Inpatient stays / DRG 448
MS-DRG 448 · 51 hospitals · 3,839 stays
DRG 448: Multiple Level Spinal Fusion except Cervical without MCC
Medicare patients had 3,839 stays in DRG 448 in 2024. Hospitals charged an average of $200,125 per stay and were paid $38,755 — a ratio of 5.2 to 1 — of which Medicare's own share averaged $32,688. Average charges ran from $43,590 at the least expensive hospital to $727,296 at the most; half of hospitals charged between $113,524 and $248,998.
- 1Average charge $200,125
- 2Average paid $38,755
- 3Reporting hospitals 51
- 4Medicare stays 3,839
By state
Average charges for DRG 448 were highest in Nevada ($371,474) and lowest in Maryland ($66,184). Payments vary far less than charges, because Medicare sets them: they range across states from $28,104 to $60,474.
| State | Stays | Avg charge | Avg paid | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nevada | 20 | $371,474 | $37,766 | 9.8× |
| Colorado | 46 | $321,816 | $34,472 | 9.3× |
| California | 260 | $319,353 | $52,104 | 6.1× |
| Arizona | 77 | $311,747 | $38,247 | 8.2× |
| Indiana | 112 | $279,837 | $36,145 | 7.7× |
| Texas | 358 | $277,620 | $35,070 | 7.9× |
| Florida | 233 | $271,251 | $34,141 | 7.9× |
| Kentucky | 48 | $252,706 | $34,773 | 7.3× |
| South Carolina | 77 | $237,751 | $33,641 | 7.1× |
| Virginia | 119 | $226,538 | $39,207 | 5.8× |
| New Mexico | 11 | $225,243 | $34,574 | 6.5× |
| New Jersey | 83 | $222,226 | $42,571 | 5.2× |
| New York | 181 | $206,292 | $50,008 | 4.1× |
| Alabama | 56 | $199,121 | $31,235 | 6.4× |
| Georgia | 85 | $192,803 | $35,370 | 5.5× |
| Washington | 41 | $188,435 | $42,529 | 4.4× |
| District of Columbia | 50 | $185,012 | $50,139 | 3.7× |
| South Dakota | 28 | $184,921 | $33,518 | 5.5× |
| Pennsylvania | 207 | $178,573 | $37,166 | 4.8× |
| Illinois | 119 | $174,672 | $37,963 | 4.6× |
| Tennessee | 116 | $173,249 | $33,302 | 5.2× |
| North Carolina | 116 | $170,466 | $36,648 | 4.7× |
| Oregon | 22 | $162,532 | $43,972 | 3.7× |
| Oklahoma | 95 | $160,138 | $30,577 | 5.2× |
| Louisiana | 66 | $159,164 | $29,412 | 5.4× |
| Kansas | 71 | $158,360 | $29,166 | 5.4× |
| Ohio | 179 | $149,418 | $35,053 | 4.3× |
| Connecticut | 58 | $147,281 | $43,965 | 3.3× |
| Mississippi | 17 | $145,477 | $28,104 | 5.2× |
| Missouri | 60 | $143,819 | $33,726 | 4.3× |
| Iowa | 53 | $143,500 | $32,666 | 4.4× |
| Wisconsin | 39 | $143,072 | $41,054 | 3.5× |
| Montana | 14 | $138,851 | $37,903 | 3.7× |
| Idaho | 28 | $137,396 | $33,036 | 4.2× |
| Delaware | 36 | $135,993 | $36,616 | 3.7× |
| Nebraska | 37 | $126,169 | $31,450 | 4× |
| Michigan | 155 | $123,338 | $36,686 | 3.4× |
| Utah | 53 | $117,833 | $34,882 | 3.4× |
| Arkansas | 42 | $113,434 | $30,185 | 3.8× |
| Minnesota | 72 | $111,896 | $39,242 | 2.9× |
| Massachusetts | 96 | $103,805 | $44,574 | 2.3× |
| Rhode Island | 14 | $81,192 | $36,747 | 2.2× |
| Maryland | 138 | $66,184 | $60,474 | 1.1× |
Highest average charges
| Hospital | Charge | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Medical City Plano Plano, TX · 11 stays | $727,296 | $33,445 |
| Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Los Angeles, CA · 17 stays | $575,784 | $49,152 |
| Dupont Hospital LLC Fort Wayne, IN · 11 stays | $435,997 | $44,042 |
| NYU Langone Hospitals New York, NY · 17 stays | $402,751 | $57,253 |
| UCSF Medical Center San Francisco, CA · 13 stays | $372,470 | $67,276 |
| Houston Methodist Hospital Houston, TX · 13 stays | $362,392 | $39,151 |
| Longview Regional Medical Center Longview, TX · 17 stays | $353,020 | $32,014 |
| Lehigh Valley Hospital Allentown, PA · 11 stays | $280,372 | $46,161 |
| Adventhealth Orlando Orlando, FL · 11 stays | $268,882 | $35,289 |
| Norton Hospital / Norton Healthcare Pavilion / Nor Louisville, KY · 16 stays | $260,883 | $33,541 |
Lowest average charges
| Hospital | Charge | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| University of MD St Joseph Medical Center Towson, MD · 11 stays | $43,590 | $38,322 |
| Bronson Methodist Hospital Kalamazoo, MI · 18 stays | $56,438 | $32,606 |
| Johns Hopkins Hospital, the Baltimore, MD · 14 stays | $61,873 | $60,231 |
| Medstar Union Memorial Hospital Baltimore, MD · 16 stays | $63,487 | $56,817 |
| Saint Thomas Hospital for Specialty Surgery Nashville, TN · 34 stays | $78,370 | $27,635 |
| University of Utah Hospital and Clinics Salt Lake City, UT · 13 stays | $83,854 | $38,984 |
| Scott & White Hospital-Round Rock Round Rock, TX · 11 stays | $85,995 | $30,728 |
| Kansas Spine & Specialty Hospital, LLC Wichita, KS · 27 stays | $87,712 | $25,640 |
| University of Maryland Medical Center Baltimore, MD · 21 stays | $89,733 | $83,643 |
| Baylor Scott & White Texas Spine & Joint Hospital Tyler, TX · 15 stays | $91,584 | $29,870 |
These are averages over each hospital's Medicare stays in this DRG, which mix simple and complicated cases. A high average charge is the hospital's pricing, not a sign of better or worse care, and not what a patient pays: Medicare patients owe the inpatient deductible, and people with other coverage pay their plan's negotiated rate.
Sources: CMS Medicare Inpatient Hospitals — by Provider and Service / by Geography and Service, data year 2024. Hospitals with fewer than 11 stays are suppressed by CMS. Checked 2026-10-24. Methodology.