Inpatient stays / DRG 471
MS-DRG 471 · 32 hospitals · 3,300 stays
DRG 471: Cervical Spinal Fusion with MCC
Medicare patients had 3,300 stays in DRG 471 in 2024. Hospitals charged an average of $238,955 per stay and were paid $47,770 — a ratio of 5 to 1 — of which Medicare's own share averaged $40,602. Average charges ran from $73,201 at the least expensive hospital to $563,161 at the most; half of hospitals charged between $151,992 and $336,010.
- 1Average charge $238,955
- 2Average paid $47,770
- 3Reporting hospitals 32
- 4Medicare stays 3,300
By state
Average charges for DRG 471 were highest in California ($392,479) and lowest in Maryland ($75,430). Payments vary far less than charges, because Medicare sets them: they range across states from $34,898 to $70,132.
| State | Stays | Avg charge | Avg paid | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 332 | $392,479 | $66,251 | 5.9× |
| Texas | 275 | $332,638 | $40,786 | 8.2× |
| New Jersey | 53 | $330,196 | $47,743 | 6.9× |
| Nevada | 34 | $326,830 | $47,481 | 6.9× |
| Colorado | 77 | $282,367 | $40,274 | 7× |
| Florida | 235 | $282,195 | $39,280 | 7.2× |
| Arizona | 86 | $276,330 | $43,145 | 6.4× |
| District of Columbia | 31 | $271,041 | $68,811 | 3.9× |
| Pennsylvania | 129 | $268,100 | $47,799 | 5.6× |
| New York | 161 | $254,583 | $62,296 | 4.1× |
| Idaho | 14 | $242,771 | $41,940 | 5.8× |
| Kansas | 60 | $238,149 | $37,531 | 6.3× |
| Kentucky | 36 | $235,096 | $44,456 | 5.3× |
| South Carolina | 68 | $227,163 | $42,724 | 5.3× |
| West Virginia | 18 | $226,620 | $47,734 | 4.7× |
| Alabama | 56 | $223,396 | $40,862 | 5.5× |
| Georgia | 100 | $222,680 | $41,282 | 5.4× |
| Washington | 46 | $217,903 | $55,651 | 3.9× |
| Tennessee | 80 | $214,838 | $37,779 | 5.7× |
| South Dakota | 11 | $210,013 | $62,523 | 3.4× |
| Indiana | 57 | $208,026 | $43,193 | 4.8× |
| Oklahoma | 46 | $206,273 | $40,313 | 5.1× |
| Virginia | 96 | $205,223 | $45,320 | 4.5× |
| Hawaii | 18 | $201,473 | $53,735 | 3.7× |
| Louisiana | 52 | $190,384 | $35,695 | 5.3× |
| Illinois | 149 | $187,034 | $47,355 | 3.9× |
| Ohio | 134 | $185,401 | $43,411 | 4.3× |
| North Carolina | 86 | $184,650 | $42,908 | 4.3× |
| Oregon | 29 | $181,566 | $56,960 | 3.2× |
| Missouri | 66 | $180,815 | $42,017 | 4.3× |
| New Hampshire | 11 | $173,464 | $41,682 | 4.2× |
| Wisconsin | 36 | $170,449 | $49,187 | 3.5× |
| Connecticut | 46 | $163,336 | $58,434 | 2.8× |
| Nebraska | 21 | $158,932 | $42,756 | 3.7× |
| Delaware | 17 | $156,067 | $48,663 | 3.2× |
| Mississippi | 30 | $154,841 | $34,898 | 4.4× |
| Michigan | 112 | $151,733 | $43,146 | 3.5× |
| Iowa | 27 | $139,580 | $39,097 | 3.6× |
| Minnesota | 55 | $131,811 | $46,909 | 2.8× |
| Arkansas | 37 | $128,889 | $37,262 | 3.5× |
| Massachusetts | 102 | $128,126 | $55,428 | 2.3× |
| Utah | 31 | $123,722 | $37,740 | 3.3× |
| Montana | 12 | $80,715 | $37,336 | 2.2× |
| Maryland | 79 | $75,430 | $70,132 | 1.1× |
Highest average charges
| Hospital | Charge | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Medical City Plano Plano, TX · 15 stays | $563,161 | $54,615 |
| Houston Methodist Hospital Houston, TX · 13 stays | $534,601 | $49,799 |
| NYU Langone Hospitals New York, NY · 17 stays | $507,222 | $83,676 |
| UCSF Medical Center San Francisco, CA · 25 stays | $391,998 | $82,974 |
| New York-Presbyterian Hospital New York, NY · 12 stays | $383,468 | $60,776 |
| Tampa General Hospital Tampa, FL · 13 stays | $352,296 | $45,080 |
| Mount Sinai Hospital New York, NY · 11 stays | $343,954 | $65,761 |
| University of Kansas Hospital Kansas City, KS · 12 stays | $342,115 | $42,390 |
| Adventhealth Orlando Orlando, FL · 21 stays | $317,693 | $36,074 |
| Medstar Washington Hospital Center Washington, DC · 13 stays | $292,909 | $52,644 |
Lowest average charges
| Hospital | Charge | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Johns Hopkins Hospital, the Baltimore, MD · 12 stays | $73,201 | $80,187 |
| Ascension Providence Hospital Southfield, MI · 13 stays | $93,867 | $41,177 |
| Lowell General Hospital Lowell, MA · 11 stays | $102,285 | $41,086 |
| University of Maryland Medical Center Baltimore, MD · 11 stays | $123,102 | $113,839 |
| Saint Francis Hospital, Inc Tulsa, OK · 11 stays | $123,726 | $34,414 |
| Rush University Medical Center Chicago, IL · 15 stays | $129,826 | $59,857 |
| Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Boston, MA · 14 stays | $131,102 | $75,644 |
| Inova Fairfax Hospital Falls Church, VA · 12 stays | $150,634 | $49,981 |
| Christianacare Newark, DE · 17 stays | $156,067 | $48,663 |
| Mayo Clinic Hospital Phoenix, AZ · 11 stays | $156,784 | $51,728 |
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.