US Health Care Costs

Bowel surgery, with major complications in Georgia

MS-DRG 329: Major small and large bowel procedures with mcc

$190,912typical hospital bill
$38,706typical amount paid
$28,454–$92,486range paid across 29 hospitals

Georgia hospitals billed Medicare a typical $190,912 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
Doctors HospitalAugusta14$413,302$28,454
St Francis Hospital- Emory HealthcareColumbus12$118,111$29,052
Sgmc HealthValdosta15$93,186$29,642
Tanner Medical Center - CarrolltonCarrollton15$94,519$31,519
Emory Johns Creek HospitalJohns Creek12$127,848$33,129
Emory Houston Hospital Warner RobinsWarner Robins12$109,895$33,234
Northside Hospital CherokeeCanton35$190,912$33,609
Hamilton Medical CenterDalton11$180,468$33,817
Saint Joseph's Hospital of Atlanta, IncAtlanta20$114,107$34,174
Northside Hospital ForsythCumming35$193,921$34,673
Candler HospitalSavannah17$187,297$37,156
Piedmont Fayette HospitalFayetteville16$176,008$37,399
Savannah Health Services LLC Dba Memorial Health University Medical CenterSavannah30$270,988$38,409
Piedmont Augusta HospitalAugusta16$140,030$38,443
Atrium Health Floyd Medical CenterRome14$221,430$38,706
Piedmont Athens Regional Medical CenterAthens22$180,752$39,349
Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical CenterMarietta50$248,148$40,778
Southeast Georgia Health System- Brunswick CampusBrunswick16$82,552$41,327
Northeast Georgia Medical Center, IncGainesville57$258,121$41,333
Emory Decatur HospitalDecatur15$167,922$43,132
Atrium Health Navicent the Medical CenterMacon27$276,713$46,720
Northside HospitalAtlanta20$221,395$47,205
Piedmont Hospital, IncAtlanta34$167,949$49,869
Wellstar Cobb Medical CenterAustell11$380,721$54,978
Northside Hospital GwinnettLawrenceville18$231,576$55,535
Emory University Hospital MidtownAtlanta14$265,074$58,875
Wellstar North Fulton Medical CenterRoswell11$365,266$74,569
Wellstar Mcg Health, Affiliated with Med ColAugusta11$309,522$76,639
Emory University HospitalAtlanta27$331,000$92,486

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.