2026 data Public-data reference. official source

What does your procedure really cost?

Public-data reference. for PlainProcedure.

Compare actual Medicare payments for 9,297 procedures across 5,426 hospitals & 56 states and territories, with RAND-derived commercial/cash estimates.

Compare Medicare payments vs. billed charges for 9,297 medical procedures across 56 states. Data from CMS, updated for 2023.

9,297
Procedures
5,426
Hospitals
162,808
Providers
56
States & Territories

Procedure Cost Comparison

Average Medicare payment vs. submitted charge for top procedures.

Medicare Payment by Procedure Category

Office Visits109Lab Tests12Imaging87Surgery432Therapy18Injections156
Medicare Payment by Procedure Category — Submitted charges vs. what Medicare actually pays — highlighting the markup gap

Total Procedures

8,500+ indexed

Avg Markup Ratio

7.85x over Medicare

across all procedures

Office Visits

43% of volume

most common category

States Covered

50 + DC

Office Visit share of all procedures 43.0%
Surgical procedures (by spend) 35.0%

Medicare service volume by state

Total annual Medicare Part B services across 56 states and territories

Darker states bill more total Medicare services. Source: CMS, 2023.
Scale: 86–72.8M 72.8M–145.6M 145.6M–218.4M 218.4M–291.2M 291.2M–364.0M

Most Common Procedures

Top 10 by total Medicare services performed in 2023.

Code Procedure Medicare Pays Billed
K1034 Provision Of Covid-19 Test, Nonprescription... $11.62 $16.21
99214 Established Patient Office Or Other Outpatient Visit, 30-39... $82.80 $262.19
A0425 Ground Mileage, Per Statute Mile $7.35 $24.62
Q9967 Low Osmolar Contrast Material, 300-399 Mg/ml Iodine... $0.11 $1.66
J0717 Injection, Certolizumab Pegol, 1 Mg (code May Be Used For... $3.89 $14.59
99213 Established Patient Office Or Other Outpatient Visit, 20-29... $58.67 $179.13
97110 Therapy Procedure Using Exercise To Develop Strength,... $18.05 $67.23
J1439 Injection, Ferric Carboxymaltose, 1 Mg $0.87 $3.55
J1071 Injection, Testosterone Cypionate, 1 Mg $0.02 $0.41
J0897 Injection, Denosumab, 1 Mg $18.17 $46.49

Frequently Asked Questions

What is PlainProcedure?

PlainProcedure makes healthcare costs transparent by showing what Medicare actually pays vs. what providers charge for 9,297 medical procedures. We help you understand price variation across states and providers.

Where does this data come from?

All data comes from the CMS Medicare Physician & Other Practitioners dataset for 2023. This includes actual payment amounts, submitted charges, and utilization data for every procedure performed by Medicare providers.

What is the difference between Medicare payment and billed charge?

The Medicare payment is what the government actually pays for a procedure. The billed charge (submitted charge) is what the provider bills. The difference, or markup, shows how much above the Medicare rate a provider charges. Patients without insurance may be billed closer to the submitted charge.

Is this free to use?

Yes. All data and tools are completely free to use. CMS data is public domain.