Level 3 Musculoskeletal Procedures — what U.S. hospitals charge
APC 5113 · Hospital outpatient visit · 2,123 U.S. hospitals publish a price
Cheapest quarter
under $14,556
Typical charge
$20,376
Dearest quarter
over $29,522
Actually paid
$3,010
The middle U.S. hospital bills $20,376 for Level 3 Musculoskeletal Procedures. The dearest hospitals charge about 4.2x what the cheapest do for the same coded work. Medicare actually paid about $3,010 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.
Level 3 Musculoskeletal Procedures cost by state
The middle charge in each state where at least three hospitals publish a price, cheapest first.
| State | Hospitals | Typical charge | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rhode Island | 7 | $7,894 | $6,761 – $10,336 |
| Massachusetts | 48 | $9,928 | $4,761 – $33,916 |
| Vermont | 6 | $12,167 | $9,706 – $14,536 |
| Minnesota | 43 | $12,312 | $6,672 – $19,746 |
| Hawaii | 5 | $12,690 | $6,925 – $21,229 |
| North Dakota | 6 | $13,335 | $9,939 – $14,498 |
| Utah | 30 | $13,347 | $8,806 – $33,391 |
| Arkansas | 27 | $14,192 | $6,664 – $46,191 |
| Iowa | 25 | $14,429 | $8,630 – $32,598 |
| Idaho | 14 | $14,527 | $8,832 – $32,353 |
| Montana | 9 | $14,569 | $5,443 – $24,695 |
| Kansas | 32 | $14,783 | $5,944 – $53,368 |
| Nebraska | 19 | $14,922 | $9,540 – $29,684 |
| South Dakota | 13 | $14,932 | $8,423 – $21,492 |
| New York | 94 | $15,171 | $5,904 – $47,363 |
| Mississippi | 28 | $15,360 | $4,473 – $80,682 |
| Michigan | 72 | $15,470 | $7,490 – $45,847 |
| Maine | 14 | $16,289 | $12,424 – $29,552 |
| Alabama | 39 | $16,796 | $5,790 – $102,253 |
| Missouri | 53 | $16,847 | $6,161 – $81,632 |
| Connecticut | 25 | $16,922 | $7,831 – $34,157 |
| Wisconsin | 54 | $17,116 | $10,300 – $35,822 |
| Oregon | 30 | $17,352 | $9,031 – $39,618 |
| Delaware | 6 | $17,786 | $9,213 – $21,190 |
| North Carolina | 65 | $18,098 | $8,257 – $38,004 |
| Ohio | 98 | $18,212 | $7,017 – $39,262 |
| West Virginia | 20 | $18,268 | $6,810 – $30,422 |
| Pennsylvania | 98 | $18,544 | $5,674 – $63,795 |
| Wyoming | 10 | $18,893 | $12,036 – $30,773 |
| Kentucky | 37 | $19,651 | $10,255 – $51,923 |
| Alaska | 6 | $19,718 | $10,757 – $39,084 |
| New Hampshire | 12 | $19,748 | $11,356 – $39,936 |
| Louisiana | 39 | $20,098 | $7,780 – $62,619 |
| New Jersey | 48 | $20,269 | $12,541 – $92,229 |
| Tennessee | 49 | $20,799 | $5,274 – $65,622 |
| Oklahoma | 47 | $21,084 | $6,375 – $67,460 |
| Washington | 41 | $21,110 | $7,513 – $49,631 |
| Virginia | 54 | $21,561 | $8,352 – $87,198 |
| Illinois | 81 | $22,585 | $8,556 – $45,778 |
| Indiana | 56 | $23,800 | $12,336 – $43,176 |
| District of Columbia | 4 | $24,024 | $22,547 – $56,319 |
| Colorado | 43 | $24,028 | $9,812 – $113,320 |
| South Carolina | 42 | $25,204 | $10,219 – $74,324 |
| Texas | 174 | $25,986 | $6,858 – $118,152 |
| Georgia | 62 | $26,579 | $10,184 – $71,031 |
| Arizona | 44 | $28,680 | $12,497 – $71,010 |
| California | 150 | $30,565 | $10,968 – $170,733 |
| New Mexico | 17 | $30,787 | $10,805 – $84,157 |
| Florida | 111 | $42,158 | $5,005 – $122,328 |
| Nevada | 16 | $51,099 | $18,375 – $82,620 |
Where Level 3 Musculoskeletal Procedures is charged least
Hospitals that performed it at least eleven times, so a single case cannot set the figure.
| Hospital | Charged | Actually paid |
|---|---|---|
|
Wayne General Hospital
Waynesboro, MS |
$4,473 | $2,831 |
|
South Shore Hospital
South Weymouth, MA |
$4,761 | $3,441 |
|
Mount Auburn Hospital
Cambridge, MA |
$4,947 | $3,452 |
|
Ed Fraser Memorial Hospital
Macclenny, FL |
$5,005 | $1,700 |
|
Fort Loudoun Medical Center
Lenoir City, TN |
$5,274 | $2,669 |
|
Billings Clinic Hospital
Billings, MT |
$5,443 | $2,884 |
|
Uniontown Hospital
Uniontown, PA |
$5,674 | $2,891 |
|
Mobile Infirmary Medical Center
Mobile, AL |
$5,790 | $2,550 |
|
Baystate Wing Hospital
Palmer, MA |
$5,843 | $3,476 |
|
Brooks-Tlc Hospital System, Inc
Dunkirk, NY |
$5,904 | $3,675 |
|
Morristown Hamblen Hospital Association
Morristown, TN |
$5,940 | $2,566 |
|
Salina Surgical Hospital
Salina, KS |
$5,944 | $2,673 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
|
Northbay Medical Center
Fairfield, CA |
$170,733 | $4,657 |
|
Hca Florida Fort Walton-Destin Hospital
Fort Walton Beach, FL |
$122,328 | $2,839 |
|
St Lucie Medical Center
Port Saint Lucie, FL |
$118,953 | $2,809 |
|
Hca Houston Healthcare Northwest
Houston, TX |
$118,152 | $3,001 |
|
Hca Florida Orange Park Hospital
Orange Park, FL |
$117,487 | $2,932 |
|
Adventhealth Heart Of Florida
Davenport, FL |
$116,433 | $2,932 |
|
Sky Ridge Medical Center
Lone Tree, CO |
$113,320 | $3,026 |
|
Good Samaritan Hospital
San Jose, CA |
$113,179 | $4,558 |
|
Good Samaritan Medical Center
West Palm Beach, FL |
$105,566 | $2,932 |
|
Hca Florida Jfk Hospital
Atlantis, FL |
$104,375 | $2,932 |
|
Barstow Community Hospital
Barstow, CA |
$103,237 | $3,980 |
|
Palmdale Regional Medical Center
Palmdale, CA |
$102,581 | $3,980 |
Questions people ask
What do U.S. hospitals charge for Level 3 Musculoskeletal Procedures?
Across 2,123 U.S. hospitals, the middle charge for Level 3 Musculoskeletal Procedures is $20,376. Half of hospitals charge less than that and half charge more. The cheapest quarter charge under $14,556 and the dearest quarter over $29,522.
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 Level 3 Musculoskeletal Procedures, the hospitals in the dearest tenth charge about 4.2x 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. $3,010 is roughly what Medicare actually paid per case, against an average charge of $23,966. 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 APC 5113: “Level 3 Musculoskeletal Procedures”. An APC covers one outpatient visit for that level of service — you go home the same day.