MS‑DRG 103: Headaches without MCC

What Medicare paid hospitals for MS‑DRG 103 in 2024: nationally, state by state and across hospitals.

Paid per case$5,8950.4× the all-DRG average

Discharges2,1790.04% of all Medicare discharges

Total paid$12.8M284th largest MS‑DRG by spending

Hospitals110in 28 states

Charges ÷ paid9.3×$55,031 average charge

Relative weight0.8220FY2027, 2.2-day geometric mean stay; FY2026 0.8363 (−1.7%)

In 2024 Medicare paid hospitals an average of $5,895 per discharge for MS‑DRG 103, across 2,179 fee-for-service discharges at 110 hospitals: 0.04% of all Medicare inpatient discharges and $12.8M in total, the 284th largest MS‑DRG by Medicare spending.

By state, the average ran from $4,289 in Louisiana to $9,160 in California. Across hospitals, half were paid between $4,997 and $6,592 per case, and the median hospital $5,561; the payment moves with each hospital’s wage index, teaching and low-income share, and with outlier cases.

Hospitals charged $55,031 on average for these stays, 9.3 times what Medicare paid: charges are list prices, while Medicare pays a fixed amount per MS‑DRG.

See MS‑DRG 103 on the interactive map Price an MS‑DRG 103 claim at any hospital Every MS‑DRG

What changed in FY2027

The rates for discharges from October 1, 2026 (MS‑DRG version 44) against FY2026.

MS‑DRG 103, FY2026 and FY2027
	FY2026	FY2027	Change
Relative weight	0.8363	0.8220	−1.7%
Geometric mean stay (days)	2.3	2.2	−0.1
Average stay (days)	2.9	2.8	−0.1

Not capped: the −1.7% is CMS’s yearly recalibration of every weight from recent claims and cost data.
Name, MDC and transfer status are unchanged.

FY2027 national base payment (illustration)

$6,072.89

The FY2027 weight times the operating standardized amount and the capital rate ($6,848.00 + $539.95) at a wage index of 1.0. No IME, DSH, outlier or other hospital-specific adjustment, so it is not what any hospital is paid; price it at a hospital for that.

FY2027 national base payment across the severity levels of MS‑DRG 103
MS‑DRG	Severity	Payment ($)	Step ($)
102	with MCC	8,275.24	+2,202.35
103	without MCC	6,072.89	—

FY2027 inpatient rates: what else changed on October 1 · Price MS‑DRG 103 at a hospital

Paid per case, by state

MS‑DRG 103 by state, 2024
State	Paid per case	Discharges	Hospitals	Charges ÷ paid
Maryland*	$10,575	39	3	1.2×
California	$9,160	114	9	10.8×
New York	$8,168	125	7	9.2×
Nevada	$6,332	65	4	18.1×
Arizona	$6,152	43	3	7.5×
Massachusetts	$6,002	72	5	3.9×
Delaware	$5,966	31	1	5.5×
Pennsylvania	$5,842	378	11	8.2×
Texas	$5,501	177	10	12.8×
Illinois	$5,500	284	7	10.2×
New Jersey	$5,466	36	3	11.9×
Kansas	$5,314	45	2	15.4×
North Dakota	$5,288	13	1	4.3×
Tennessee	$5,263	22	2	7.6×
South Carolina	$5,259	11	1	13.0×
West Virginia	$5,258	18	1	4.5×
Missouri	$5,186	51	4	7.4×
Florida	$5,166	299	13	11.4×
Indiana	$5,166	15	1	5.2×
Michigan	$5,164	72	4	5.6×
Colorado	$5,161	11	1	17.5×
North Carolina	$5,091	49	4	6.3×
Mississippi	$5,058	16	1	4.8×
Virginia	$4,963	73	5	8.6×
Oklahoma	$4,871	11	1	5.0×
Kentucky	$4,869	25	1	6.2×
Ohio	$4,484	73	4	7.6×
Louisiana	$4,289	11	1	5.7×
United States	$5,895	2,179	110	9.3×

* Maryland hospitals are paid under the state’s all-payer model, not the IPPS, so Maryland is left out of the state range above.

How much hospitals vary

Each hospital’s own average Medicare payment for MS‑DRG 103.

10th percentile	$4,364
25th percentile	$4,997
Median hospital	$5,561
75th percentile	$6,592
90th percentile	$7,789

Nearby MS‑DRG numbers

Questions

What did Medicare pay for MS‑DRG 103 in 2024?

An average of $5,895 per discharge across 2,179 fee-for-service discharges at 110 hospitals, $12.8M in total.

Which state paid the most for MS‑DRG 103?

California, at $9,160 per case; Louisiana paid the least, $4,289.

Where do these figures come from?

From the Medicare Inpatient Hospitals - by Provider and Service (data year 2024): the published hospital-by-DRG averages of Medicare fee-for-service inpatient discharges in 2024. Cells with fewer than 11 discharges are not published, so a hospital with a handful of cases is not counted. Average Medicare payment excludes the patient’s deductible and coinsurance.