Inpatient stays / DRG 519
MS-DRG 519 · 196 hospitals · 7,489 stays
DRG 519: Back and Neck Procedures except Spinal Fusion with CC
Medicare patients had 7,489 stays in DRG 519 in 2024. Hospitals charged an average of $104,607 per stay and were paid $19,512 — a ratio of 5.4 to 1 — of which Medicare's own share averaged $15,354. Average charges ran from $20,526 at the least expensive hospital to $332,442 at the most; half of hospitals charged between $63,084 and $120,884.
- 1Average charge $104,607
- 2Average paid $19,512
- 3Reporting hospitals 196
- 4Medicare stays 7,489
By state
Average charges for DRG 519 were highest in Nevada ($179,037) and lowest in Maryland ($32,504). Payments vary far less than charges, because Medicare sets them: they range across states from $11,203 to $29,449.
| State | Stays | Avg charge | Avg paid | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nevada | 67 | $179,037 | $18,801 | 9.5× |
| California | 809 | $177,242 | $25,184 | 7× |
| Alaska | 21 | $154,050 | $23,326 | 6.6× |
| Florida | 547 | $139,787 | $17,049 | 8.2× |
| Colorado | 128 | $135,629 | $17,945 | 7.6× |
| New Jersey | 145 | $129,374 | $19,297 | 6.7× |
| Arizona | 159 | $118,325 | $18,682 | 6.3× |
| Texas | 583 | $117,694 | $16,936 | 6.9× |
| Pennsylvania | 350 | $117,016 | $18,846 | 6.2× |
| Georgia | 183 | $113,380 | $21,225 | 5.3× |
| New York | 493 | $107,232 | $24,304 | 4.4× |
| Alabama | 93 | $104,434 | $16,528 | 6.3× |
| South Carolina | 140 | $103,573 | $18,090 | 5.7× |
| Kentucky | 83 | $102,846 | $15,626 | 6.6× |
| Washington | 153 | $98,059 | $20,173 | 4.9× |
| West Virginia | 44 | $97,436 | $20,984 | 4.6× |
| Oklahoma | 80 | $94,989 | $15,417 | 6.2× |
| Idaho | 45 | $93,841 | $17,665 | 5.3× |
| Virginia | 172 | $91,422 | $17,172 | 5.3× |
| Missouri | 190 | $91,022 | $17,031 | 5.3× |
| District of Columbia | 56 | $90,790 | $24,351 | 3.7× |
| Illinois | 317 | $89,950 | $20,705 | 4.3× |
| Kansas | 91 | $87,227 | $14,317 | 6.1× |
| Tennessee | 164 | $82,800 | $17,033 | 4.9× |
| Ohio | 287 | $79,940 | $16,969 | 4.7× |
| Iowa | 69 | $79,887 | $16,259 | 4.9× |
| Indiana | 123 | $79,858 | $15,960 | 5× |
| Louisiana | 63 | $79,109 | $14,746 | 5.4× |
| New Hampshire | 33 | $78,840 | $17,193 | 4.6× |
| North Carolina | 156 | $78,632 | $18,387 | 4.3× |
| Connecticut | 73 | $74,596 | $21,435 | 3.5× |
| South Dakota | 24 | $74,488 | $15,764 | 4.7× |
| Michigan | 206 | $72,126 | $17,277 | 4.2× |
| Oregon | 92 | $70,600 | $20,386 | 3.5× |
| Vermont | 11 | $69,500 | $11,203 | 6.2× |
| New Mexico | 24 | $69,344 | $17,173 | 4× |
| Wisconsin | 94 | $67,015 | $18,109 | 3.7× |
| Nebraska | 73 | $65,138 | $16,938 | 3.8× |
| Mississippi | 62 | $63,167 | $14,898 | 4.2× |
| Minnesota | 226 | $63,141 | $19,554 | 3.2× |
| Massachusetts | 301 | $61,980 | $21,096 | 2.9× |
| Utah | 55 | $61,188 | $16,257 | 3.8× |
| Montana | 53 | $57,473 | $16,077 | 3.6× |
| North Dakota | 39 | $54,486 | $16,629 | 3.3× |
| Arkansas | 71 | $48,971 | $13,623 | 3.6× |
| Maine | 16 | $48,921 | $17,269 | 2.8× |
| Delaware | 23 | $47,845 | $19,279 | 2.5× |
| Rhode Island | 18 | $45,480 | $20,907 | 2.2× |
| Maryland | 171 | $32,504 | $29,449 | 1.1× |
Highest average charges
| Hospital | Charge | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Grady Memorial Hospital Atlanta, GA · 11 stays | $332,442 | $59,107 |
| HCA Florida Fawcett Hospital Port Charlotte, FL · 14 stays | $301,206 | $12,918 |
| HCA Healthone Swedish Englewood, CO · 14 stays | $291,416 | $18,686 |
| Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Los Angeles, CA · 73 stays | $282,573 | $28,572 |
| Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center Las Vegas, NV · 13 stays | $278,347 | $18,081 |
| Marinhealth Medical Center Greenbrae, CA · 14 stays | $258,252 | $22,313 |
| Stanford Health Care Stanford, CA · 41 stays | $255,191 | $31,626 |
| St Joseph's Hospital Tucson, AZ · 11 stays | $253,676 | $14,807 |
| Mountainview Hospital Las Vegas, NV · 11 stays | $248,982 | $22,311 |
| Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley Pleasanton, CA · 11 stays | $235,134 | $23,951 |
Lowest average charges
| Hospital | Charge | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Arkansas Surgical Hospital No Little Rock, AR · 12 stays | $20,526 | $12,821 |
| University of MD St Joseph Medical Center Towson, MD · 12 stays | $21,773 | $19,344 |
| Mercy Medical Center Inc Baltimore, MD · 13 stays | $23,219 | $19,957 |
| Parkwest Medical Center Knoxville, TN · 18 stays | $24,034 | $12,382 |
| Beverly Hospital Corporation Beverly, MA · 13 stays | $27,635 | $15,612 |
| Suburban Hospital Bethesda, MD · 15 stays | $29,095 | $25,605 |
| Lahey Hospital & Medical Center, Burlington Burlington, MA · 25 stays | $30,318 | $19,720 |
| Johns Hopkins Hospital, the Baltimore, MD · 39 stays | $33,005 | $29,473 |
| Baystate Medical Center Springfield, MA · 12 stays | $38,005 | $20,960 |
| Methodist Hospital Omaha, NE · 16 stays | $39,250 | $14,620 |
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.