Milwaukee, WI 53215 · CMS Certification Number 520138. What Medicare pays this hospital for knee, hip and shoulder replacement, what it lists, how it compares, and what a surgery center nearby is paid.
| Operation | Inpatient paid | List price | List ÷ paid | Outpatient allowed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hip or knee replacement | $16,346 | $93,710 | 5.7× | $12,049 |
| Shoulder replacement | $21,048 | $129,023 | 6.1× | $16,565 |
| Hip replacement after a fracture (DRG 522) | $17,706 | $103,064 | 5.8× | — |
Complications after hip or knee replacement: 2.7% (no different from the national rate). Readmissions: 6.4%. Overall Care Compare rating: 4 of 5 stars. Nonprofit · Acute · 1213 beds
Wisconsin has a certificate-of-need program that does not cover surgery centers.
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In 2024 Medicare paid Aurora St Lukes Medical Center an average of $16,346 per inpatient hip or knee replacement stay (MS-DRG 470, 42 stays) and $12,049 per outpatient case (APC 5115, 223 cases).
The hospital's average list (chargemaster) price for an inpatient hip or knee replacement was $93,710, 5.7× what Medicare paid. Almost nobody pays the list price; it matters for uninsured bills and percent-of-charge contracts.
Yes for Medicare facility payments. Aurora 84 South Ambulatory Surgery Center, an orthopedic surgery center 5.5 mi away, is paid about $8,881 by Medicare for a knee replacement (CPT 27447), $7,465 less than an inpatient stay at Aurora St Lukes Medical Center. Not every patient is a surgery-center candidate.
Medicare paid Aurora St Lukes Medical Center more than 80% of the 20 Wisconsin hospitals that report inpatient hip or knee replacement.