Spinal fusion, single level (inpatient stay)
Facility: Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital
Billing Code: 451 (MS-DRG)
This hospital's typical commercial price is $19,633 compared to the $29,137 fair price benchmark.
3-Star CMS clinical quality rating paired with 0.67× fair market pricing.
A typical price — 3 charge more and 5 charge less, among the 9 TN hospitals compared.
Black dot = this hospital, among the 9 TN hospitals with a price for this procedure. Full list below.
A fair price for a Spinal fusion, single level (inpatient stay) is about $29,137 (about 1.2× the $23,504 Medicare rate). Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital charges insurers about $19,633 — below the fair price — a good deal. Located in Nashville, TN.
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
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 | $11,555 - $19,633 | 49% |
| Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor | $20,418 - $65,411 | 87% |
| Aetnamajor | $19,970 - $20,025 | 85% |
| Cignamajor | $9,450 - $16,559 | 40% |
| Humanamajor | $11,267 - $19,633 | 48% |
| Ambetter (Centene) | $25,523 | 109% |
| Amerigroup | $20,222 | 86% |
| Cigna HealthSpring | $19,633 | 84% |
| Oscar Health | $8,150 | 35% |
| + 5 smaller / regional plans | $10,900 - $27,486 |
Self-Pay How to get the cash price
Insurance Before you use insurance
Estimate your out-of-pocket cost
A rough estimate of what you’d pay with insurance (deductible + coinsurance) versus paying the cash price yourself.
Other Procedures at Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital
Compare: Spinal fusion, single level (inpatient stay) at other TN hospitals
- Saint Thomas Hickman Hospital · Centerville $15,440
- Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital · Murfreesboro $15,974
- Dekalb Community Hospital · Smithville $15,974
- Saint Thomas Highlands Hospital · Sparta $15,974
- Stones River Hospital · Woodbury $15,974
- Highpoint Health-Sumner With Ascension Saint Thoma · Gallatin $21,673
- West Tennessee Healthcare Henry County Hospital · Paris $22,896
- Parkwest Medical Center · Knoxville $23,542
Insurance negotiated median for the same procedure, sorted lowest first.
Audit a Bill or Quote at Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital (Zero PHI Required)
Statutory 501(r) AGB Cap Limits Bill to $17,104
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 = $17,104).
Compare Prompt-Pay Cash Rate Against Remaining Deductible
Ask Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital's billing desk for their written 45 CFR § 180 discounted self-pay cash price and Good Faith Estimate under the No Surprises Act.
Negotiate Toward $29,137 Fair BaseRate ($23,504 Medicare)
Your bill ($47,119) is $17,982 above the denoised Fair BaseRate ($29,137) and 2.0× the $23,504 Medicare rate.
Clinical Quality, Patient Experience & Infection Benchmarks
Source: CMS Hospital Care Compare. Clinical quality metrics summarize historical facility-wide cohorts and are not medical advice for individual care decisions.
How to Pay Less Nearby: Freestanding Centers, Insurer Leverage & Outpatient Savings
Verify the Raw Data: Official Hospital MRF, CMS Medicare.gov & Federal Filings
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.