Knee Procedures without Principal Diagnosis of Infection without Complications/mcc — what U.S. hospitals charge
MS-DRG 489 · Inpatient stay · 16 U.S. hospitals publish a price
Cheapest quarter
under $35,710
Typical charge
$39,514
Dearest quarter
over $65,663
Actually paid
$11,496
The middle U.S. hospital bills $39,514 for Knee Procedures without Principal Diagnosis of Infection without Complications/mcc. The dearest hospitals charge about 3.5x what the cheapest do for the same coded work. Medicare actually paid about $11,496 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.
Where Knee Procedures without Principal Diagnosis of Infection without Complications/mcc is charged least
Hospitals that performed it at least eleven times, so a single case cannot set the figure.
| Hospital | Charged | Actually paid |
|---|---|---|
|
Arkansas Surgical Hospital
No Little Rock, AR |
$21,769 | $8,012 |
|
Jack Hughston Memorial Hospital
Phenix City, AL |
$22,284 | $9,012 |
|
St. George Regional Hospital
St George, UT |
$29,241 | $9,967 |
|
University Of Utah Hospital And Clinics
Salt Lake City, UT |
$34,012 | $13,469 |
|
Mcbride Orthopedic Hospital
Oklahoma City, OK |
$36,276 | $8,010 |
|
Rush University Medical Center
Chicago, IL |
$36,463 | $15,240 |
|
Orthoindy Hospital
Indianapolis, IN |
$38,357 | $9,356 |
|
Crystal Clinic Orthopaedic Center
Akron, OH |
$38,796 | $8,339 |
|
Sioux Falls Specialty Hospital
Sioux Falls, SD |
$40,231 | $8,556 |
|
Intermountain Health St. Mary's Regional Hospital
Grand Junction, CO |
$49,090 | $10,668 |
|
Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center
Mattoon, IL |
$49,716 | $9,032 |
|
Mount Carmel New Albany Surgical Hospital
New Albany, OH |
$62,453 | $9,363 |
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 |
$173,243 | $15,315 |
|
Ucsf Medical Center
San Francisco, CA |
$100,097 | $25,139 |
|
Novant Health East Cooper Medical Center
Mount Pleasant, SC |
$81,314 | $8,182 |
|
Hospital For Special Surgery
New York, NY |
$75,294 | $16,278 |
|
Mount Carmel New Albany Surgical Hospital
New Albany, OH |
$62,453 | $9,363 |
|
Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center
Mattoon, IL |
$49,716 | $9,032 |
|
Intermountain Health St. Mary's Regional Hospital
Grand Junction, CO |
$49,090 | $10,668 |
|
Sioux Falls Specialty Hospital
Sioux Falls, SD |
$40,231 | $8,556 |
|
Crystal Clinic Orthopaedic Center
Akron, OH |
$38,796 | $8,339 |
|
Orthoindy Hospital
Indianapolis, IN |
$38,357 | $9,356 |
|
Rush University Medical Center
Chicago, IL |
$36,463 | $15,240 |
|
Mcbride Orthopedic Hospital
Oklahoma City, OK |
$36,276 | $8,010 |
Questions people ask
What do U.S. hospitals charge for Knee Procedures without Principal Diagnosis of Infection without Complications/mcc?
Across 16 U.S. hospitals, the middle charge for Knee Procedures without Principal Diagnosis of Infection without Complications/mcc is $39,514. Half of hospitals charge less than that and half charge more. The cheapest quarter charge under $35,710 and the dearest quarter over $65,663.
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 Knee Procedures without Principal Diagnosis of Infection without Complications/mcc, the hospitals in the dearest tenth charge about 3.5x 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. $11,496 is roughly what Medicare actually paid per case, against an average charge of $58,630. 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 489: “KNEE PROCEDURES WITHOUT PRINCIPAL DIAGNOSIS OF INFECTION WITHOUT CC/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.