MS‑DRG 603: Cellulitis without MCC
What Medicare paid hospitals for MS‑DRG 603 in 2024: nationally, state by state and across hospitals.
In 2024 Medicare paid hospitals an average of $6,446 per discharge for MS‑DRG 603, across 54,310 fee-for-service discharges at 1,685 hospitals: 1.10% of all Medicare inpatient discharges and $350.1M in total, the 57th largest MS‑DRG by Medicare spending.
By state, the average ran from $3,941 in Vermont to $10,481 in Alaska. Across hospitals, half were paid between $5,237 and $7,033 per case, and the median hospital $5,949; the payment moves with each hospital’s wage index, teaching and low-income share, and with outlier cases.
Hospitals charged $37,743 on average for these stays, 5.9 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 | 0.8709 | 0.8635 | −0.8% |
| Geometric mean stay (days) | 3.1 | 3.1 | 0.0 |
| Average stay (days) | 3.8 | 3.7 | −0.1 |
- Not capped: the −0.8% 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)
$6,379.49
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 | +4,165.33 |
| 603 | without MCC | 6,379.49 | — |
FY2027 inpatient rates: what else changed on October 1 · Price MS‑DRG 603 at a hospital
Paid per case, by state
| State | Paid per case | Discharges | Hospitals | Charges ÷ paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $10,481 | 132 | 7 | 4.5× |
| Maryland* | $9,475 | 1,654 | 36 | 1.3× |
| California | $8,576 | 4,904 | 154 | 7.4× |
| Wyoming | $8,273 | 77 | 4 | 3.2× |
| New York | $8,021 | 4,194 | 98 | 6.5× |
| Hawaii | $7,855 | 200 | 7 | 4.1× |
| Connecticut | $7,419 | 797 | 23 | 4.1× |
| Oregon | $6,939 | 413 | 16 | 4.1× |
| Nevada | $6,891 | 340 | 13 | 11.1× |
| District of Columbia | $6,766 | 111 | 5 | 5.5× |
| Massachusetts | $6,676 | 2,262 | 47 | 2.7× |
| New Mexico | $6,614 | 201 | 10 | 3.5× |
| Rhode Island | $6,563 | 181 | 7 | 3.8× |
| Utah | $6,557 | 70 | 3 | 3.5× |
| New Jersey | $6,513 | 2,759 | 53 | 9.6× |
| Washington | $6,427 | 732 | 30 | 5.4× |
| Texas | $6,399 | 2,984 | 108 | 6.5× |
| Georgia | $6,383 | 1,011 | 44 | 5.4× |
| Arizona | $6,249 | 1,272 | 40 | 5.8× |
| Delaware | $6,182 | 354 | 6 | 4.2× |
| New Hampshire | $6,121 | 333 | 12 | 4.4× |
| South Dakota | $6,088 | 223 | 6 | 4.8× |
| North Carolina | $6,060 | 1,699 | 49 | 4.2× |
| Maine | $6,004 | 175 | 9 | 4.3× |
| Illinois | $5,938 | 2,779 | 71 | 5.1× |
| Minnesota | $5,853 | 679 | 26 | 4.6× |
| Colorado | $5,851 | 349 | 18 | 8.6× |
| Florida | $5,841 | 5,320 | 130 | 7.7× |
| Michigan | $5,766 | 1,509 | 47 | 3.8× |
| Idaho | $5,723 | 96 | 4 | 4.7× |
| Oklahoma | $5,696 | 481 | 23 | 6.1× |
| Pennsylvania | $5,685 | 2,982 | 94 | 6.7× |
| South Carolina | $5,683 | 799 | 30 | 5.7× |
| Nebraska | $5,627 | 270 | 12 | 4.1× |
| North Dakota | $5,626 | 128 | 5 | 3.9× |
| Wisconsin | $5,625 | 688 | 30 | 5.2× |
| Indiana | $5,601 | 1,109 | 43 | 4.9× |
| Missouri | $5,583 | 1,265 | 42 | 5.3× |
| Montana | $5,507 | 111 | 5 | 3.1× |
| Virginia | $5,504 | 1,461 | 47 | 4.9× |
| Mississippi | $5,382 | 384 | 17 | 6.5× |
| Tennessee | $5,338 | 889 | 34 | 5.5× |
| Ohio | $5,306 | 2,088 | 74 | 4.9× |
| Kansas | $5,240 | 396 | 14 | 8.0× |
| Alabama | $5,183 | 691 | 32 | 5.7× |
| Kentucky | $5,004 | 655 | 22 | 5.3× |
| Arkansas | $4,937 | 436 | 20 | 5.5× |
| West Virginia | $4,903 | 485 | 16 | 4.8× |
| Iowa | $4,898 | 425 | 16 | 5.0× |
| Louisiana | $4,810 | 629 | 20 | 6.0× |
| Vermont | $3,941 | 128 | 6 | 6.4× |
| United States | $6,446 | 54,310 | 1,685 | 5.9× |
* 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 603.
| 10th percentile | $4,669 |
|---|---|
| 25th percentile | $5,237 |
| Median hospital | $5,949 |
| 75th percentile | $7,033 |
| 90th percentile | $8,521 |
Related analysis
The same condition at other severities
602Cellulitis with MCC · $11,351
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Questions
What did Medicare pay for MS‑DRG 603 in 2024?
An average of $6,446 per discharge across 54,310 fee-for-service discharges at 1,685 hospitals, $350.1M in total.
Which state paid the most for MS‑DRG 603?
Alaska, at $10,481 per case; Vermont paid the least, $3,941.
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.