CMS Price Transparency Data

Spinal fusion, single level (inpatient stay)

Facility: Ascension Sacred Heart Gulf

Billing Code: 451 (MS-DRG)

The BaseRate · fair price high confidence

A fair price for this

$28,770

about 1.2× the $23,504 Medicare rate · typically $21,015–$36,560

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$19,061

Below the fair price — a good deal

about $9,709 under the fair price · 0.8× Medicare

Medicare pays $23,504 Fair price $28,770 This hospital $19,061

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other FL hospitals

A typical price — 4 charge more and 4 charge less, among the 9 FL hospitals compared.

Cheapest $10,946 Priciest $19,693

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

A fair price for a Spinal fusion, single level (inpatient stay) is about $28,770 (about 1.2× the $23,504 Medicare rate). Ascension Sacred Heart Gulf charges insurers about $19,061 — below the fair price — a good deal. Located in Port Saint Joe, FL.

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	$17,081 - $19,335	73%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$9,333 - $17,170	40%
Aetnamajor	$17,722 - $19,718	75%
Cignamajor	$11,580	49%
Humanamajor	$19,718	84%
Ambetter (Centene)	$31,586	134%
Cigna HealthSpring	$19,526	83%
Oscar Health	$30,629	130%
WellCare	$19,143	81%
+ 4 smaller / regional plans	$19,143 - $43,072

Government programs also on file: Medicare.

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, 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 Ascension Sacred Heart Gulf 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 Ascension Sacred Heart Gulf

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

Larkin Community Hospital · South Miami $10,946
Ascension St Vincent's St Johns County · St. Johns $16,012
Ascension Sacred Heart Bay · Panama City $18,512
Sacred Heart Hospital · Pensacola $19,000
Sacred Heart Hospital on the Emerald Coast · Miramar Beach $19,069
Ascension St Vincent's Southside · Jacksonville $19,499
Ascension St Vincent's Riverside · Jacksonville $19,683
Ascension St Vincent's Clay County · Middleburg $19,693

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