Back Problems Cost in Massachusetts — Compare All Hospitals
Back or spine problems, such as disc disease, spinal narrowing, or severe back pain, treated without surgery. The stay typically involves pain control, medication, and physical therapy.
State average
$46,896
gross charge · DRG 551
Hospitals
14
with published pricing
Price range
$10,767 – $81,356
low to high
Hospitals ranked by gross charge
- 1
Lowell General Hospital
Lowell, MA
Gross charge $10,767Cash pay $7,537Medicare pays (avg) $11,712 - 2
MelroseWakefield Hospital
Melrose, MA
Gross charge $10,767Cash pay $7,537 - 3
Cambridge Health Alliance
Cambridge, MA
Gross charge $26,937 - 4
Newton-Wellesley Hospital
Newton, MA
Gross charge $35,658Cash pay $26,744Medicare pays (avg) $12,403 - 5
Southcoast Hospitals Group
Fall River, MA
Gross charge $45,158Cash pay $16,933Medicare pays (avg) $12,779 - 6
Umass Memorial Healthalliance Hospitals
Leominster, MA
Gross charge $49,835 - 7
Umass Memorial Health - Harrington Hospital
Southbridge, MA
Gross charge $49,835 - 8
Umass Memorial Medical Center/University Campus
Worcester, MA
Gross charge $49,835Medicare pays (avg) $17,183 - 9
Tufts Medical Center
Boston, MA
Gross charge $51,750Cash pay $7,537Medicare pays (avg) $16,724 - 10
Mercy Medical Center
Springfield, MA
Gross charge $53,005Cash pay $29,153 - 11
Cooley Dickinson Hospital
Northampton, MA
Gross charge $62,345Cash pay $46,758 - 12
Brigham and Women's Hospital
Boston, MA
Gross charge $64,648Cash pay $48,486Medicare pays (avg) $24,264 - 13
Brigham and Women's Faulkner Hospital
Jamaica Plain, MA
Gross charge $64,648Cash pay $48,486 - 14
Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, MA
Gross charge $81,356Cash pay $61,017Medicare pays (avg) $17,116 - 15
Saint Anne's Hospital
Fall River, MA
Gross charge — - 16
Holyoke Medical Center
Holyoke, MA
Gross charge — - 17
Berkshire Medical Center (Acute Care)
Pittsfield, MA
Gross charge — - 18
Heywood Hospital
Gardner, MA
Gross charge — - 19
Falmouth Hospital
Falmouth, MA
Gross charge —Medicare pays (avg) $11,426 - 20
Fairview Hospital
Great Barrington, MA
Gross charge — - 21
Athol Hospital
Athol, MA
Gross charge — - 22
Mount Auburn Hospital
Cambridge, MA
Gross charge — - 23
Baystate Franklin Medical Center
Greenfield, MA
Gross charge — - 24
Anna Jaques Hospital
Newburyport, MA
Gross charge — - 25
Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital - Needham
Needham, MA
Gross charge — - 26
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Boston, MA
Gross charge —Medicare pays (avg) $17,070 - 27
New England Baptist Hospital
Boston, MA
Gross charge — - 28
Winchester Hospital
Winchester, MA
Gross charge —Medicare pays (avg) $10,722 - 29
Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital - Milton
Milton, MA
Gross charge — - 30
Lahey Hospital & Medical Center, Burlington
Burlington, MA
Gross charge —Medicare pays (avg) $15,498
14 Massachusetts hospitals publish gross charges for back problems (DRG 551). Prices range from $10,767 to $81,356 — roughly $70,589 apart. The cheapest is Lowell General Hospital in Lowell; the most expensive is Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. The state average sits at $46,896.
The number you see is each hospital's published "list price" — the gross charge for the facility component of back problems. Insurance plans negotiate substantial discounts, Medicare and Medicaid pay fixed federal rates, and uninsured patients can usually qualify for a cash-pay discount. But the gross charge still works as a useful benchmark: a hospital that lists back problems at twice the price of another typically negotiates higher rates with insurers too, and quotes more for uninsured patients.
If you're scheduling back problems in Massachusetts, sort the list below by price, then click each hospital name to see its quality profile — CMS overall star rating, surgical-safety measures, readmission rates, patient-experience scores. The cheapest hospital isn't always the right call. Teaching hospitals often charge more because they take complex cases, and a higher-rated community hospital may deliver equivalent outcomes for a straightforward case at a lower price. Use the price column to narrow the field; use the quality data to make the final call.
Pricing comes from each hospital's Machine-Readable File (MRF), published under the federal Hospital Price Transparency Rule. Massachusetts hospitals missing from the list either don't perform back problems in volume, haven't published a usable price for DRG 551 in their most recent MRF, or fell below our data-quality thresholds (we filter out clearly erroneous entries like $0 charges). The list refreshes as hospitals update their files.