MS‑DRG 556: Signs and Symptoms of Musculoskeletal System and Connective Tissue without MCC
What Medicare paid hospitals for MS‑DRG 556 in 2024: nationally, state by state and across hospitals.
In 2024 Medicare paid hospitals an average of $6,544 per discharge for MS‑DRG 556, across 2,688 fee-for-service discharges at 152 hospitals: 0.05% of all Medicare inpatient discharges and $17.6M in total, the 269th largest MS‑DRG by Medicare spending.
By state, the average ran from $4,282 in Iowa to $8,131 in California. Across hospitals, half were paid between $5,378 and $7,142 per case, and the median hospital $6,011; the payment moves with each hospital’s wage index, teaching and low-income share, and with outlier cases.
Hospitals charged $45,168 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 | 0.8306 | 0.8211 | −1.1% |
| Geometric mean stay (days) | 2.7 | 2.7 | 0.0 |
| Average stay (days) | 3.3 | 3.3 | 0.0 |
- Not capped: the −1.1% 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)
$6,066.25
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 ($) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 555 | with MCC | 9,540.06 | +3,473.81 |
| 556 | without MCC | 6,066.25 | — |
FY2027 inpatient rates: what else changed on October 1 · Price MS‑DRG 556 at a hospital
Paid per case, by state
| State | Paid per case | Discharges | Hospitals | Charges ÷ paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maryland* | $11,632 | 156 | 11 | 1.2× |
| California | $8,131 | 208 | 15 | 9.3× |
| New York | $7,923 | 453 | 22 | 7.9× |
| Georgia | $7,244 | 11 | 1 | 5.7× |
| Nevada | $7,077 | 38 | 2 | 12.8× |
| Delaware | $6,356 | 23 | 1 | 4.4× |
| New Jersey | $6,112 | 156 | 10 | 9.3× |
| Kansas | $6,093 | 35 | 3 | 10.0× |
| Texas | $5,971 | 62 | 5 | 8.4× |
| Massachusetts | $5,835 | 104 | 6 | 2.8× |
| Illinois | $5,764 | 99 | 6 | 5.3× |
| Pennsylvania | $5,711 | 503 | 22 | 7.3× |
| Tennessee | $5,588 | 12 | 1 | 6.0× |
| North Carolina | $5,570 | 40 | 3 | 5.8× |
| Minnesota | $5,546 | 43 | 2 | 4.1× |
| Wisconsin | $5,522 | 38 | 3 | 5.7× |
| South Dakota | $5,425 | 12 | 1 | 7.4× |
| Ohio | $5,425 | 56 | 4 | 5.4× |
| Michigan | $5,299 | 155 | 6 | 3.5× |
| Arizona | $5,282 | 47 | 4 | 8.0× |
| Missouri | $5,228 | 46 | 3 | 4.4× |
| Florida | $5,212 | 276 | 14 | 10.2× |
| Alabama | $5,175 | 24 | 1 | 6.6× |
| Kentucky | $5,113 | 14 | 1 | 8.6× |
| Nebraska | $5,016 | 11 | 1 | 4.0× |
| Oklahoma | $4,778 | 11 | 1 | 5.4× |
| Virginia | $4,761 | 42 | 2 | 9.6× |
| Iowa | $4,282 | 13 | 1 | 8.0× |
| United States | $6,544 | 2,688 | 152 | 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 556.
| 10th percentile | $4,828 |
|---|---|
| 25th percentile | $5,378 |
| Median hospital | $6,011 |
| 75th percentile | $7,142 |
| 90th percentile | $9,055 |
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Questions
What did Medicare pay for MS‑DRG 556 in 2024?
An average of $6,544 per discharge across 2,688 fee-for-service discharges at 152 hospitals, $17.6M in total.
Which state paid the most for MS‑DRG 556?
California, at $8,131 per case; Iowa paid the least, $4,282.
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.