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CMS Price Transparency Data Hospital file updated: 2026-04-01

Spinal fusion, single level (inpatient stay)

Facility: MUSC Health Black River Medical Center

Billing Code: 451 (MS-DRG)

Pillar 1 · The BaseRate™ CompositeHow 1.00× Fair BaseRate Works: Raw price averages unfairly penalize hospitals in high-wage cities or trauma centers treating sicker patients. We adjust for local CMS hospital wage levels and patient complexity first. A 1.00× score means right at the fair price average, 0.85× means 15% cheaper than fair market, and 1.30× means 30% above fair market.Good Deal · Below Fair Market
$34,346Fair BaseRate (0.64× Market)
Position vs. 1.00× Fair Price36% Below Fair Price 1.00× (center of the bar) is the U.S. fair price average after accounting for local hospital wages and patient complexity. Left of center (<1.00×) is below fair price; right of center (>1.00×) is above fair price.

This hospital's typical commercial price is $22,026 compared to the $34,346 fair price benchmark.

Pillar 2 · VeriRate™ Data TrustHow VeriRate™ (0–100) Works: Hospitals are legally required to publish machine-readable price files, but some bury fake $0.01 numbers or omit cash discounts. VeriRate audits each file across 5 checks (hover any badge below to see what it tests).86/100 · Verified
86/100Hover Any Check Below to See How Prices Were Audited
File Completeness90Provenance (File Completeness): Checks whether the hospital published a complete, up-to-date machine-readable price file with valid CPT and MS-DRG billing codes instead of leaving blanks.
Price Logic88Coherence (Price Logic): Checks whether the hospital’s numbers make basic sense — e.g., self-pay cash price is lower than gross list price, with no fake $0.01 or $999,999 placeholder numbers.
Peer Alignment86Concordance (Peer Alignment): Checks whether reported prices sit in a realistic range compared to Medicare and nearby hospitals rather than wild 100× unit errors.
Clean Billing83Regularity (Clean Billing): Checks whether rates are structured consistently across procedures without erratic statistical spikes or hidden unbundled facility fees.
Real Cash Discount84Cash Honesty (Real Cash Discount): Checks whether the hospital offers a genuine self-pay cash discount that beats or matches commercial insurance rates instead of billing full sticker price.
Pillar 3 · Clinical Quality & ER SpeedChecks whether higher hospital prices actually buy better clinical quality — combining CMS Star Ratings, hospital safety scores, and emergency room wait times.Regional Value Leader
CMS Star RatingNot RatedOfficial CMS Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating (1 to 5 stars) summarizing mortality, safety of care, readmissions, and patient experience.
Safety ScoreNot ScoredComposite patient safety score (0–100) derived from CMS hospital-acquired infection rates (CLABSI, CAUTI, MRSA, C. diff), surgical complications, and HCAHPS surveys.
Typical ER WaitNo ER DataMedian minutes patients spent in the emergency department before leaving from the visit, as reported to CMS Timely and Effective Care.

Balances commercial hospital prices against CMS clinical safety, infection control, and patient experience.

The BaseRate · fair price medium confidence
A fair price for this
$34,346
about 1.5× the $23,504 Medicare rate · typically $16,650–$52,301
modeled estimate · not a bill or quote
What this hospital charges insurers
$22,026
Below the fair price — a good deal
about $12,320 under the fair price · 0.9× Medicare
Medicare pays $23,504 Fair price $34,346 This hospital $22,026

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other SC hospitals

A typical price — 5 charge more and 3 charge less, among the 9 SC hospitals compared.

Cheapest $18,320 Priciest $25,038

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

A fair price for a Spinal fusion, single level (inpatient stay) is about $34,346 (about 1.5× the $23,504 Medicare rate). MUSC Health Black River Medical Center charges insurers about $22,026 — below the fair price — a good deal. Located in Cades, SC.

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

UnitedHealthcareBlue Cross Blue ShieldAetnaCignaHumana 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 $21,482 - $22,141 91%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor $21,482 - $84,058 91%
Aetnamajor $21,482 91%
Cignamajor $21,911 93%
Humanamajor $21,482 91%
Clover Health $21,911 93%
Molina $21,911 - $23,630 93%
WellCare $21,911 93%
+ 1 smaller / regional plan $23,093

Self-Pay How to get the cash price

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Facility Profile & Credentials

  • Address: 3555 N Williamsburg County Hwy, Cades, SC 29518
  • CMS Rating: No CMS Rating
  • Ownership Type: N/A
  • Hospital Type: PART A PROVIDER - HOSPITAL

Other Procedures at MUSC Health Black River Medical Center

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

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

Inline Bill X-Ray & 501(r) Calculator 501(c)(3) Nonprofit · Free Care ≤200% FPL · AGB Cap 36.3%

Audit a Bill or Quote at MUSC Health Black River Medical Center (Zero PHI Required)

CMS CCN: 420117
MS-DRG 451
Fair BaseRate™ $34,346
Medicare Rate $23,504
Self-Pay Cash Request Quote
Insurer Median $22,026
Pre-filled with MUSC Health Black River Medical Center’s charged/list benchmark
Screened against 2026 HHS Federal Poverty Guidelines
2026 FPL: $15,650 + $5,500 per additional person
Step 1 · 501(r) Charity Care Check 501(r) AGB Cap: $19,189 (274% FPL)

Statutory 501(r) AGB Cap Limits Bill to $19,189

At 274% FPL (201%–400% FPL tier), 26 U.S.C. § 501(r)(5) caps FAP-eligible bills at Amounts Generally Billed (36.3% of gross = $19,189).

Step 2 · Cash vs. Insurance Arbitrage Request Prompt-Pay Quote

Compare Prompt-Pay Cash Rate Against Remaining Deductible

Ask MUSC Health Black River Medical Center's billing desk for their written 45 CFR § 180 discounted self-pay cash price and Good Faith Estimate under the No Surprises Act.

Step 3 · Fair BaseRate Target +$18,516 Above Fair BaseRate

Negotiate Toward $34,346 Fair BaseRate ($23,504 Medicare)

Your bill ($52,862) is $18,516 above the denoised Fair BaseRate ($34,346) and 2.2× the $23,504 Medicare rate.

1-Click Factual Dispute Summary: Copy a citation-backed benchmark memo (with CMS CCN, MS-DRG code, Medicare reference, Fair BaseRate, and 26 U.S.C. § 501(r) calculations) to paste into patient-portal messages or billing appeals.
Care-Setting Arbitrage, Bilateral SVD Insurer Leverage & Regional Alternatives

How to Pay Less Nearby: Freestanding Centers, Insurer Leverage & Outpatient Savings

45 CFR § 180 Primary-Source Lineage & Federal Verification Verified CMS CCN 420117

Verify the Raw Data: Official Hospital MRF, CMS Medicare.gov & Federal Filings

MRF Portal Indexed (571098556_MUSC-Health-Black-River-Medical-Center_standardcharges.csv) Verify on CMS Medicare.gov (CCN 420117) ↗ CMS HCRIS Cost Reports ↗
Published MRF File571098556_MUSC-Health-Black-River-Medical-Center_standardcharges.csv
Publication / Vintage2026-04-01 · 37.32 MB
Validated Rate Rows140,087 (CMS v3.0.0)
File Integrity Digest58bb44ce8b2a2908eb0a…

Safe-Harbor Data Corrections: Parsed directly from public 45 CFR § 180 hospital filings, CMS Care Compare, and CMS HCRIS cost reports. Hospital compliance officers may submit updated MRF URLs or rate tables for verification.

Submit MRF Update Correction Policy