Inpatient stays / DRG 473
MS-DRG 473 · 125 hospitals · 6,286 stays
DRG 473: Cervical Spinal Fusion without CC/MCC
Medicare patients had 6,286 stays in DRG 473 in 2024. Hospitals charged an average of $115,049 per stay and were paid $22,040 — a ratio of 5.2 to 1 — of which Medicare's own share averaged $17,594. Average charges ran from $25,323 at the least expensive hospital to $541,740 at the most; half of hospitals charged between $67,780 and $146,974.
- 1Average charge $115,049
- 2Average paid $22,040
- 3Reporting hospitals 125
- 4Medicare stays 6,286
By state
Average charges for DRG 473 were highest in Indiana ($201,662) and lowest in Maryland ($39,741). Payments vary far less than charges, because Medicare sets them: they range across states from $16,484 to $35,770.
| State | Stays | Avg charge | Avg paid | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indiana | 132 | $201,662 | $19,517 | 10.3× |
| California | 449 | $188,185 | $29,573 | 6.4× |
| Florida | 529 | $149,276 | $20,288 | 7.4× |
| Texas | 604 | $147,803 | $21,367 | 6.9× |
| Colorado | 85 | $147,684 | $22,169 | 6.7× |
| Arizona | 196 | $140,292 | $21,324 | 6.6× |
| Kentucky | 69 | $138,866 | $18,038 | 7.7× |
| Alaska | 24 | $137,691 | $28,280 | 4.9× |
| Mississippi | 58 | $134,706 | $17,409 | 7.7× |
| New Jersey | 105 | $129,727 | $24,271 | 5.3× |
| Nevada | 56 | $129,456 | $23,911 | 5.4× |
| South Dakota | 38 | $124,403 | $18,427 | 6.8× |
| Georgia | 182 | $122,933 | $21,369 | 5.8× |
| Virginia | 191 | $116,354 | $21,606 | 5.4× |
| Alabama | 144 | $113,063 | $16,858 | 6.7× |
| West Virginia | 15 | $112,146 | $26,670 | 4.2× |
| Pennsylvania | 194 | $111,468 | $22,338 | 5× |
| South Carolina | 155 | $110,799 | $20,682 | 5.4× |
| Illinois | 202 | $104,403 | $24,491 | 4.3× |
| Washington | 72 | $103,180 | $23,976 | 4.3× |
| Idaho | 62 | $101,756 | $18,298 | 5.6× |
| New York | 245 | $100,050 | $28,266 | 3.5× |
| Oklahoma | 176 | $95,518 | $17,808 | 5.4× |
| District of Columbia | 36 | $95,305 | $27,456 | 3.5× |
| Ohio | 195 | $92,641 | $21,129 | 4.4× |
| Tennessee | 159 | $90,098 | $18,214 | 4.9× |
| Louisiana | 342 | $89,770 | $16,484 | 5.4× |
| Connecticut | 41 | $89,475 | $30,121 | 3× |
| Oregon | 55 | $89,183 | $24,036 | 3.7× |
| Nebraska | 41 | $88,726 | $19,071 | 4.7× |
| Iowa | 52 | $86,705 | $18,091 | 4.8× |
| New Hampshire | 25 | $85,670 | $20,229 | 4.2× |
| North Carolina | 235 | $84,141 | $20,487 | 4.1× |
| Wyoming | 12 | $83,443 | $28,133 | 3× |
| Missouri | 129 | $81,396 | $20,059 | 4.1× |
| Utah | 48 | $79,375 | $19,656 | 4× |
| Wisconsin | 53 | $76,731 | $21,181 | 3.6× |
| Delaware | 59 | $76,428 | $23,520 | 3.2× |
| Michigan | 203 | $70,894 | $20,887 | 3.4× |
| Kansas | 76 | $70,774 | $17,036 | 4.2× |
| Minnesota | 109 | $64,653 | $23,306 | 2.8× |
| North Dakota | 18 | $62,886 | $21,970 | 2.9× |
| Arkansas | 81 | $61,590 | $16,761 | 3.7× |
| Massachusetts | 104 | $59,016 | $26,375 | 2.2× |
| Montana | 54 | $58,633 | $20,307 | 2.9× |
| Rhode Island | 16 | $51,313 | $26,246 | 2× |
| Maryland | 129 | $39,741 | $35,770 | 1.1× |
Highest average charges
| Hospital | Charge | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Pinnacle Hospital Crown Point, IN · 23 stays | $541,740 | $23,024 |
| Medical City Plano Plano, TX · 13 stays | $336,953 | $22,584 |
| Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Los Angeles, CA · 22 stays | $336,622 | $31,722 |
| Scripps Green Hospital La Jolla, CA · 26 stays | $272,553 | $28,884 |
| NYU Langone Hospitals New York, NY · 14 stays | $272,028 | $42,185 |
| University of California Davis Medical Center Sacramento, CA · 16 stays | $254,842 | $37,296 |
| Merit Health River Oaks Flowood, MS · 13 stays | $251,929 | $17,754 |
| Grandview Medical Center Birmingham, AL · 19 stays | $233,451 | $16,109 |
| John Muir Medical Center - Walnut Creek Campus Walnut Creek, CA · 14 stays | $217,396 | $26,506 |
| Houston Methodist Hospital Houston, TX · 19 stays | $210,902 | $21,637 |
Lowest average charges
| Hospital | Charge | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Mercy Medical Center Inc Baltimore, MD · 16 stays | $25,323 | $21,866 |
| Arkansas Surgical Hospital No Little Rock, AR · 18 stays | $35,830 | $15,337 |
| Cape Cod Hospital Hyannis, MA · 13 stays | $37,076 | $27,977 |
| Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Boston, MA · 11 stays | $38,305 | $29,256 |
| Jack Hughston Memorial Hospital Phenix City, AL · 16 stays | $38,567 | $16,196 |
| Crouse Hospital Syracuse, NY · 17 stays | $39,903 | $21,606 |
| St Patrick Hospital Missoula, MT · 15 stays | $42,213 | $18,888 |
| Bronson Methodist Hospital Kalamazoo, MI · 13 stays | $43,318 | $21,428 |
| Baxter Health Mountain Home, AR · 15 stays | $45,381 | $15,336 |
| Johns Hopkins Hospital, the Baltimore, MD · 11 stays | $45,769 | $39,865 |
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.