Major Head and Neck Procedures without Complications/mcc — what U.S. hospitals charge
MS-DRG 142 · Inpatient stay · 11 U.S. hospitals publish a price
Cheapest quarter
under $71,483
Typical charge
$90,412
Dearest quarter
over $103,263
Actually paid
$19,237
The middle U.S. hospital bills $90,412 for Major Head and Neck Procedures without Complications/mcc. The dearest hospitals charge about 2.0x what the cheapest do for the same coded work. Medicare actually paid about $19,237 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 Major Head and Neck Procedures 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 |
|---|---|---|
|
Massachusetts Eye And Ear Infirmary -
Boston, MA |
$43,332 | $21,941 |
|
Barnes Jewish Hospital
Saint Louis, MO |
$63,637 | $15,846 |
|
University Of Kansas Hospital
Kansas City, KS |
$66,917 | $17,249 |
|
Mayo Clinic Hospital Rochester
Rochester, MN |
$76,049 | $26,766 |
|
University Of Michigan Health System
Ann Arbor, MI |
$77,319 | $22,896 |
|
Sarasota Memorial Hospital
Sarasota, FL |
$90,412 | $11,722 |
|
University Of Alabama Hospital
Birmingham, AL |
$92,579 | $15,876 |
|
Thomas Jefferson University Hospital
Philadelphia, PA |
$101,295 | $16,683 |
|
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Nashville, TN |
$105,232 | $18,918 |
|
Ucsf Medical Center
San Francisco, CA |
$125,151 | $25,898 |
|
Hospital Of Univ Of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA |
$130,206 | $17,807 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
|
Hospital Of Univ Of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA |
$130,206 | $17,807 |
|
Ucsf Medical Center
San Francisco, CA |
$125,151 | $25,898 |
|
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Nashville, TN |
$105,232 | $18,918 |
|
Thomas Jefferson University Hospital
Philadelphia, PA |
$101,295 | $16,683 |
|
University Of Alabama Hospital
Birmingham, AL |
$92,579 | $15,876 |
|
Sarasota Memorial Hospital
Sarasota, FL |
$90,412 | $11,722 |
|
University Of Michigan Health System
Ann Arbor, MI |
$77,319 | $22,896 |
|
Mayo Clinic Hospital Rochester
Rochester, MN |
$76,049 | $26,766 |
|
University Of Kansas Hospital
Kansas City, KS |
$66,917 | $17,249 |
|
Barnes Jewish Hospital
Saint Louis, MO |
$63,637 | $15,846 |
|
Massachusetts Eye And Ear Infirmary -
Boston, MA |
$43,332 | $21,941 |
Questions people ask
What do U.S. hospitals charge for Major Head and Neck Procedures without Complications/mcc?
Across 11 U.S. hospitals, the middle charge for Major Head and Neck Procedures without Complications/mcc is $90,412. Half of hospitals charge less than that and half charge more. The cheapest quarter charge under $71,483 and the dearest quarter over $103,263.
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 Major Head and Neck Procedures without Complications/mcc, the hospitals in the dearest tenth charge about 2.0x 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. $19,237 is roughly what Medicare actually paid per case, against an average charge of $85,777. 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 142: “MAJOR HEAD AND NECK PROCEDURES 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.