MS‑DRG 602: Cellulitis with MCC
What Medicare paid hospitals for MS‑DRG 602 in 2024: nationally, state by state and across hospitals.
In 2024 Medicare paid hospitals an average of $11,351 per discharge for MS‑DRG 602, across 10,980 fee-for-service discharges at 589 hospitals: 0.22% of all Medicare inpatient discharges and $124.6M in total, the 112th largest MS‑DRG by Medicare spending.
By state, the average ran from $8,217 in Alabama to $15,807 in Hawaii. Across hospitals, half were paid between $9,317 and $12,364 per case, and the median hospital $10,540; the payment moves with each hospital’s wage index, teaching and low-income share, and with outlier cases.
Hospitals charged $63,196 on average for these stays, 5.6 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 | 1.4213 | 1.4273 | +0.4% |
| Geometric mean stay (days) | 4.5 | 4.5 | 0.0 |
| Average stay (days) | 5.8 | 5.7 | −0.1 |
- Not capped: the +0.4% 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)
$10,544.82
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 ($) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 602 | with MCC | 10,544.82 | — |
| 603 | without MCC | 6,379.49 | −4,165.33 |
FY2027 inpatient rates: what else changed on October 1 · Price MS‑DRG 602 at a hospital
Paid per case, by state
| State | Paid per case | Discharges | Hospitals | Charges ÷ paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maryland* | $16,965 | 230 | 13 | 1.2× |
| Hawaii | $15,807 | 54 | 3 | 4.4× |
| Alaska | $14,735 | 11 | 1 | 6.6× |
| California | $14,373 | 1,208 | 63 | 6.6× |
| New York | $14,123 | 950 | 40 | 7.2× |
| Connecticut | $13,443 | 149 | 7 | 4.2× |
| District of Columbia | $13,305 | 40 | 3 | 4.5× |
| Rhode Island | $12,685 | 31 | 2 | 3.8× |
| Massachusetts | $12,222 | 598 | 28 | 2.8× |
| Oregon | $12,089 | 30 | 2 | 2.6× |
| Maine | $12,052 | 38 | 2 | 4.6× |
| New Jersey | $11,771 | 581 | 28 | 8.2× |
| Washington | $11,637 | 106 | 7 | 5.3× |
| Nevada | $11,406 | 106 | 5 | 9.3× |
| Colorado | $11,390 | 42 | 3 | 8.2× |
| Minnesota | $11,345 | 163 | 10 | 4.3× |
| Georgia | $11,312 | 200 | 12 | 6.0× |
| South Dakota | $11,175 | 48 | 3 | 4.9× |
| Delaware | $11,096 | 92 | 3 | 4.0× |
| Wisconsin | $10,960 | 106 | 7 | 4.8× |
| Pennsylvania | $10,701 | 415 | 26 | 6.0× |
| North Carolina | $10,556 | 371 | 21 | 4.0× |
| North Dakota | $10,483 | 46 | 3 | 3.9× |
| Texas | $10,377 | 602 | 33 | 6.6× |
| Michigan | $10,360 | 286 | 15 | 3.6× |
| Arizona | $10,352 | 207 | 13 | 5.5× |
| Illinois | $10,015 | 736 | 37 | 4.9× |
| Oklahoma | $9,941 | 111 | 7 | 4.9× |
| Florida | $9,892 | 1,003 | 46 | 7.1× |
| Montana | $9,884 | 11 | 1 | 4.0× |
| Virginia | $9,842 | 354 | 20 | 3.9× |
| Nebraska | $9,799 | 65 | 3 | 3.5× |
| South Carolina | $9,775 | 114 | 7 | 5.0× |
| New Hampshire | $9,761 | 47 | 4 | 3.5× |
| Missouri | $9,699 | 293 | 15 | 4.7× |
| Ohio | $9,602 | 390 | 25 | 4.4× |
| Indiana | $9,556 | 255 | 14 | 5.0× |
| Iowa | $9,343 | 62 | 4 | 5.3× |
| Idaho | $9,234 | 24 | 2 | 3.6× |
| West Virginia | $9,202 | 108 | 8 | 4.6× |
| Tennessee | $9,053 | 161 | 9 | 4.9× |
| Mississippi | $9,026 | 101 | 7 | 4.8× |
| Kansas | $8,890 | 52 | 3 | 8.0× |
| Louisiana | $8,790 | 81 | 5 | 5.0× |
| New Mexico | $8,735 | 25 | 1 | 3.1× |
| Arkansas | $8,675 | 89 | 7 | 4.2× |
| Kentucky | $8,221 | 149 | 8 | 5.7× |
| Alabama | $8,217 | 39 | 3 | 8.4× |
| United States | $11,351 | 10,980 | 589 | 5.6× |
* 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 602.
| 10th percentile | $8,614 |
|---|---|
| 25th percentile | $9,317 |
| Median hospital | $10,540 |
| 75th percentile | $12,364 |
| 90th percentile | $14,575 |
Related analysis
The same condition at other severities
603Cellulitis without MCC · $6,446
More in Skin, subcutaneous tissue and breast
Nearby MS‑DRG numbers
Questions
What did Medicare pay for MS‑DRG 602 in 2024?
An average of $11,351 per discharge across 10,980 fee-for-service discharges at 589 hospitals, $124.6M in total.
Which state paid the most for MS‑DRG 602?
Hawaii, at $15,807 per case; Alabama paid the least, $8,217.
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.