Back and Neck Procedures Except Spinal Fusion with Mcc or Disc Device or Neurostimulator in California

MS-DRG 518: Back and neck procedures except spinal fusion with mcc or disc device or neurostimulator

$179,617typical hospital bill

$41,619typical amount paid

$31,224–$44,097range paid across 5 hospitals

California hospitals billed Medicare a typical $179,617 for this stay in 2024, about 4.3 times what was actually paid. Medicare's payment depends mostly on the hospital's location and teaching role; the bill depends on the hospital's own price list, so bills vary far more than payments.

Billed (list price)Actually paid (Medicare + patient)

Hospital	City	Medicare stays	Billed	Paid
Saint John's Health Center	Santa Monica	21	$108,070	$31,224
Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla	La Jolla	11	$220,245	$37,466
Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula	Monterey	14	$179,617	$41,619
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center	Los Angeles	31	$422,324	$42,415
Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento	Sacramento	11	$154,200	$44,097

Medicare: CMS, 2024 (hospitals with 11 or more Medicare stays). Cash and insurer prices: hospitals' own price files, where read; insurer figures are commercial plans only, median and 10th–90th percentile across plans.