Spinal Fusion Except Cervical with Spinal Curvature, Malignancy, Infection or Extensive — what U.S. hospitals charge
MS-DRG 457 · Inpatient stay · 82 U.S. hospitals publish a price
Cheapest quarter
under $183,132
Typical charge
$286,902
Dearest quarter
over $402,238
Actually paid
$63,116
The middle U.S. hospital bills $286,902 for Spinal Fusion Except Cervical with Spinal Curvature, Malignancy, Infection or Extensive. The dearest hospitals charge about 4.2x what the cheapest do for the same coded work. Medicare actually paid about $63,116 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan | 4 | $141,237 | $116,936 – $283,638 |
| Massachusetts | 3 | $166,059 | $145,183 – $226,211 |
| Ohio | 3 | $182,099 | $159,544 – $287,016 |
| Florida | 7 | $236,362 | $170,173 – $521,002 |
| Pennsylvania | 3 | $246,515 | $237,337 – $437,957 |
| Virginia | 4 | $309,037 | $213,328 – $388,583 |
| Tennessee | 4 | $332,110 | $107,504 – $406,427 |
| New York | 5 | $356,353 | $316,135 – $762,309 |
| Colorado | 3 | $404,226 | $316,464 – $863,773 |
| California | 10 | $459,840 | $207,891 – $807,524 |
| Texas | 10 | $552,374 | $140,681 – $813,597 |
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 |
$103,638 | $92,004 |
|
Saint Thomas Hospital For Spinal Surgery
Nashville, TN |
$107,504 | $40,164 |
|
Kansas Spine & Specialty Hospital, Llc
Wichita, KS |
$112,500 | $36,993 |
|
Bronson Methodist Hospital
Kalamazoo, MI |
$116,936 | $43,958 |
|
University Of Utah Hospital And Clinics
Salt Lake City, UT |
$118,378 | $54,564 |
|
University Of Maryland Medical Center
Baltimore, MD |
$120,237 | $109,699 |
|
Emory University Hospital
Atlanta, GA |
$131,698 | $68,695 |
|
Abbott Northwestern Hospital
Minneapolis, MN |
$135,869 | $46,285 |
|
The Miriam Hospital
Providence, RI |
$139,162 | $55,379 |
|
Beaumont Hospital, Troy
Troy, MI |
$140,245 | $43,385 |
|
Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Round Rock
Round Rock, TX |
$140,681 | $49,666 |
|
Beaumont Hospital Royal Oak
Royal Oak, MI |
$142,229 | $49,936 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
|
Hca Healthone Presbyterian St. Lukes
Denver, CO |
$863,773 | $51,837 |
|
Medical City Plano
Plano, TX |
$813,597 | $52,022 |
|
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Los Angeles, CA |
$807,524 | $79,529 |
|
Nyu Langone Hospitals
New York, NY |
$762,309 | $102,326 |
|
Ascension Seton Medical Center Austin
Austin, TX |
$754,931 | $74,260 |
|
Medical City Dallas Hospital
Dallas, TX |
$708,433 | $53,947 |
|
O U Medical Center
Oklahoma City, OK |
$705,826 | $78,879 |
|
Houston Methodist Hospital
Houston, TX |
$672,455 | $70,427 |
|
University Of California Davis Medical Center
Sacramento, CA |
$585,412 | $87,753 |
|
St David's Medical Center
Austin, TX |
$566,662 | $65,697 |
|
Stanford Health Care
Stanford, CA |
$557,011 | $94,500 |
|
Ucsf Medical Center
San Francisco, CA |
$552,042 | $104,171 |
Questions people ask
What do U.S. hospitals charge for Spinal Fusion Except Cervical with Spinal Curvature, Malignancy, Infection or Extensive?
Across 82 U.S. hospitals, the middle charge for Spinal Fusion Except Cervical with Spinal Curvature, Malignancy, Infection or Extensive is $286,902. Half of hospitals charge less than that and half charge more. The cheapest quarter charge under $183,132 and the dearest quarter over $402,238.
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 4.2x 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. $63,116 is roughly what Medicare actually paid per case, against an average charge of $320,942. 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 457: “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.