Multiple Level Combined Anterior and Posterior Spinal Fusion Except Cervical with Major — what U.S. hospitals charge
MS-DRG 426 · Inpatient stay · 5 U.S. hospitals publish a price
Cheapest quarter
under $513,126
Typical charge
$679,328
Dearest quarter
over $855,140
Actually paid
$132,100
The middle U.S. hospital bills $679,328 for Multiple Level Combined Anterior and Posterior Spinal Fusion Except Cervical with Major. The dearest hospitals charge about 1.9x what the cheapest do for the same coded work. Medicare actually paid about $132,100 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 Multiple Level Combined Anterior and Posterior Spinal Fusion Except Cervical with Major is charged least
Hospitals that performed it at least eleven times, so a single case cannot set the figure.
| Hospital | Charged | Actually paid |
|---|---|---|
|
Barnes Jewish Hospital
Saint Louis, MO |
$443,225 | $113,055 |
|
Norton Hospitals, Inc
Louisville, KY |
$513,126 | $79,797 |
|
New York-Presbyterian Hospital
New York, NY |
$679,328 | $137,980 |
|
Nyu Langone Hospitals
New York, NY |
$855,140 | $148,820 |
|
Ucsf Medical Center
San Francisco, CA |
$896,415 | $180,849 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
|
Ucsf Medical Center
San Francisco, CA |
$896,415 | $180,849 |
|
Nyu Langone Hospitals
New York, NY |
$855,140 | $148,820 |
|
New York-Presbyterian Hospital
New York, NY |
$679,328 | $137,980 |
|
Norton Hospitals, Inc
Louisville, KY |
$513,126 | $79,797 |
|
Barnes Jewish Hospital
Saint Louis, MO |
$443,225 | $113,055 |
Questions people ask
What do U.S. hospitals charge for Multiple Level Combined Anterior and Posterior Spinal Fusion Except Cervical with Major?
Across 5 U.S. hospitals, the middle charge for Multiple Level Combined Anterior and Posterior Spinal Fusion Except Cervical with Major is $679,328. Half of hospitals charge less than that and half charge more. The cheapest quarter charge under $513,126 and the dearest quarter over $855,140.
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 Multiple Level Combined Anterior and Posterior Spinal Fusion Except Cervical with Major, the hospitals in the dearest tenth charge about 1.9x 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. $132,100 is roughly what Medicare actually paid per case, against an average charge of $725,197. 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 426: “MULTIPLE LEVEL COMBINED ANTERIOR AND POSTERIOR SPINAL FUSION EXCEPT CERVICAL WITH MCC OR”. 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.