Lumbar discectomy cost in Philadelphia, PA — inpatient
In Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD, 2 hospitals list a cash price for lumbar discectomy or laminotomy to free a nerve root, one level as an inpatient: from $1,860.00 to $2,200.00, with a median of $2,030.00. The lowest listed price is at St. Francis Hospital — $170.00 less than the median here. Across Pennsylvania, the median is $12,769.35 at 8 hospitals.
Cash prices at 2 facilities across 2 cities for code 63030, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Mar 31, 2026 and Mar 31, 2026.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Francis Hospital lowest Wilmington, DE · (302) 421-4100 PR Lam W Decmpr Nvr Root Exc Hivd 1 Interspace | $1,860.00 | $1,860.00 | $37.48–$1,950.35 | — | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| St Mary Medical Center Langhorne, PA · (215) 750-2003 PR Lam W Decmpr Nvr Root Exc Hivd 1 Interspace | $2,200.00 | $2,200.00 | $298.84–$2,090.00 | — | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
Inpatient: lowest $1,860.00, median $2,030.00, highest $2,200.00 — a 1.2× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 7 facilities here, median $1,876.00 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 1 of 2 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at none is it below every plan's rate. 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
This lower-back surgery removes part of the bone (lamina) and, when needed, a herniated piece of disc to take pressure off a nerve root at one spinal level. It is often called a microdiscectomy and is done for leg pain (sciatica) that does not improve with other treatment.
What the price covers
The facility price covers the operating room and recovery. The surgeon, anesthesia and any overnight stay are usually billed separately.