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Iowa: one knee, three prices

What Medicare pays Iowa hospitals and surgery centers for knee, hip and shoulder replacement, what hospitals list, and which cost the most and the least.

Surgery center
$8,447
Median Medicare knee rate, 17 orthopedic surgery centers
Hospital, same day
$11,283
Median outpatient allowed
Hospital, overnight
$13,249
Median inpatient paid, 15 hospitals

Iowa requires a certificate of need for new surgery centers.

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Lowest Medicare payment

HospitalCityInpatient paidList priceOutpatient
Mercyone Cedar Falls Medical CenterCedar Falls$12,269$85,996$11,080
Mary Greeley Medical CenterAmes$12,476$46,104$11,234
Finley HospitalDubuque$12,640$49,625$11,151
St Lukes HospitalCedar Rapids$12,910$51,961$11,245
Mercy Medical Center - Cedar RapidsCedar Rapids$12,975$47,881$11,286
Mercyone Dubuque Medical CenterDubuque$13,114$53,392$11,925
Mercyone Des Moines Medical CenterDes Moines$13,122$60,835$11,168
Mercyone GenesisDavenport$13,249$45,206$11,085
Methodist Jennie EdmundsonCouncil Bluffs$13,475$43,752$11,751
Lakes Regional HealthcareSpirit Lake$13,677$43,362$11,245

Highest Medicare payment

HospitalCityInpatient paidList priceOutpatient
University of Iowa Health Care Medical CenterIowa City$17,774$82,160$11,534
Spencer Municipal HospitalSpencer$15,347$41,934$11,144
Mercyone North Iowa Medical CenterMason City$14,545$67,185$12,565
Mercyone Waterloo Medical CenterWaterloo$14,121$78,594—
Unitypoint Health - Des Moines Iowa Methodist MediDes Moines$13,679$69,009$11,208
Lakes Regional HealthcareSpirit Lake$13,677$43,362$11,245
Methodist Jennie EdmundsonCouncil Bluffs$13,475$43,752$11,751
Mercyone GenesisDavenport$13,249$45,206$11,085
Mercyone Des Moines Medical CenterDes Moines$13,122$60,835$11,168
Mercyone Dubuque Medical CenterDubuque$13,114$53,392$11,925

Every Iowa hospital (30)

Orthopedic surgery centers (17)

Questions

How much does Medicare pay for a knee replacement in Iowa?

In 2024 Medicare paid Iowa hospitals a median $13,249 per inpatient hip or knee replacement stay (MS-DRG 470, 15 hospitals) and a median $11,283 per outpatient case. An orthopedic surgery center is paid about $8,447 for a knee.

Which Iowa hospitals does Medicare pay least for a joint replacement?

Mercyone Cedar Falls Medical Center ($12,269), Mary Greeley Medical Center ($12,476), Finley Hospital ($12,640).

What do Iowa hospitals list for a joint replacement?

The median list (chargemaster) price is $51,961, about 3.9× what Medicare pays.

Does Iowa have a certificate-of-need law?

Iowa requires a certificate of need for new surgery centers. CON covers new institutional health services including ASCs; a 2024 law exempted cosmetic and plastic surgery at ASCs and a 2026 law (HF 2635) raised thresholds.