US Health Care Costs

Bowel surgery, with complications in Tennessee

MS-DRG 330: Major small and large bowel procedures with cc

$82,706typical hospital bill
$17,588typical amount paid
$15,309–$27,631range paid across 20 hospitals

Tennessee hospitals billed Medicare a typical $82,706 for this stay in 2024, about 4.7 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
Parkwest Medical CenterKnoxville23$42,200$15,309
St Francis HospitalMemphis18$187,002$15,475
Fort Sanders Regional Medical CenterKnoxville37$32,296$15,769
Physicians Regional Medical CenterPowell31$74,302$15,780
Maury Regional HospitalColumbia23$84,530$16,165
Memorial Healthcare System, IncChattanooga58$65,330$16,338
Blount Memorial HospitalMaryville11$73,130$17,346
Wellmont Holston Valley Medical CenterKingsport11$97,382$17,434
Franklin Woods Community HospitalJohnson City20$122,444$17,475
Wellmont Bristol Regional Medical CenterBristol12$99,758$17,536
Jackson-Madison County General HospitalJackson45$74,590$17,640
West Tennessee Healthcare Henry County HospitalParis11$47,735$17,949
Tristar Centennial Medical CenterNashville60$168,021$18,602
Baptist Memorial HospitalMemphis65$96,772$18,633
Saint Thomas Rutherford HospitalMurfreesboro29$65,714$19,031
Ascension Saint Thomas HospitalNashville56$87,719$19,559
University Health System, IncKnoxville44$57,129$20,657
Erlanger Medical CenterChattanooga50$80,882$21,314
Methodist Hospitals of MemphisMemphis65$99,629$21,819
Vanderbilt University Medical CenterNashville78$131,074$27,631

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.