Inpatient stays / DRG 551
MS-DRG 551 · 465 hospitals · 15,219 stays
DRG 551: Medical Back Problems with MCC
Medicare patients had 15,219 stays in DRG 551 in 2024. Hospitals charged an average of $78,715 per stay and were paid $15,739 — a ratio of 5 to 1 — of which Medicare's own share averaged $13,062. Average charges ran from $14,636 at the least expensive hospital to $390,338 at the most; half of hospitals charged between $48,820 and $101,022.
- 1Average charge $78,715
- 2Average paid $15,739
- 3Reporting hospitals 465
- 4Medicare stays 15,219
By state
Average charges for DRG 551 were highest in Alaska ($167,839) and lowest in Maryland ($24,332). Payments vary far less than charges, because Medicare sets them: they range across states from $6,314 to $22,087.
| State | Stays | Avg charge | Avg paid | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 26 | $167,839 | $20,418 | 8.2× |
| Nevada | 192 | $138,101 | $14,881 | 9.3× |
| California | 1,443 | $128,467 | $20,011 | 6.4× |
| New Jersey | 502 | $109,135 | $16,267 | 6.7× |
| Colorado | 182 | $107,498 | $13,529 | 7.9× |
| New York | 1,081 | $100,863 | $20,536 | 4.9× |
| Florida | 1,431 | $99,119 | $13,242 | 7.5× |
| District of Columbia | 46 | $93,358 | $21,957 | 4.3× |
| Texas | 1,024 | $92,288 | $13,989 | 6.6× |
| Pennsylvania | 732 | $82,814 | $14,736 | 5.6× |
| Kansas | 206 | $82,440 | $13,161 | 6.3× |
| Georgia | 385 | $81,741 | $16,581 | 4.9× |
| Arizona | 263 | $80,669 | $14,758 | 5.5× |
| South Carolina | 224 | $77,506 | $14,035 | 5.5× |
| Washington | 279 | $72,853 | $15,782 | 4.6× |
| Tennessee | 394 | $70,889 | $14,578 | 4.9× |
| Virginia | 387 | $68,055 | $14,287 | 4.8× |
| Missouri | 380 | $65,351 | $13,653 | 4.8× |
| Alabama | 205 | $64,194 | $13,920 | 4.6× |
| Illinois | 689 | $61,876 | $15,920 | 3.9× |
| Connecticut | 168 | $61,528 | $18,741 | 3.3× |
| Maine | 46 | $59,560 | $17,069 | 3.5× |
| Oklahoma | 154 | $59,347 | $14,066 | 4.2× |
| South Dakota | 41 | $59,317 | $14,981 | 4× |
| Hawaii | 58 | $58,754 | $20,218 | 2.9× |
| Idaho | 62 | $58,600 | $13,960 | 4.2× |
| Indiana | 345 | $57,930 | $13,690 | 4.2× |
| New Hampshire | 101 | $57,558 | $15,331 | 3.8× |
| Kentucky | 174 | $56,970 | $13,251 | 4.3× |
| Wisconsin | 209 | $55,613 | $15,958 | 3.5× |
| New Mexico | 58 | $55,134 | $15,565 | 3.5× |
| Oregon | 119 | $55,025 | $18,499 | 3× |
| Mississippi | 116 | $54,745 | $12,299 | 4.5× |
| Louisiana | 115 | $53,753 | $11,867 | 4.5× |
| North Dakota | 58 | $53,012 | $14,271 | 3.7× |
| North Carolina | 367 | $52,373 | $15,595 | 3.4× |
| Delaware | 60 | $51,434 | $15,529 | 3.3× |
| Iowa | 177 | $51,154 | $12,887 | 4× |
| Nebraska | 114 | $50,502 | $14,738 | 3.4× |
| Ohio | 561 | $49,418 | $13,317 | 3.7× |
| Minnesota | 283 | $48,366 | $15,151 | 3.2× |
| Arkansas | 114 | $48,228 | $11,472 | 4.2× |
| Utah | 91 | $47,485 | $13,347 | 3.6× |
| Michigan | 464 | $46,976 | $15,083 | 3.1× |
| Wyoming | 21 | $45,261 | $18,145 | 2.5× |
| Vermont | 23 | $45,207 | $6,314 | 7.2× |
| West Virginia | 87 | $44,915 | $12,953 | 3.5× |
| Massachusetts | 569 | $41,643 | $16,752 | 2.5× |
| Rhode Island | 32 | $39,721 | $15,934 | 2.5× |
| Montana | 51 | $36,968 | $14,486 | 2.6× |
| Maryland | 310 | $24,332 | $22,087 | 1.1× |
Highest average charges
| Hospital | Charge | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Good Samaritan Hospital San Jose, CA · 11 stays | $390,338 | $26,312 |
| Doctors Medical Center Modesto, CA · 12 stays | $354,893 | $16,861 |
| Desert Regional Medical Center Palm Springs, CA · 13 stays | $326,610 | $21,708 |
| Stanford Health Care Stanford, CA · 20 stays | $316,547 | $41,325 |
| Uci Health-Fountain Valley Fountain Valley, CA · 14 stays | $290,002 | $26,101 |
| Westchester Medical Center Valhalla, NY · 20 stays | $271,661 | $30,102 |
| Dominican Hospital Santa Cruz, CA · 12 stays | $266,305 | $25,340 |
| Montefiore Medical Center Bronx, NY · 11 stays | $265,885 | $34,439 |
| HCA Healthone Swedish Englewood, CO · 19 stays | $258,280 | $12,246 |
| Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Los Angeles, CA · 52 stays | $247,954 | $22,177 |
Lowest average charges
| Hospital | Charge | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Suburban Hospital Bethesda, MD · 20 stays | $14,636 | $12,969 |
| Medstar Franklin Square Medical Center Rosedale, MD · 12 stays | $17,334 | $15,434 |
| Luminis Health Anne Arundel Medical Center, Inc Annapolis, MD · 18 stays | $17,521 | $15,998 |
| Meritus Medical Center Hagerstown, MD · 16 stays | $17,791 | $16,455 |
| University of MD St Joseph Medical Center Towson, MD · 13 stays | $18,447 | $16,423 |
| Winchester Hospital Winchester, MA · 12 stays | $21,281 | $12,099 |
| Good Samaritan Medical Center Brockton, MA · 15 stays | $22,645 | $13,311 |
| Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital - Plymouth Plymouth, MA · 14 stays | $22,872 | $13,101 |
| Crouse Hospital Syracuse, NY · 12 stays | $24,517 | $14,726 |
| Cape Cod Hospital Hyannis, MA · 31 stays | $25,833 | $17,573 |
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.