MS‑DRG 481: Hip and Femur Procedures except Major Joint with CC

What Medicare paid hospitals for MS‑DRG 481 in 2024: nationally, state by state and across hospitals.

Paid per case$15,8011.0× the all-DRG average

Discharges62,7531.27% of all Medicare discharges

Total paid$991.6M12th largest MS‑DRG by spending

Hospitals1,700in 50 states and DC

Charges ÷ paid6.4×$101,431 average charge

Relative weight2.1265FY2027, 4.3-day geometric mean stay; FY2026 2.0945 (+1.5%)

In 2024 Medicare paid hospitals an average of $15,801 per discharge for MS‑DRG 481, across 62,753 fee-for-service discharges at 1,700 hospitals: 1.27% of all Medicare inpatient discharges and $991.6M in total, the 12th largest MS‑DRG by Medicare spending.

By state, the average ran from $9,643 in Vermont to $22,959 in Alaska. Across hospitals, half were paid between $13,143 and $17,205 per case, and the median hospital $14,558; the payment moves with each hospital’s wage index, teaching and low-income share, and with outlier cases.

Hospitals charged $101,431 on average for these stays, 6.4 times what Medicare paid: charges are list prices, while Medicare pays a fixed amount per MS‑DRG.

See MS‑DRG 481 on the interactive map Price an MS‑DRG 481 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 481, FY2026 and FY2027
	FY2026	FY2027	Change
Relative weight	2.0945	2.1265	+1.5%
Geometric mean stay (days)	4.3	4.3	0.0
Average stay (days)	4.8	4.8	0.0

Not capped: the +1.5% 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)

$15,710.48

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 481
MS‑DRG	Severity	Payment ($)	Step ($)
480	with MCC	21,575.77	+5,865.29
481	with CC	15,710.48	—
482	without CC/MCC	12,114.02	−3,596.46

FY2027 inpatient rates: what else changed on October 1 · Price MS‑DRG 481 at a hospital

Paid per case, by state

MS‑DRG 481 by state, 2024
State	Paid per case	Discharges	Hospitals	Charges ÷ paid
Maryland*	$27,405	1,329	34	1.2×
Alaska	$22,959	183	6	6.1×
California	$20,622	5,042	150	7.5×
Wyoming	$20,536	112	5	3.8×
Hawaii	$20,466	182	8	3.3×
New York	$20,172	3,458	86	5.7×
Connecticut	$18,692	723	20	3.9×
District of Columbia	$18,680	117	4	6.6×
Massachusetts	$18,276	1,896	42	3.1×
Oregon	$18,082	518	17	4.1×
Rhode Island	$17,198	209	6	3.0×
New Jersey	$16,981	2,026	46	6.8×
Nevada	$16,727	493	14	8.7×
New Mexico	$16,332	327	9	5.6×
Washington	$16,046	1,203	39	6.0×
Delaware	$15,865	308	5	4.3×
New Hampshire	$15,682	360	12	5.9×
Minnesota	$15,626	1,024	24	4.1×
Arizona	$15,364	1,359	35	7.6×
South Dakota	$15,332	365	7	4.8×
Georgia	$15,186	1,746	52	7.2×
Maine	$15,150	252	10	4.3×
Texas	$15,088	4,494	120	8.6×
Michigan	$14,946	1,526	49	4.6×
Pennsylvania	$14,717	2,576	70	7.2×
Idaho	$14,709	268	10	5.9×
Illinois	$14,649	2,501	64	6.1×
Colorado	$14,649	775	23	8.8×
Wisconsin	$14,607	944	33	5.0×
Nebraska	$14,586	541	17	5.0×
North Carolina	$14,559	2,045	52	5.3×
Montana	$14,438	277	8	3.8×
Utah	$14,336	383	10	4.9×
Kansas	$14,134	679	20	6.4×
Missouri	$14,126	1,452	40	5.7×
Florida	$14,007	5,404	123	10.3×
Indiana	$13,956	1,357	42	6.3×
North Dakota	$13,937	269	6	4.0×
South Carolina	$13,876	1,389	33	7.2×
Virginia	$13,875	2,086	44	6.6×
Ohio	$13,818	2,169	66	6.1×
Oklahoma	$13,586	1,039	26	6.6×
Kentucky	$13,496	855	27	6.4×
Iowa	$13,374	745	22	4.9×
Tennessee	$13,149	1,560	41	6.8×
Louisiana	$13,026	900	27	7.2×
West Virginia	$12,977	439	14	5.7×
Arkansas	$12,824	825	23	4.6×
Mississippi	$12,662	846	22	5.5×
Alabama	$12,544	1,029	32	7.5×
Vermont	$9,643	148	5	6.4×
United States	$15,801	62,753	1,700	6.4×

* 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 481.

10th percentile	$12,222
25th percentile	$13,143
Median hospital	$14,558
75th percentile	$17,205
90th percentile	$20,436

Related analysis

Transfers and the per-diem rule: when a short stay pays less than the full DRG · Inpatient DRG
DRG validation and the single-MCC claim: when one code moves the payment · Payment integrity

The same condition at other severities

480Hip and Femur Procedures except Major Joint with MCC · $23,191
482Hip and Femur Procedures except Major Joint without CC/MCC · $11,718

Nearby MS‑DRG numbers

Questions

What did Medicare pay for MS‑DRG 481 in 2024?

An average of $15,801 per discharge across 62,753 fee-for-service discharges at 1,700 hospitals, $991.6M in total.

Which state paid the most for MS‑DRG 481?

Alaska, at $22,959 per case; Vermont paid the least, $9,643.

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.