Multiple Level Spinal Fusion Except Cervical without Major Complications — what U.S. hospitals charge
MS-DRG 448 · Inpatient stay · 51 U.S. hospitals publish a price
Cheapest quarter
under $115,373
Typical charge
$141,470
Dearest quarter
over $243,565
Actually paid
$40,646
The middle U.S. hospital bills $141,470 for Multiple Level Spinal Fusion Except Cervical without Major Complications. The dearest hospitals charge about 4.3x what the cheapest do for the same coded work. Medicare actually paid about $40,646 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.
Multiple Level Spinal Fusion Except Cervical without Major Complications cost by state
The middle charge in each state where at least three hospitals publish a price, cheapest first.
| State | Hospitals | Typical charge | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maryland | 4 | $62,680 | $43,590 – $89,733 |
| Michigan | 4 | $115,352 | $56,438 – $122,367 |
| Massachusetts | 3 | $117,221 | $107,324 – $147,291 |
| Tennessee | 3 | $125,655 | $78,370 – $204,461 |
| Pennsylvania | 3 | $180,274 | $132,827 – $280,372 |
| Texas | 6 | $233,272 | $85,995 – $727,296 |
| New York | 3 | $248,998 | $235,756 – $402,751 |
| Florida | 3 | $255,287 | $254,083 – $268,882 |
Where Multiple Level Spinal Fusion Except Cervical without Major Complications is charged least
Hospitals that performed it at least eleven times, so a single case cannot set the figure.
| Hospital | Charged | Actually paid |
|---|---|---|
|
University Of Md St Joseph Medical Center
Towson, MD |
$43,590 | $38,322 |
|
Bronson Methodist Hospital
Kalamazoo, MI |
$56,438 | $32,606 |
|
Johns Hopkins Hospital, The
Baltimore, MD |
$61,873 | $60,231 |
|
Medstar Union Memorial Hospital
Baltimore, MD |
$63,487 | $56,817 |
|
Saint Thomas Hospital For Spinal Surgery
Nashville, TN |
$78,370 | $27,635 |
|
University Of Utah Hospital And Clinics
Salt Lake City, UT |
$83,854 | $38,984 |
|
Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Round Rock
Round Rock, TX |
$85,995 | $30,728 |
|
Kansas Spine & Specialty Hospital, Llc
Wichita, KS |
$87,712 | $25,640 |
|
University Of Maryland Medical Center
Baltimore, MD |
$89,733 | $83,643 |
|
Baylor Scott & White Texas Spine & Joint Hospital
Tyler, TX |
$91,584 | $29,870 |
|
New England Baptist Hospital
Boston, MA |
$107,324 | $45,631 |
|
Beaumont Hospital, Troy
Troy, MI |
$113,150 | $31,803 |
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 Plano
Plano, TX |
$727,296 | $33,445 |
|
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Los Angeles, CA |
$575,784 | $49,152 |
|
Dupont Hospital Llc
Fort Wayne, IN |
$435,997 | $44,042 |
|
Nyu Langone Hospitals
New York, NY |
$402,751 | $57,253 |
|
Ucsf Medical Center
San Francisco, CA |
$372,470 | $67,276 |
|
Houston Methodist Hospital
Houston, TX |
$362,392 | $39,151 |
|
Longview Regional Medical Center
Longview, TX |
$353,020 | $32,014 |
|
Lehigh Valley Hospital
Allentown, PA |
$280,372 | $46,161 |
|
Adventhealth Orlando
Orlando, FL |
$268,882 | $35,289 |
|
Norton Hospitals, Inc
Louisville, KY |
$260,883 | $33,541 |
|
Sarasota Memorial Hospital
Sarasota, FL |
$255,287 | $30,563 |
|
Holmes Regional Medical Center
Melbourne, FL |
$254,083 | $38,366 |
Questions people ask
What do U.S. hospitals charge for Multiple Level Spinal Fusion Except Cervical without Major Complications?
Across 51 U.S. hospitals, the middle charge for Multiple Level Spinal Fusion Except Cervical without Major Complications is $141,470. Half of hospitals charge less than that and half charge more. The cheapest quarter charge under $115,373 and the dearest quarter over $243,565.
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 Spinal Fusion Except Cervical without Major Complications, the hospitals in the dearest tenth charge about 4.3x 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. $40,646 is roughly what Medicare actually paid per case, against an average charge of $184,728. 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 448: “MULTIPLE LEVEL SPINAL FUSION EXCEPT CERVICAL WITHOUT 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.