US Health Care Costs

Back problems (no surgery) in Georgia

MS-DRG 552: Medical back problems without mcc

$42,177typical hospital bill
$8,559typical amount paid
$5,495–$23,271range paid across 34 hospitals

Georgia hospitals billed Medicare a typical $42,177 for this stay in 2024, about 4.9 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)

HospitalCityMedicare staysBilledPaid
Piedmont Columbus Regional NorthsideColumbus13$19,797$5,495
St Joseph's Hospital - SavannahSavannah21$25,557$6,436
Emory Johns Creek HospitalJohns Creek21$25,341$6,693
Saint Joseph's Hospital of Atlanta, IncAtlanta33$24,647$6,950
Piedmont Augusta HospitalAugusta32$29,078$6,980
Sgmc HealthValdosta13$19,635$7,460
Doctors HospitalAugusta19$77,439$7,543
Emory Houston Hospital Warner RobinsWarner Robins11$21,358$7,613
Northside Hospital ForsythCumming36$50,753$7,726
Piedmont Fayette HospitalFayetteville16$35,489$7,883
AdventHealth RedmondRome14$71,200$7,935
Piedmont Cartersville Medical CenterCartersville12$63,406$8,012
Northside Hospital CherokeeCanton41$55,186$8,090
Candler HospitalSavannah12$31,674$8,357
Wellstar North Fulton Medical CenterRoswell33$52,246$8,399
Piedmont Eastside Medical CenterSnellville20$51,172$8,492
Tanner Medical Center - CarrolltonCarrollton14$29,059$8,496
Tift Regional Medical CenterTifton13$28,216$8,622
Southeast Georgia Health System- Brunswick CampusBrunswick16$21,477$8,816
Atrium Health Floyd Medical CenterRome23$36,018$8,969
Piedmont Athens Regional Medical CenterAthens46$38,334$9,198
Piedmont Columbus Regional MidtownColumbus12$31,229$9,204
Phoebe Putney Memorial HospitalAlbany20$29,598$9,512
Savannah Health Services LLC Dba Memorial Health University Medical CenterSavannah79$50,599$9,564
Northeast Georgia Medical Center, IncGainesville56$48,559$10,241
Atrium Health Navicent the Medical CenterMacon74$43,909$10,298
Northside Hospital GwinnettLawrenceville45$56,491$11,204
Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical CenterMarietta67$55,124$11,598
Piedmont Hospital, IncAtlanta31$43,096$11,788
Northside HospitalAtlanta22$54,014$12,221
Emory University HospitalAtlanta24$41,258$13,539
Wellstar Cobb Medical CenterAustell20$64,721$14,978
Wellstar Mcg Health, Affiliated with Med ColAugusta12$56,084$15,834
Grady Memorial HospitalAtlanta82$99,984$23,271

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.