Kidney Transplant — what U.S. hospitals charge
MS-DRG 652 · Inpatient stay · 158 U.S. hospitals publish a price
Cheapest quarter
under $236,262
Typical charge
$295,782
Dearest quarter
over $377,860
Actually paid
$43,126
The middle U.S. hospital bills $295,782 for Kidney Transplant. The dearest hospitals charge about 2.6x what the cheapest do for the same coded work. Medicare actually paid about $43,126 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.
Kidney Transplant cost by state
The middle charge in each state where at least three hospitals publish a price, cheapest first.
| State | Hospitals | Typical charge | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | 3 | $225,854 | $216,312 – $304,908 |
| North Carolina | 5 | $233,314 | $164,915 – $286,403 |
| Louisiana | 3 | $235,892 | $213,381 – $806,440 |
| Michigan | 5 | $237,370 | $207,972 – $286,665 |
| Tennessee | 4 | $253,004 | $197,254 – $556,601 |
| Massachusetts | 7 | $261,484 | $191,007 – $371,332 |
| Ohio | 6 | $283,056 | $180,753 – $359,445 |
| Washington | 4 | $296,354 | $250,761 – $370,179 |
| Texas | 13 | $296,892 | $174,985 – $650,370 |
| New Jersey | 4 | $303,148 | $256,098 – $525,721 |
| Illinois | 8 | $304,045 | $250,371 – $414,461 |
| Florida | 8 | $324,827 | $225,803 – $490,702 |
| Virginia | 5 | $328,939 | $208,676 – $742,315 |
| New York | 10 | $343,378 | $165,342 – $885,619 |
| Oklahoma | 3 | $353,690 | $262,289 – $498,261 |
| Missouri | 4 | $368,692 | $255,559 – $821,390 |
| Georgia | 3 | $385,651 | $173,380 – $591,364 |
| South Carolina | 3 | $388,479 | $251,786 – $395,253 |
| California | 13 | $394,811 | $184,382 – $1,037,203 |
| Pennsylvania | 8 | $410,523 | $265,197 – $813,349 |
| Colorado | 3 | $426,293 | $287,473 – $756,745 |
Where Kidney Transplant is charged least
Hospitals that performed it at least eleven times, so a single case cannot set the figure.
| Hospital | Charged | Actually paid |
|---|---|---|
|
Johns Hopkins Hospital, The
Baltimore, MD |
$132,338 | $116,852 |
|
University Of Maryland Medical Center
Baltimore, MD |
$153,483 | $141,554 |
|
Ecu Health Medical Center
Greenville, NC |
$164,915 | $31,928 |
|
Strong Memorial Hospital
Rochester, NY |
$165,342 | $72,543 |
|
Emory University Hospital
Atlanta, GA |
$173,380 | $38,683 |
|
University Health System
San Antonio, TX |
$174,985 | $63,877 |
|
Unitypoint Health - Des Moines Iowa Methodist Medi
Des Moines, IA |
$177,385 | $21,640 |
|
Sanford Medical Center Fargo
Fargo, ND |
$179,086 | $31,373 |
|
Cleveland Clinic
Cleveland, OH |
$180,753 | $38,109 |
|
Albany Medical Center Hospital
Albany, NY |
$180,848 | $49,736 |
|
Providence St. Joseph Hospital
Orange, CA |
$184,382 | $32,982 |
|
Sanford Medical Center Bismarck
Bismarck, ND |
$189,342 | $37,673 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
|
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Los Angeles, CA |
$1,037,203 | $49,229 |
|
Nyu Langone Hospitals
New York, NY |
$885,619 | $62,051 |
|
Research Medical Center
Kansas City, MO |
$821,390 | $30,769 |
|
Stanford Health Care
Stanford, CA |
$817,517 | $50,538 |
|
Temple University Hospital
Philadelphia, PA |
$813,349 | $34,975 |
|
East Jefferson General Hospital
Metairie, LA |
$806,440 | $26,710 |
|
Hca Healthone Presbyterian St. Lukes
Denver, CO |
$756,745 | $53,524 |
|
Henrico Doctors' Hospital
Richmond, VA |
$742,315 | $35,878 |
|
Medical City Fort Worth
Fort Worth, TX |
$650,370 | $29,516 |
|
Methodist Hospital
San Antonio, TX |
$602,478 | $35,400 |
|
Wellstar Mcg Health, Affiliated With Med Col
Augusta, GA |
$591,364 | $34,320 |
|
Medical City Dallas Hospital
Dallas, TX |
$586,205 | $26,581 |
Questions people ask
What do U.S. hospitals charge for Kidney Transplant?
Across 158 U.S. hospitals, the middle charge for Kidney Transplant is $295,782. Half of hospitals charge less than that and half charge more. The cheapest quarter charge under $236,262 and the dearest quarter over $377,860.
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 Kidney Transplant, the hospitals in the dearest tenth charge about 2.6x 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. $43,126 is roughly what Medicare actually paid per case, against an average charge of $335,460. 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 652: “KIDNEY TRANSPLANT”. 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.