MS‑DRG 141: Major Head and Neck Procedures with CC
What Medicare paid hospitals for MS‑DRG 141 in 2024: nationally, state by state and across hospitals.
In 2024 Medicare paid hospitals an average of $19,833 per discharge for MS‑DRG 141, across 1,174 fee-for-service discharges at 66 hospitals: 0.02% of all Medicare inpatient discharges and $23.3M in total, the 250th largest MS‑DRG by Medicare spending.
By state, the average ran from $12,467 in Indiana to $27,409 in California. Across hospitals, half were paid between $15,482 and $21,712 per case, and the median hospital $19,597; the payment moves with each hospital’s wage index, teaching and low-income share, and with outlier cases.
Hospitals charged $136,690 on average for these stays, 6.9 times what Medicare paid: charges are list prices, while Medicare pays a fixed amount per MS‑DRG.
What changed in FY2027
The rates for discharges from October 1, 2026 (MS‑DRG version 44) against FY2026.
| FY2026 | FY2027 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Relative weight | 2.1811 | 2.2351 | +2.5% |
| Geometric mean stay (days) | 3.0 | 3.0 | 0.0 |
| Average stay (days) | 4.1 | 4.1 | 0.0 |
- Not capped: the +2.5% 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)
$16,512.81
The FY2027 weight times the operating standardized amount and the capital rate ($6,848.00 + $539.95) at a wage index of 1.0. No IME, DSH, outlier or other hospital-specific adjustment, so it is not what any hospital is paid; price it at a hospital for that.
| MS‑DRG | Severity | Payment ($) | Step ($) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 140 | with MCC | 31,854.62 | +15,341.81 |
| 141 | with CC | 16,512.81 | — |
| 142 | without CC/MCC | 12,592.76 | −3,920.05 |
FY2027 inpatient rates: what else changed on October 1 · Price MS‑DRG 141 at a hospital
Paid per case, by state
| State | Paid per case | Discharges | Hospitals | Charges ÷ paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maryland* | $40,871 | 32 | 2 | 1.1× |
| California | $27,409 | 123 | 7 | 8.7× |
| Oregon | $23,594 | 24 | 1 | 6.3× |
| New York | $22,361 | 55 | 4 | 6.9× |
| Massachusetts | $22,216 | 61 | 3 | 3.4× |
| Arizona | $21,308 | 35 | 1 | 5.8× |
| Utah | $21,223 | 16 | 1 | 4.0× |
| Pennsylvania | $21,000 | 68 | 3 | 9.1× |
| Washington | $20,754 | 34 | 2 | 8.9× |
| Ohio | $20,586 | 20 | 1 | 9.1× |
| Connecticut | $20,398 | 17 | 1 | 4.2× |
| Illinois | $20,189 | 62 | 4 | 6.4× |
| Michigan | $18,226 | 22 | 1 | 6.8× |
| Texas | $18,065 | 52 | 3 | 6.2× |
| Minnesota | $17,969 | 47 | 1 | 4.4× |
| Virginia | $17,900 | 27 | 2 | 5.9× |
| Florida | $17,664 | 90 | 5 | 9.6× |
| Iowa | $17,412 | 13 | 1 | 6.9× |
| New Jersey | $17,369 | 22 | 2 | 6.1× |
| Oklahoma | $17,311 | 23 | 2 | 10.8× |
| Tennessee | $16,555 | 19 | 1 | 8.2× |
| South Carolina | $16,375 | 31 | 2 | 15.6× |
| North Carolina | $16,231 | 45 | 3 | 5.0× |
| Missouri | $15,835 | 35 | 1 | 5.3× |
| Kentucky | $15,722 | 27 | 2 | 7.2× |
| Wisconsin | $14,963 | 27 | 2 | 6.9× |
| Georgia | $14,920 | 22 | 1 | 9.4× |
| Kansas | $14,692 | 24 | 1 | 5.4× |
| Arkansas | $13,933 | 25 | 2 | 4.8× |
| Colorado | $13,629 | 14 | 1 | 9.3× |
| Alabama | $13,613 | 24 | 1 | 7.7× |
| Nebraska | $12,625 | 24 | 1 | 4.1× |
| Indiana | $12,467 | 14 | 1 | 7.0× |
| United States | $19,833 | 1,174 | 66 | 6.9× |
* 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 141.
| 10th percentile | $13,634 |
|---|---|
| 25th percentile | $15,482 |
| Median hospital | $19,597 |
| 75th percentile | $21,712 |
| 90th percentile | $27,085 |
Related analysis
- DRG validation and the single-MCC claim: when one code moves the payment · Payment integrity
More in Ear, nose, mouth and throat
Nearby MS‑DRG numbers
Questions
What did Medicare pay for MS‑DRG 141 in 2024?
An average of $19,833 per discharge across 1,174 fee-for-service discharges at 66 hospitals, $23.3M in total.
Which state paid the most for MS‑DRG 141?
California, at $27,409 per case; Indiana paid the least, $12,467.
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.