California | 4 | $191,959 | $126,507 – $220,039 |
Where Bilateral or Multiple Major Joint Procedures of Lower Extremity without Major is charged least
Hospitals that performed it at least eleven times, so a single case cannot set the figure.
| Hospital | Charged | Actually paid |
|---|---|---|
|
The East Alabama Healthcare Authority
Opelika, AL |
$43,360 | $21,512 |
|
Pratt Regional Medical Center
Pratt, KS |
$55,805 | $29,671 |
|
Erlanger Medical Center
Chattanooga, TN |
$59,311 | $23,657 |
|
North Central Surgical Center Llp
Dallas, TX |
$63,472 | $21,277 |
|
Sanford Medical Center Fargo
Fargo, ND |
$64,039 | $23,626 |
|
Jefferson Health- Northeast
Philadelphia, PA |
$65,635 | $24,746 |
|
Straub Clinic And Hospital
Honolulu, HI |
$90,083 | $35,644 |
|
Sacred Heart Medical Center - Riverbend
Springfield, OR |
$97,652 | $23,823 |
|
Henry County Memorial Hospital
New Castle, IN |
$99,271 | $25,893 |
|
Physicians Care Surgical Hospital
Royersford, PA |
$100,003 | $19,666 |
|
Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Southlake
Southlake, TX |
$103,672 | $18,949 |
|
Rothman Orthopaedic Specialty Hospital
Bensalem, PA |
$104,634 | $19,886 |
Where it is charged most
Hospitals that performed it at least eleven times, so a single case cannot set the figure.
| Hospital | Charged | Actually paid |
|---|---|---|
|
Ucsf Medical Center
San Francisco, CA |
$220,039 | $47,198 |
|
Glendale Adventist Medical Center
Glendale, CA |
$192,523 | $30,873 |
|
Scripps Green Hospital
La Jolla, CA |
$191,396 | $32,338 |
|
Hospital For Special Surgery
New York, NY |
$189,583 | $45,773 |
|
Memorial Mission Hospital And Asheville Surgery Ce
Asheville, NC |
$147,033 | $24,818 |
|
Montefiore New Rochelle Hospital
New Rochelle, NY |
$130,787 | $39,180 |
|
Hoag Orthopedic Institute
Irvine, CA |
$126,507 | $27,756 |
|
Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital
Nashville, TN |
$122,360 | $21,026 |
|
St Francis Hospital - The Heart Center
Roslyn, NY |
$122,310 | $32,650 |
|
Naples Community Hospital
Naples, FL |
$120,908 | $21,799 |
|
Peconic Bay Medical Center
Riverhead, NY |
$111,184 | $31,226 |
|
Morristown Medical Center
Morristown, NJ |
$110,339 | $31,711 |
Questions people ask
What do U.S. hospitals charge for Bilateral or Multiple Major Joint Procedures of Lower Extremity without Major?
Across 25 U.S. hospitals, the middle charge for Bilateral or Multiple Major Joint Procedures of Lower Extremity without Major is $108,617. Half of hospitals charge less than that and half charge more. The cheapest quarter charge under $90,083 and the dearest quarter over $126,507.
Why do hospitals charge such different amounts for the same procedure?
Because a hospital charge is a list price it sets itself, not a regulated rate. For Bilateral or Multiple Major Joint Procedures of Lower Extremity without Major, the hospitals in the dearest tenth charge about 3.1x what the cheapest tenth charge for the same coded work. Insurers negotiate their own rates from those lists, which is why the charge and what is actually paid can be very far apart.
Is that what I would actually pay?
No. $27,998 is roughly what Medicare actually paid per case, against an average charge of $123,097. If you have insurance, your plan pays a negotiated rate and you pay your deductible and coinsurance. If you are uninsured or out of network, the hospital's charge is where your bill starts — which is why the gap matters. Ask for a written good-faith estimate before treatment.
What this code covers
CMS records this work as MS-DRG 462: “BILATERAL OR MULTIPLE MAJOR JOINT PROCEDURES OF LOWER EXTREMITY WITHOUT MCC”. A DRG covers a whole inpatient stay rather than a single item, so the charge includes the room, the procedure and the care around it. Codes that mention complications carry a different, usually higher price.