CMS Price Transparency Data

Spinal fusion, single level (inpatient stay)

Facility: Mercy Hospital Fort Smith

Billing Code: 451 (MS-DRG)

The BaseRate · fair price high confidence

A fair price for this

$24,803

about 1.1× the $23,504 Medicare rate · typically $22,980–$31,135

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$23,994

About the fair price

about $809 under the fair price · 1.0× Medicare

Medicare pays $23,504 Fair price $24,803 This hospital $23,994 Cash price $45,060 Hospital's list price $69,324

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other AR hospitals

Highest price of the 9 AR hospitals we have prices for — worth calling around.

Cheapest $20,627 Priciest $23,994

Black dot = this hospital, among the 9 AR hospitals with a price for this procedure. Full list below.

A fair price for a Spinal fusion, single level (inpatient stay) is about $24,803 (about 1.1× the $23,504 Medicare rate). Mercy Hospital Fort Smith charges insurers about $23,994, or about $45,060 in cash — about the fair price. Located in Fort Smith, AR.

What each insurance company pays

Which insurers have negotiated a price with this hospital for this procedure — and which haven’t.

5 of 6 major insurers have a published price at this hospital

✓ UnitedHealthcare✓ Blue Cross Blue Shield✓ Aetna✓ Cigna✓ Humana Kaiser Permanente

Crossed out = this hospital hasn’t published a negotiated price for that insurer for this procedure. It doesn’t necessarily mean they aren’t accepted — ask your insurer.

Insurance company	Price range	vs. Medicare
UnitedHealthcaremajor	$23,994 - $40,396	102%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$23,994 - $35,211	102%
Aetnamajor	$12,858 - $34,242	55%
Cignamajor	$25,881 - $36,856	110%
Humanamajor	$12,858 - $30,844	55%
Ambetter (Centene)	$23,501	100%
Independent Health	$23,994	102%
+ 32 smaller / regional plans	$19,305 - $41,356

Government programs also on file: Medicare, Medicaid, Military & VA.

Excludes 3 rental-network / third-party entries (e.g. Multiplan, PHCS) — these are pricing networks, not insurers.

Self-Pay How to get the cash price

Tell the billing desk you want to be billed as self-pay — not through insurance — before your visit.
Ask for the cash / prompt-pay discount in writing, with the exact price (about 45,060), before you agree to anything.
Get it in writing that they won’t also bill your insurance, so the cash price is what you owe.
Check the MS-DRG code on your bill matches exactly: 451.

Insurance Before you use insurance

Call your insurance company to confirm Mercy Hospital Fort Smith is in-network.
Ask your insurer whether prior approval is required for MS-DRG code 451.
Confirm the doctor or provider is in-network too — not just the hospital building.
Check your Explanation of Benefits against the hospital’s final itemized bill.

Estimate your out-of-pocket cost

A rough estimate of what you’d pay with insurance (deductible + coinsurance) versus paying the cash price yourself.

How you’d pay

Deductible left to meet ($)

Your coinsurance (%)

Enter your details and press estimate to compare.

Other Procedures at Mercy Hospital Fort Smith

Compare: Spinal fusion, single level (inpatient stay) at other AR hospitals

Conway Regional Medical Center, Inc · Conway $20,627
Ouachita County Medical Center · Camden $20,783
National Park Medical Center · Hot Springs $20,953
Arkansas Heart Hospital, LLC · Little Rock $21,851
Baxter Health · Mountain Home $22,058
CHI St. Vincent Hospital Hot Springs · Hot Springs $22,789
Lawrence Memorial Hospital · Walnut Ridge $22,819
Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas · Rogers $23,087

Insurance negotiated median for the same procedure, sorted lowest first.