Level 6 Musculoskeletal Procedures — what U.S. hospitals charge
APC 5116 · Hospital outpatient visit · 1,481 U.S. hospitals publish a price
Cheapest quarter
under $60,450
Typical charge
$83,029
Dearest quarter
over $117,919
Actually paid
$17,433
The middle U.S. hospital bills $83,029 for Level 6 Musculoskeletal Procedures. The dearest hospitals charge about 3.5x what the cheapest do for the same coded work. Medicare actually paid about $17,433 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 6 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 | 3 | $45,018 | $41,440 – $45,604 |
| Massachusetts | 34 | $47,008 | $31,690 – $147,997 |
| Minnesota | 27 | $51,661 | $40,022 – $71,445 |
| North Dakota | 6 | $54,777 | $46,985 – $75,088 |
| Arkansas | 21 | $56,799 | $25,533 – $121,080 |
| Utah | 23 | $59,310 | $10,515 – $181,375 |
| Kansas | 23 | $60,935 | $32,888 – $149,312 |
| Idaho | 13 | $62,122 | $48,908 – $202,080 |
| New York | 51 | $63,050 | $30,729 – $236,778 |
| Michigan | 44 | $63,100 | $34,380 – $126,195 |
| Delaware | 5 | $63,149 | $38,946 – $88,701 |
| Montana | 9 | $63,363 | $44,365 – $83,588 |
| Alabama | 25 | $63,533 | $22,212 – $250,790 |
| Iowa | 20 | $63,618 | $45,756 – $118,786 |
| West Virginia | 12 | $66,752 | $37,798 – $116,501 |
| Wisconsin | 38 | $66,855 | $32,733 – $168,331 |
| Mississippi | 14 | $66,892 | $36,204 – $271,930 |
| Vermont | 3 | $66,973 | $40,164 – $76,080 |
| Oregon | 20 | $67,274 | $49,859 – $101,541 |
| Wyoming | 8 | $67,481 | $47,923 – $133,418 |
| Nebraska | 16 | $68,217 | $38,808 – $105,554 |
| Missouri | 35 | $69,034 | $40,607 – $149,642 |
| Connecticut | 16 | $70,065 | $51,949 – $103,551 |
| Maine | 7 | $73,048 | $62,036 – $102,188 |
| South Dakota | 10 | $73,576 | $48,008 – $95,819 |
| Ohio | 73 | $73,727 | $43,349 – $140,042 |
| Hawaii | 3 | $74,288 | $73,371 – $90,600 |
| Pennsylvania | 65 | $75,054 | $37,199 – $207,551 |
| Virginia | 41 | $76,547 | $45,632 – $478,676 |
| Louisiana | 30 | $77,056 | $20,242 – $292,475 |
| Oklahoma | 30 | $79,500 | $40,475 – $198,011 |
| New Hampshire | 11 | $85,048 | $48,475 – $374,738 |
| Illinois | 56 | $85,132 | $44,894 – $322,801 |
| New Jersey | 28 | $87,097 | $52,494 – $327,118 |
| North Carolina | 45 | $87,393 | $33,190 – $136,410 |
| Washington | 33 | $88,222 | $43,199 – $202,991 |
| District of Columbia | 4 | $90,229 | $65,239 – $147,133 |
| Tennessee | 33 | $91,570 | $41,055 – $264,959 |
| Texas | 127 | $98,583 | $31,691 – $546,110 |
| Indiana | 47 | $101,471 | $41,754 – $238,183 |
| South Carolina | 30 | $106,188 | $45,896 – $237,118 |
| Colorado | 37 | $106,287 | $53,927 – $295,076 |
| Kentucky | 22 | $109,303 | $45,651 – $218,013 |
| New Mexico | 9 | $109,356 | $48,811 – $233,800 |
| Georgia | 42 | $111,205 | $43,858 – $222,940 |
| Arizona | 37 | $111,600 | $50,420 – $218,355 |
| California | 97 | $120,052 | $49,321 – $513,187 |
| Florida | 86 | $134,865 | $54,034 – $275,824 |
| Nevada | 9 | $139,942 | $69,468 – $217,805 |
| Alaska | 3 | $280,820 | $90,998 – $362,365 |
Where Level 6 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 |
|---|---|---|
|
Intermountain Health Mckay-Dee Hospital
Ogden, UT |
$10,515 | $2,990 |
|
West Calcasieu Cameron Hospital
Sulphur, LA |
$20,242 | $15,624 |
|
The East Alabama Healthcare Authority
Opelika, AL |
$22,212 | $15,185 |
|
St Bernards Medical Center
Jonesboro, AR |
$25,533 | $15,688 |
|
Rochester General Hospital
Rochester, NY |
$30,729 | $17,808 |
|
Mercy Hospital Fort Smith
Fort Smith, AR |
$31,561 | $15,523 |
|
Mount Auburn Hospital
Cambridge, MA |
$31,690 | $19,966 |
|
Kell West Regional Hospital
Wichita Falls, TX |
$31,691 | $15,896 |
|
Lahey Hospital & Medical Center, Burlington
Burlington, MA |
$31,825 | $19,966 |
|
Cape Cod Hospital
Hyannis, MA |
$31,993 | $19,966 |
|
Thedacare Regional Medical Center - Appleton Inc
Appleton, WI |
$32,733 | $16,403 |
|
Labette Health
Parsons, KS |
$32,888 | $17,003 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
|
Medical City Lewisville
Lewisville, TX |
$546,110 | $16,789 |
|
Good Samaritan Hospital
San Jose, CA |
$513,187 | $24,635 |
|
Medical City Plano
Plano, TX |
$490,937 | $16,735 |
|
John Randolph Medical Center
Hopewell, VA |
$478,676 | $16,182 |
|
Cjw Medical Center
Richmond, VA |
$462,582 | $16,011 |
|
Henrico Doctors' Hospital
Richmond, VA |
$411,745 | $15,984 |
|
Medical City Denton
Denton, TX |
$390,049 | $16,789 |
|
Hca Houston Healthcare Tomball
Tomball, TX |
$382,944 | $17,243 |
|
Woodland Heights Medical Center
Lufkin, TX |
$380,510 | $16,137 |
|
Medical City Alliance
Fort Worth, TX |
$378,122 | $16,789 |
|
Parkland Medical Center
Derry, NH |
$374,738 | $18,506 |
|
Mat-Su Regional Medical Center
Palmer, AK |
$362,365 | $20,115 |
Questions people ask
What do U.S. hospitals charge for Level 6 Musculoskeletal Procedures?
Across 1,481 U.S. hospitals, the middle charge for Level 6 Musculoskeletal Procedures is $83,029. Half of hospitals charge less than that and half charge more. The cheapest quarter charge under $60,450 and the dearest quarter over $117,919.
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 6 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. $17,433 is roughly what Medicare actually paid per case, against an average charge of $97,523. 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 5116: “Level 6 Musculoskeletal Procedures”. An APC covers one outpatient visit for that level of service — you go home the same day.