Spinal Fusion Cost in California — Compare All Hospitals
Spinal fusion surgery (non-cervical), used to treat severe degenerative disc disease, scoliosis, or vertebral instability.
What this hospital charge usually covers
The gross-charge number above is the hospital's facility bill for spinal fusion. Here's what's typically inside that price (typical inpatient stay: 2–5 days):
Included in the hospital bill
- Operating-room time (typically 3–6 hours for a single-level fusion)
- Inpatient room, nursing, medications during the stay
- Recovery-room and immediate post-op monitoring
- Intraoperative neuromonitoring (varies by hospital)
Usually billed separately
- Surgeon, anesthesiologist, and assistant-surgeon professional fees
- Pedicle-screw / cage / bone-graft hardware (sometimes itemized separately, sometimes bundled)
- Pre-surgical MRI, CT, and bone-density scans
- Outpatient physical therapy after discharge
Quality signals to check before picking a hospital
Price alone won't tell you which hospital does spinal fusion best. These are the CMS quality measures that matter most for this specific procedure. Click any hospital below for its full profile, then look for these:
Surgical-Site Infection
Spine hardware infections often require additional surgery to remove and replace — the stakes for SSI prevention are high.
Patient Safety Composite (PSI-90)
Captures the patient-safety indicators most relevant to long, complex inpatient surgery (DVT, post-op respiratory failure, accidental punctures).
30-Day Readmissions (hospital-wide)
Reflects discharge planning quality — important since spine fusion patients often have complex pain-management needs.
When the cheapest hospital may not be the best fit
The list below sorts by price. For spinal fusion, the lowest price isn't automatically the best fit — these are situations where it's worth weighing additional factors against price. None of the below is medical advice; talk to your doctor about what applies to your specific situation.
- For multi-level fusion or revision surgery, surgeon and hospital volume matter substantially — worth weighing against price.
- For prior failed spine surgery, high-volume academic centers tend to offer better outcomes on complex revisions.
- For patients with significant medical comorbidities (cardiac, pulmonary, diabetes), the hospital with the better PSI-90 score is usually worth the price difference.
Questions to ask your hospital or insurer
The gross charge is the starting point. These are the procedure-specific questions to ask before you commit:
- Are all hardware (screws, cages, bone graft) costs included in this estimate?
- How many spinal fusions at this level does the surgeon perform per year?
- What is the expected length of stay, and what happens to the bill if I stay longer?
- Will I need post-discharge inpatient rehab, and is that estimated separately?
Hospitals ranked by gross charge
- 1
Kaweah Health Medical Center
Visalia, CA
Gross charge $54,303Cash pay $6,500 - 2
Adventist Health White Memorial Montebello
Montebello, CA
Gross charge $107,200 - 3
San Antonio Regional Hospital
Upland, CA
Gross charge $144,387Cash pay $147,275 - 4
Redlands Community Hospital
Redlands, CA
Gross charge $153,964Cash pay $36,951 - 5
Adventist Health Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA
Gross charge $178,611Cash pay $26,792 - 6
Tri-City Medical Center (Acute Care)
Oceanside, CA
Gross charge $183,964Cash pay $110,378 - 7
Adventist Health Hanford
Hanford, CA
Gross charge $209,620Cash pay $39,828 - 8
Adventist Health Tulare
Tulare, CA
Gross charge $221,228Cash pay $42,033 - 9
Sonoma Valley Hospital
Sonoma, CA
Gross charge $227,325Cash pay $159,127 - 10
Adventist Health White Memorial
Los Angeles, CA
Gross charge $233,027Cash pay $41,945 - 11
Adventist Health Howard Memorial
Willits, CA
Gross charge $239,810Cash pay $71,943 - 12
Adventist Health Sonora
Sonora, CA
Gross charge $257,289Cash pay $43,739Medicare pays (avg) $34,518 - 13
Natividad Medical Center
Salinas, CA
Gross charge $343,697 - 14
Washington Health
Fremont, CA
Gross charge $417,920Cash pay $271,648 - 15
St. Rose Hospital
Hayward, CA
Gross charge — - 16
Dignity Health - Mercy General Hospital
Sacramento, CA
Gross charge — - 17
Riverside Community Hospital
Riverside, CA
Gross charge —Medicare pays (avg) $41,235 - 18
Dignity Health - Memorial Hospital
Bakersfield, CA
Gross charge — - 19
St Elizabeth Community Hospital
Red Bluff, CA
Gross charge — - 20
Glendale Mem Hospital & Hlth Center
Glendale, CA
Gross charge — - 21
St. John's Regional Medical Center
Oxnard, CA
Gross charge — - 22
St Joseph's Medical Center of Stockton
Stockton, CA
Gross charge — - 23
Community Hospital of San Bernardino
San Bernardino, CA
Gross charge — - 24
St. Francis Medical Center
Lynwood, CA
Gross charge — - 25
Marian Regional Medical Center (Acute Care)
Santa Maria, CA
Gross charge — - 26
Northridge Hospital Medical Center (Acute Care)
Northridge, CA
Gross charge — - 27
Doctors Hospital of Manteca
Manteca, CA
Gross charge — - 28
Woodland Memorial Hospital
Woodland, CA
Gross charge — - 29
St Bernardine Medical Center
San Bernardino, CA
Gross charge — - 30
Dignity Health - Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital
Grass Valley, CA
Gross charge — - 31
UCSF Health Saint Francis Hospital
San Francisco, CA
Gross charge — - 32
Sequoia Hospital
Redwood City, CA
Gross charge — - 33
AHMC Anaheim Regional Medical Center
Anaheim, CA
Gross charge — - 34
French Hospital Medical Center
San Luis Obispo, CA
Gross charge — - 35
Dignity Health - Dominican Hospital
Santa Cruz, CA
Gross charge — - 36
Desert Regional Medical Center (Acute Care)
Palm Springs, CA
Gross charge — - 37
Hi-Desert Medical Center
Joshua Tree, CA
Gross charge — - 38
Alhambra Hospital Medical Center (Acute Care)
Alhambra, CA
Gross charge — - 39
Dignity Health – Mercy Hospital Downtown
Bakersfield, CA
Gross charge — - 40
Providence St. Mary Medical Center
Apple Valley, CA
Gross charge — - 41
Loma Linda University Medical Center (Acute Care)
Loma Linda, CA
Gross charge — - 42
Good Samaritan Hospital (Acute Care — San Jose)
San Jose, CA
Gross charge — - 43
Community Memorial Hospital - Ventura
Ventura, CA
Gross charge —Medicare pays (avg) $38,451 - 44
Dignity Health - Mercy Hospital of Folsom
Folsom, CA
Gross charge —Medicare pays (avg) $34,544 - 45
West Anaheim Medical Center
Anaheim, CA
Gross charge — - 46
Huntington Hospital (Acute Care)
Pasadena, CA
Gross charge —Medicare pays (avg) $33,591 - 47
Dignity Health – Mercy Medical Center
Merced, CA
Gross charge — - 48
UCSF Health St. Mary's Hospital
San Francisco, CA
Gross charge — - 49
Clovis Community Medical Center
Clovis, CA
Gross charge — - 50
Adventist Health Sierra Vista
San Luis Obispo, CA
Gross charge — - 51
Mercy San Juan Medical Center
Carmichael, CA
Gross charge —Medicare pays (avg) $36,327 - 52
Los Robles Hospital & Medical Center (Acute Care — Thousand Oaks)
Thousand Oaks, CA
Gross charge — - 53
La Palma Intercommunity Hospital (Acute Care)
La Palma, CA
Gross charge — - 54
San Dimas Community Hospital
San Dimas, CA
Gross charge — - 55
Methodist Hospital of Sacramento
Sacramento, CA
Gross charge — - 56
San Ramon Regional Medical Center
San Ramon, CA
Gross charge — - 57
Fresno Surgical Hospital
Fresno, CA
Gross charge —Medicare pays (avg) $32,269 - 58
Desert Valley Hospital
Victorville, CA
Gross charge — - 59
Monterey Park Hospital AHMC
Monterey Park, CA
Gross charge — - 60
Cedar-Sinai Marina Del Rey Hospital
Marina Del Rey, CA
Gross charge — - 61
Shasta Regional Medical Center
Redding, CA
Gross charge — - 62
Loma Linda University Medical Center-Murrieta
Murrieta, CA
Gross charge — - 63
Loma Linda University Children's Hospital
Loma Linda, CA
Gross charge — - 64
Mountains Community Hospital
Lake Arrowhead, CA
Gross charge — - 65
Mercy Medical Center of Mount Shasta
Mount Shasta, CA
Gross charge — - 66
Mark Twain Medical Center
San Andreas, CA
Gross charge — - 67
Watsonville Community Hospital
Watsonville, CA
Gross charge — - 68
Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian
Newport Beach, CA
Gross charge —Medicare pays (avg) $31,169 - 69
Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley
Pleasanton, CA
Gross charge — - 70
UCSF Medical Center
San Francisco, CA
Gross charge —Medicare pays (avg) $53,855 - 71
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Los Angeles, CA
Gross charge —Medicare pays (avg) $40,775 - 72
Keck Hospital of USC
Los Angeles, CA
Gross charge —Medicare pays (avg) $41,064 - 73
San Gabriel Valley Medical Center
San Gabriel, CA
Gross charge — - 74
AHMC Seton Medical Center
Daly City, CA
Gross charge — - 75
Whittier Hospital Medical Center
Whittier, CA
Gross charge — - 76
Greater El Monte Community Hospital
South El Monte, CA
Gross charge —
California hospitals price spinal fusion (Medicare DRG 460) anywhere from $54,303 to $417,920 — a $363,618 gap between the cheapest and most expensive option. The cheapest is Kaweah Health Medical Center in Visalia; the most expensive is Washington Health in Fremont. The state average sits at $212,310.
Gross charges are the hospital's list price for the facility part of your stay — the room, operating-room time, nursing, and equipment. 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 spinal fusion at twice the price of another typically negotiates higher rates with insurers too, and quotes more for uninsured patients.
If you're scheduling spinal fusion in California, 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. California hospitals missing from the list either don't perform spinal fusion in volume, haven't published a usable price for DRG 460 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.