Spinal Fusion Except Cervical with Spinal Curvature, Malignancy, Infection or Extensive — what U.S. hospitals charge
MS-DRG 456 · Inpatient stay · 17 U.S. hospitals publish a price
Cheapest quarter
under $315,716
Typical charge
$445,292
Dearest quarter
over $783,179
Actually paid
$120,826
The middle U.S. hospital bills $445,292 for Spinal Fusion Except Cervical with Spinal Curvature, Malignancy, Infection or Extensive. The dearest hospitals charge about 4.5x what the cheapest do for the same coded work. Medicare actually paid about $120,826 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 Spinal Curvature, Malignancy, Infection or Extensive 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 | 5 | $783,179 | $636,600 – $1,116,885 |
Where Spinal Fusion Except Cervical with Spinal Curvature, Malignancy, Infection or Extensive is charged least
Hospitals that performed it at least eleven times, so a single case cannot set the figure.
| Hospital | Charged | Actually paid |
|---|---|---|
|
Johns Hopkins Hospital, The
Baltimore, MD |
$144,069 | $126,230 |
|
New England Baptist Hospital
Boston, MA |
$192,792 | $87,401 |
|
University Of Utah Hospital And Clinics
Salt Lake City, UT |
$213,161 | $86,138 |
|
Cleveland Clinic
Cleveland, OH |
$224,090 | $127,633 |
|
Thomas Jefferson University Hospital
Philadelphia, PA |
$315,716 | $98,671 |
|
Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, MA |
$319,209 | $106,364 |
|
Medstar Georgetown University Hospital
Washington, DC |
$382,987 | $106,008 |
|
Ohsu Hospital And Clinics
Portland, OR |
$417,942 | $119,085 |
|
Barnes Jewish Hospital
Saint Louis, MO |
$445,292 | $114,810 |
|
New York-Presbyterian Hospital
New York, NY |
$477,235 | $158,800 |
|
Uci Health-Orange
Orange, CA |
$636,600 | $160,366 |
|
Uc San Diego Health Hillcrest - Hillcrest Med Ctr
San Diego, CA |
$700,565 | $137,792 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
|
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Los Angeles, CA |
$1,116,885 | $106,332 |
|
Nyu Langone Hospitals
New York, NY |
$979,487 | $139,062 |
|
Scripps Green Hospital
La Jolla, CA |
$884,539 | $125,395 |
|
University Of Colorado Hospital Authority
Aurora, CO |
$847,703 | $100,024 |
|
Ucsf Medical Center
San Francisco, CA |
$783,179 | $153,937 |
|
Uc San Diego Health Hillcrest - Hillcrest Med Ctr
San Diego, CA |
$700,565 | $137,792 |
|
Uci Health-Orange
Orange, CA |
$636,600 | $160,366 |
|
New York-Presbyterian Hospital
New York, NY |
$477,235 | $158,800 |
|
Barnes Jewish Hospital
Saint Louis, MO |
$445,292 | $114,810 |
|
Ohsu Hospital And Clinics
Portland, OR |
$417,942 | $119,085 |
|
Medstar Georgetown University Hospital
Washington, DC |
$382,987 | $106,008 |
|
Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, MA |
$319,209 | $106,364 |
Questions people ask
What do U.S. hospitals charge for Spinal Fusion Except Cervical with Spinal Curvature, Malignancy, Infection or Extensive?
Across 17 U.S. hospitals, the middle charge for Spinal Fusion Except Cervical with Spinal Curvature, Malignancy, Infection or Extensive is $445,292. Half of hospitals charge less than that and half charge more. The cheapest quarter charge under $315,716 and the dearest quarter over $783,179.
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 Spinal Curvature, Malignancy, Infection or Extensive, the hospitals in the dearest tenth charge about 4.5x 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. $120,826 is roughly what Medicare actually paid per case, against an average charge of $547,673. 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 456: “SPINAL FUSION EXCEPT CERVICAL WITH SPINAL CURVATURE, MALIGNANCY, INFECTION OR EXTENSIVE”. 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.