Level 5 Musculoskeletal Procedures — what U.S. hospitals charge
APC 5115 · Hospital outpatient visit · 2,213 U.S. hospitals publish a price
Cheapest quarter
under $44,833
Typical charge
$62,465
Dearest quarter
over $89,398
Actually paid
$12,348
The middle U.S. hospital bills $62,465 for Level 5 Musculoskeletal Procedures. The dearest hospitals charge about 3.5x what the cheapest do for the same coded work. Medicare actually paid about $12,348 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 5 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 | 8 | $30,111 | $24,168 – $36,703 |
| Massachusetts | 43 | $33,701 | $15,824 – $114,847 |
| North Dakota | 6 | $36,418 | $35,206 – $53,649 |
| Minnesota | 42 | $38,890 | $26,924 – $54,941 |
| Vermont | 6 | $40,758 | $31,353 – $42,729 |
| New York | 91 | $42,291 | $16,475 – $205,162 |
| Michigan | 73 | $44,721 | $16,813 – $120,010 |
| Oregon | 29 | $44,769 | $32,586 – $82,868 |
| Utah | 32 | $45,351 | $33,674 – $129,888 |
| Iowa | 29 | $45,361 | $28,694 – $87,573 |
| Montana | 10 | $45,475 | $26,859 – $67,710 |
| Mississippi | 25 | $45,655 | $20,820 – $212,181 |
| Arkansas | 28 | $46,001 | $19,488 – $109,473 |
| Wyoming | 10 | $46,031 | $37,289 – $130,025 |
| South Dakota | 13 | $46,156 | $29,135 – $60,504 |
| Idaho | 15 | $46,591 | $37,407 – $107,613 |
| Connecticut | 23 | $47,195 | $30,999 – $84,868 |
| Delaware | 6 | $47,646 | $31,160 – $87,921 |
| Missouri | 53 | $48,954 | $28,867 – $246,396 |
| Hawaii | 9 | $49,057 | $39,477 – $67,099 |
| Wisconsin | 56 | $49,518 | $24,979 – $86,455 |
| Nebraska | 21 | $49,549 | $33,172 – $96,117 |
| Maine | 14 | $49,972 | $41,888 – $77,015 |
| Kansas | 34 | $52,023 | $21,259 – $165,121 |
| New Jersey | 43 | $53,351 | $30,372 – $209,783 |
| Alabama | 36 | $54,603 | $19,606 – $213,693 |
| Louisiana | 44 | $54,644 | $19,260 – $138,736 |
| West Virginia | 19 | $55,276 | $23,849 – $83,304 |
| Ohio | 104 | $55,648 | $29,322 – $105,739 |
| Pennsylvania | 105 | $56,798 | $26,127 – $149,904 |
| North Carolina | 65 | $59,683 | $26,253 – $117,096 |
| Virginia | 55 | $60,336 | $31,906 – $290,759 |
| New Hampshire | 11 | $62,826 | $34,477 – $202,404 |
| Oklahoma | 42 | $65,522 | $30,823 – $210,349 |
| Tennessee | 47 | $67,465 | $33,488 – $183,569 |
| Kentucky | 42 | $68,310 | $32,070 – $185,353 |
| Illinois | 82 | $69,039 | $31,776 – $188,863 |
| South Carolina | 43 | $74,749 | $31,950 – $200,226 |
| Texas | 188 | $75,102 | $27,776 – $374,755 |
| Washington | 43 | $75,665 | $31,644 – $117,374 |
| Colorado | 47 | $76,075 | $46,640 – $240,882 |
| Indiana | 64 | $76,781 | $32,093 – $183,799 |
| Georgia | 71 | $77,289 | $37,977 – $138,776 |
| Alaska | 6 | $78,549 | $48,355 – $149,516 |
| District of Columbia | 4 | $78,580 | $43,170 – $119,751 |
| New Mexico | 16 | $82,829 | $32,899 – $264,902 |
| Arizona | 47 | $88,490 | $33,909 – $215,438 |
| California | 164 | $93,233 | $32,508 – $293,615 |
| Florida | 133 | $113,495 | $29,518 – $227,511 |
| Nevada | 16 | $138,161 | $45,720 – $186,778 |
Where Level 5 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 |
|---|---|---|
|
Cambridge Health Alliance
Cambridge, MA |
$15,824 | $13,750 |
|
Bertrand Chaffee Hospital
Springville, NY |
$16,475 | $13,930 |
|
Tawas St Joseph Hospital
Tawas City, MI |
$16,813 | $12,341 |
|
Mount Auburn Hospital
Cambridge, MA |
$18,235 | $13,915 |
|
West Calcasieu Cameron Hospital
Sulphur, LA |
$19,260 | $11,044 |
|
St Bernards Medical Center
Jonesboro, AR |
$19,488 | $11,021 |
|
North Baldwin Infirmary
Bay Minette, AL |
$19,606 | $10,913 |
|
Northeast Hospital Corporation
Beverly, MA |
$20,211 | $13,913 |
|
Baptist Memorial Hospital-Oktibbeha County
Starkville, MS |
$20,820 | $10,737 |
|
Kansas Medical Center Llc
Andover, KS |
$21,259 | $11,223 |
|
South Shore Hospital
South Weymouth, MA |
$21,439 | $14,030 |
|
Lahey Hospital & Medical Center, Burlington
Burlington, MA |
$22,587 | $13,923 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
|
Woodland Heights Medical Center
Lufkin, TX |
$374,755 | $11,406 |
|
Medical City Denton
Denton, TX |
$351,894 | $11,866 |
|
Medical Center Of Mckinney
Mckinney, TX |
$295,710 | $11,737 |
|
Good Samaritan Hospital
San Jose, CA |
$293,615 | $18,234 |
|
Henrico Doctors' Hospital
Richmond, VA |
$290,759 | $11,330 |
|
Cjw Medical Center
Richmond, VA |
$290,537 | $11,256 |
|
John Randolph Medical Center
Hopewell, VA |
$287,754 | $11,133 |
|
Medical City Las Colinas
Irving, TX |
$271,438 | $11,828 |
|
Hca Houston Healthcare Northwest
Houston, TX |
$268,548 | $12,187 |
|
Christus Southern New Mexico
Alamogordo, NM |
$264,902 | $12,258 |
|
Northbay Medical Center
Fairfield, CA |
$256,656 | $18,892 |
|
Medical City Plano
Plano, TX |
$255,934 | $11,754 |
Questions people ask
What do U.S. hospitals charge for Level 5 Musculoskeletal Procedures?
Across 2,213 U.S. hospitals, the middle charge for Level 5 Musculoskeletal Procedures is $62,465. Half of hospitals charge less than that and half charge more. The cheapest quarter charge under $44,833 and the dearest quarter over $89,398.
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 5 Musculoskeletal Procedures, 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. $12,348 is roughly what Medicare actually paid per case, against an average charge of $72,739. 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 5115: “Level 5 Musculoskeletal Procedures”. An APC covers one outpatient visit for that level of service — you go home the same day.