Surgery and procedures CPT 22551 Outpatient

ACDF (neck fusion) cost in Madison, WI

In Madison, WI, 2 hospitals list a cash price for anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF), one level: from $8,052.80 to $8,532.55, with a median of $8,292.68. The lowest listed price is at UnityPoint Health - Meriter — $239.88 less than the median here. Across Wisconsin, the median is $8,532.55 at 24 hospitals.

Cash prices at 2 facilities across 2 cities for code 22551, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Jan 28, 2026 and Apr 1, 2026.

Lowest$8,052.80UnityPoint Health - Meriter
Median$8,292.68half pay less
Highest$8,532.55in this market
Difference1.1×highest vs lowest

Where each hospital's price falls

Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Madison, WI.

median
Lowest $8,052.80Highest $8,532.55

Hospitals, cheapest first

HospitalCash price List priceInsurers payOff listFile date
UnityPoint Health - Meriter lowest Madison, WI · (608) 417-6210 PR ARTHRODESIS ANT INTERBODY INC DISCECTOMY, CERVICAL BELOW C2 $8,052.80 $10,066.00 $1,470.58–$9,562.70 20% Jan 28, 2026
source file
Aspirus Divine Savior Hospital Portage, WI · (608) 742-4131 ARTHRD ANT INTERBODY DECOMPRESS CERVICAL BELW C2 $8,532.55 $13,127.00 — 35% Apr 1, 2026
source file
Aspirus Divine Savior Hospital Portage, WI · (608) 742-4131 Pro Arthrodesis Ant Interbody Inc Discectomy, Cervical Below C2 $8,532.55 $13,127.00 — 35% Apr 1, 2026
source file

Outpatient: lowest $8,052.80, median $8,292.68, highest $8,532.55 — a 1.1× difference within the same market.

As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 2 facilities here, median $8,292.68. Inpatient and outpatient prices are not comparable and are kept on separate pages: the inpatient charge covers admission, not the same purchase.

Cash or insurance?

At the one hospital here that publishes insurer rates for this code, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated. If you have insurance but have not met your deductible, you usually pay your plan's negotiated rate, which falls somewhere in the "Insurers pay" column. Paying cash can cost less, but a cash payment usually does not count toward your deductible. Ask the hospital for both numbers before you book.

What it is

An ACDF removes a damaged disc in the neck through a small incision in the front, and fuses the two vertebrae.

What the price covers

The hospital price usually covers the operating room, recovery and supplies. The surgeon and anesthesia usually bill separately.