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Procedure price report · Spinal fusion

Front neck spine fusion with disc removal, one level

CPT 22551the billing code this page is about

Fusion of neck vertebrae below the second one, done from the front, including removal of the disc and bone spurs to relieve pressure; covers one disc space.

Hospitals typically charge $7,770 cash for this outpatient procedure — the median across 659 hospitals that filed a usable cash price; the average of the middle 60% is $9,031. Most fall between $3,315 and $19,343 (20th–80th percentile).

Hospitals
659
States
48
Filings dated
Mar 2023 – Sep 2026
Computed
September 25, 2026
Prices checked
through September 24, 2026

Median: half of hospitals filed less, half more — and it is a price some hospital actually filed. Average of the middle 60%: the mean of the prices between the 20th and 80th percentiles. We never publish the plain average, the lowest or the highest price: the extremes in hospital price files are chargemaster artefacts, not prices anyone pays.

What hospitals charge, from cheapest to most expensive

Cash price percentiles, outpatient, across 659 hospitals. Each figure is a price a hospital filed. 10th: one in ten hospitals charges less; 25th: a quarter charge less; Median: half charge less; 75th: three quarters charge less; 90th: nine in ten charge less.
10th25thMedian75th90th
$2,219$3,614$7,770$16,207$37,830

The most expensive tenth of hospitals charges at least 17× what the cheapest tenth charges ($2,219 vs $37,830).

How the prices are spread

$1,516 – $2,201: 32 hospitals$1,516$2,201 – $3,195: 61 hospitals$3,195 – $4,638: 104 hospitals$3,195$4,638 – $6,733: 53 hospitals$6,733 – $9,773: 88 hospitals$6,733$9,773 – $14,188: 73 hospitals$14,188 – $20,595: 94 hospitals$14,188$20,595 – $29,897: 35 hospitals$29,897 – $43,399: 34 hospitals$29,897$43,399 – $63,000: 21 hospitals$43,399median $7,770price bands are equal on a log scale
Hospitals per price band (595 of 659 — the bands cover the 5th to 95th percentile)
FromToHospitals
$1,516$2,20132
$2,201$3,19561
$3,195$4,638104
$4,638$6,73353
$6,733$9,77388
$9,773$14,18873
$14,188$20,59594
$20,595$29,89735
$29,897$43,39934
$43,399$63,00021

Against Medicare

Medicare pays (OPPS 2026, national rate)$13,117
Median cash price$7,770
Cash as a multiple of Medicare0.59×

The Medicare figure is the national unadjusted OPPS rate for this code — what Medicare itself pays a hospital before local wage adjustment. It is a benchmark, not a price anyone is charged.

By state

The median cash price in each state, against the national median of $7,770.

Alaska: 5 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureAKMaine: no hospital in the corpus filed a usable priceMEVermont: 6 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureVTNew Hampshire: 9 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureNHWashington: 8 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureWAIdaho: median $15,889 across 13 hospitalsID$15,889Montana: 7 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureMTNorth Dakota: 1 hospital filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureNDMinnesota: median $7,412 across 29 hospitalsMN$7,412Illinois: median $4,081 across 23 hospitalsIL$4,081Wisconsin: median $8,533 across 30 hospitalsWI$8,533Michigan: median $3,614 across 38 hospitalsMI$3,614New York: median $15,226 across 54 hospitalsNY$15,226Massachusetts: 6 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureMAOregon: 6 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureORNevada: 5 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureNVWyoming: 6 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureWYSouth Dakota: 1 hospital filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureSDIowa: median $4,081 across 25 hospitalsIA$4,081Indiana: median $15,010 across 18 hospitalsIN$15,010Ohio: median $30,821 across 30 hospitalsOH$30,821Pennsylvania: median $8,376 across 25 hospitalsPA$8,376New Jersey: median $14,242 across 33 hospitalsNJ$14,242Connecticut: 7 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureCTRhode Island: 1 hospital filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureRICalifornia: median $9,951 across 48 hospitalsCA$9,951Utah: no hospital in the corpus filed a usable priceUTColorado: 8 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureCONebraska: median $2,587 across 14 hospitalsNE$2,587Missouri: median $3,895 across 12 hospitalsMO$3,895Kentucky: 5 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureKYWest Virginia: median $8,136 across 12 hospitalsWV$8,136Virginia: median $37,830 across 13 hospitalsVA$37,830Maryland: 2 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureMDDelaware: 1 hospital filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureDEArizona: 7 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureAZNew Mexico: 4 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureNMKansas: median $2,852 across 12 hospitalsKS$2,852Arkansas: 8 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureARTennessee: 8 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureTNNorth Carolina: 7 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureNCSouth Carolina: 6 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureSCOklahoma: median $3,557 across 14 hospitalsOK$3,557Louisiana: median $15,242 across 10 hospitalsLA$15,242Mississippi: median $9,436 across 11 hospitalsMS$9,436Alabama: median $7,373 across 14 hospitalsAL$7,373Georgia: median $3,906 across 11 hospitalsGA$3,906Hawaii: 2 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureHITexas: median $6,989 across 30 hospitalsTX$6,989Florida: median $19,516 across 14 hospitalsFL$19,516
Cash price by state, most expensive first. National median $7,770. A state needs at least 10 hospitals with a usable price to show a figure.
StateHospitalsMedianvs national20th–80th
Virginia VA13$37,830+387%$1,123 – $60,298
Ohio OH30$30,821+297%$6,952 – $62,559
Florida FL14$19,516+151%$7,150 – $43,499
Idaho ID13$15,889+104%$6,800 – $27,750
Louisiana LA10$15,242+96%$11,187 – $26,487
New York NY54$15,226+96%$3,917 – $75,573
Indiana IN18$15,010+93%$2,380 – $27,341
New Jersey NJ33$14,242+83%$5,110 – $16,611
California CA48$9,951+28%$5,051 – $14,331
Mississippi MS11$9,436+21%$9,436 – $15,590
Wisconsin WI30$8,533+10%$6,938 – $18,278
Pennsylvania PA25$8,376+8%$1,104 – $24,246
West Virginia WV12$8,136+5%$1,870 – $14,721
Minnesota MN29$7,412−5%$2,320 – $13,039
Alabama AL14$7,373−5%$4,731 – $26,209
Texas TX30$6,989−10%$5,263 – $12,250
Iowa IA25$4,081−47%$2,656 – $5,519
Illinois IL23$4,081−47%$2,380 – $9,473
Georgia GA11$3,906−50%$3,906 – $12,814
Missouri MO12$3,895−50%$2,219 – $15,375
Michigan MI38$3,614−53%$3,326 – $17,654
Oklahoma OK14$3,557−54%$3,557 – $11,049
Kansas KS12$2,852−63%$1,958 – $17,692
Nebraska NE14$2,587−67%$1,603 – $7,652
New Hampshire NH9not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Arkansas AR8not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Colorado CO8not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Tennessee TN8not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Washington WA8not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Arizona AZ7not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Connecticut CT7not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Montana MT7not enough hospitals filed a usable price
North Carolina NC7not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Massachusetts MA6not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Oregon OR6not enough hospitals filed a usable price
South Carolina SC6not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Vermont VT6not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Wyoming WY6not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Alaska AK5not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Kentucky KY5not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Nevada NV5not enough hospitals filed a usable price
New Mexico NM4not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Hawaii HI2not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Maryland MD2not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Delaware DE1not enough hospitals filed a usable price
North Dakota ND1not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Rhode Island RI1not enough hospitals filed a usable price
South Dakota SD1not enough hospitals filed a usable price

Hospitals like yours

The same distribution cut by the kind of hospital. Hospital type and ownership come from CMS; a hospital counts as part of a system when its price file is shared with at least one other hospital under the same brand. The national median is $7,770.

Cash price by hospital segment. A segment needs at least 20 hospitals to show a figure.
SegmentHospitalsMedian20th–80th
Hospital type
Acute care545$8,944$3,557 – $22,331
Children’s8fewer than 20 hospitals
Critical access104$5,170$2,380 – $13,039
Ownership
For-profit84$12,833$4,226 – $30,437
Government88$5,051$3,068 – $17,246
Non-profit485$7,415$3,221 – $17,654
System affiliation
Part of a system520$8,533$3,450 – $19,516
Independent139$5,680$3,068 – $17,637

Cash price vs list price

Median list price (chargemaster)$10,233
Median cash price$7,770
Cash as a share of list, median hospital60%

At the typical hospital, asking for the cash price cuts the list price by about 40%. The share is the median of each hospital’s own cash ÷ list ratio, over hospitals that filed both — not the ratio of the two medians above.

The same procedure, inpatient

306 hospitals filed a usable inpatient cash price for this code. The median is $4,218 and the average of the middle 60% is $5,314; most fall between $2,380 and $9,951.

Cash price percentiles, inpatient, across 306 hospitals. Each figure is a price a hospital filed. 10th: one in ten hospitals charges less; 25th: a quarter charge less; Median: half charge less; 75th: three quarters charge less; 90th: nine in ten charge less.
10th25thMedian75th90th
$1,637$2,823$4,218$9,951$17,246

The most expensive tenth of hospitals charges at least 11× what the cheapest tenth charges ($1,637 vs $17,246).

Of the 348 hospitals that filed this code inpatient, 306 gave a usable cash price; 19 carried a plausibility flag, 0 filed a number their own filing marks as not a price, 0 gave an estimate, and 23 a list price only.

How complete is this

659 of the 3,956 hospitals with a price file in our corpus (17%) filed a usable outpatient cash price for this code, and those are the hospitals every figure on this page is computed from.

What the 733 hospitals that filed this code at all gave us
Usable cash price — counted659
Cash price carrying a plausibility flag — shown on the compare tool, excluded here50
A number the filing itself marks as not a price (a placeholder, a ratio) — excluded0
An estimate rather than a filed cash price — excluded5
A list price only, no cash figure — excluded19
Hospitals that filed this code733

Sections not shown for this setting

  • Since our last snapshot: there is no earlier snapshot at least 90 days older than this one yet.

We last checked these hospitals’ price files for changes between September 4, 2026 and September 24, 2026; the figures were computed September 25, 2026 from filings loaded through September 24, 2026. The percentiles and averages use only the “counted” row.

Related procedures

Part of the Spinal fusion family.

Hospitals file this code under descriptions such as Arthrd Ant Interbody Decompress Cervical Belw C2.

Method

Source
The machine-readable price files every U.S. hospital is required by CMS to publish, parsed per hospital. Nothing is surveyed, sampled or modelled.
What counts
One cash (self-pay) price per hospital for this code and setting. A hospital’s own filing can rule its number out — a placeholder, a “not applicable” note, a list price standing in for cash — and our plausibility checks can flag a price far below what every other hospital files. Both kinds are disclosed above and excluded from the statistics; on the compare tool a flagged price is still shown.
Statistics
Percentiles are discrete: each is a price some hospital filed. The average is the mean of the prices between the 20th and 80th percentiles. We never publish the plain mean, the minimum or the maximum. A state needs 10 hospitals and a segment 20 to show a figure; otherwise the row shows its count and no number. Medicare is the national unadjusted OPPS rate where one exists.
Names
Procedure names on these pages are our own plain-language titles, not the AMA’s copyrighted CPT descriptors. The code is the identity.

The full rules — sources, statistics, thresholds, limitations — are on the methodology page.

Download this page’s figures: JSON · CSV. Aggregates only — the per-hospital prices are on the compare tool.

Cite: HospitalRates.com, “Front neck spine fusion with disc removal, one level (CPT 22551) — cash price report,” computed September 25, 2026. https://hospitalrates.com/procedures/cpt-22551-front-neck-spine-fusion-with-disc-removal-one-level