Spinal Fusion Except Cervical with Major Complications — what U.S. hospitals charge
MS-DRG 459 · Inpatient stay · 28 U.S. hospitals publish a price
Cheapest quarter
under $204,615
Typical charge
$254,542
Dearest quarter
over $468,840
Actually paid
$67,100
The middle U.S. hospital bills $254,542 for Spinal Fusion Except Cervical with Major Complications. The dearest hospitals charge about 4.3x what the cheapest do for the same coded work. Medicare actually paid about $67,100 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.
Spinal Fusion Except Cervical with 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 3 | $613,249 | $482,792 – $748,026 |
Where Spinal Fusion Except Cervical with 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 |
|---|---|---|
|
New England Baptist Hospital
Boston, MA |
$126,567 | $58,104 |
|
University Of Maryland Medical Center
Baltimore, MD |
$128,520 | $116,896 |
|
Rhode Island Hospital
Providence, RI |
$150,879 | $64,315 |
|
Brigham And Women's Hospital
Boston, MA |
$153,791 | $71,066 |
|
Beaumont Hospital Royal Oak
Royal Oak, MI |
$182,874 | $45,718 |
|
Mayo Clinic Hospital Rochester
Rochester, MN |
$185,939 | $104,945 |
|
Christiana Hospital
Newark, DE |
$194,150 | $63,853 |
|
Cleveland Clinic
Cleveland, OH |
$208,104 | $55,018 |
|
Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital
Nashville, TN |
$214,250 | $46,982 |
|
Carilion Medical Center
Roanoke, VA |
$222,117 | $67,869 |
|
University Of Iowa Hospital & Clinics
Iowa City, IA |
$225,689 | $57,626 |
|
Inova Fairfax Hospital
Falls Church, VA |
$232,886 | $73,871 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
|
St Joseph's Hospital
Tucson, AZ |
$781,606 | $49,461 |
|
Medical City Plano
Plano, TX |
$766,148 | $47,237 |
|
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Los Angeles, CA |
$748,026 | $77,429 |
|
University Of California Davis Medical Center
Sacramento, CA |
$613,249 | $99,032 |
|
Nyu Langone Hospitals
New York, NY |
$537,669 | $73,629 |
|
Grand Strand Regional Medical Center
Myrtle Beach, SC |
$488,948 | $47,590 |
|
Ucsf Medical Center
San Francisco, CA |
$482,792 | $108,696 |
|
Orlando Health
Orlando, FL |
$464,190 | $48,924 |
|
University Of Colorado Hospital Authority
Aurora, CO |
$439,051 | $55,035 |
|
Adventhealth Orlando
Orlando, FL |
$426,299 | $47,204 |
|
Norton Hospitals, Inc
Louisville, KY |
$330,896 | $46,404 |
|
Barnes Jewish Hospital
Saint Louis, MO |
$326,600 | $81,282 |
Questions people ask
What do U.S. hospitals charge for Spinal Fusion Except Cervical with Major Complications?
Across 28 U.S. hospitals, the middle charge for Spinal Fusion Except Cervical with Major Complications is $254,542. Half of hospitals charge less than that and half charge more. The cheapest quarter charge under $204,615 and the dearest quarter over $468,840.
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 Spinal Fusion Except Cervical with 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. $67,100 is roughly what Medicare actually paid per case, against an average charge of $344,494. 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 459: “SPINAL FUSION EXCEPT CERVICAL WITH 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.