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PricedCare

Hip or knee replacement, no major complications in Boston, MA-NH costs $13,143 to $15,721. Here's every hospital's price.

4 hospitals in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area publish a cash price for hip or knee replacement, no major complications (MS-DRG 470). We read their files every month so you don't have to.

Across the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, 4 hospitals list a cash price for hip or knee replacement, no major complications (MS-DRG 470). The lowest is $13,143 at Lowell General Hospital, the median is $13,143 and the highest is $15,721 at Cambridge Health Alliance.

The Boston, MA-NH median of $13,143 is 51% below the national median of $26,950 across 293 US hospitals with a cash price for this code.

7 of these hospitals also publish the rates they negotiated with insurers, from $531 to $50,767. With insurance you pay a share of the negotiated rate, which is sometimes higher than the cash price; you may ask for the cash price instead.

The files behind these prices are dated between January 2026 and April 2026. 34 other hospitals in the metro area have no readable price for this code: some publish no file, some block automated reading, some leave the code out. They are listed below so you can call them.

$13,143
lowest cash price in Boston, MA-NH
Lowell General Hospital · 19 mi
$13,143
median cash price
4 hospitals
1.2×
highest ÷ lowest
same procedure, same metro
4/41
hospitals with a cash price
34 don't · see who

Sorted by cash price

Hospital facility fee only
1
Lowell General Hospital

Lowell · 19 mi · File Apr 2026

$13,143
list $18,776 · lowest of 9 lines
2
Melrosewakefield Healthcare

Melrose · 4 mi · File Apr 2026

$13,143
list $18,776 · lowest of 4 lines
3
Tufts Medical Center

Boston · 12 mi · File Apr 2026

$13,143
list $18,776 · lowest of 12 lines
4
Cambridge Health Alliance

Cambridge · 11 mi · File Mar 2026

$15,721
list $15,721
5
Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital

Brockton · 30 mi · File Jan 2026

—
6
Lahey Hospital & Medical Center, Burlington

Burlington · 10 mi · File Apr 2026

—
7
The Shriners' Hospital for Children - Boston

Boston · 11 mi · File Mar 2026

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1

What's in the price

The hospital facility fee for MS-DRG 470. The doctor, anesthesia and lab work usually bill separately.

2

Cash vs. insured

Cash is what you pay without insurance. With insurance you pay a share of the negotiated rate, which can be higher than cash. You may ask for the cash price.

3

What to say on the phone

"I'd like the self-pay price for MS-DRG 470, in writing, and whether it covers facility, physician and anesthesia."

About hip or knee replacement, no major complications

MS-DRG 470 is the inpatient stay for a hip or knee replacement without major complications: the operation, the implant, the hospital room and nursing care until discharge, usually one to three days. It is the single most common inpatient surgery in the US, and this DRG covers the great majority of joint replacements.

What the price covers

A DRG price is the hospital's charge for the whole stay: operating room, implant, room and board, nursing, medications, physical therapy in the hospital and supplies. It does not include the surgeon, the anesthesiologist, or rehabilitation after discharge, which are billed separately. Outpatient joint replacements, increasingly common for healthy patients, are billed with CPT codes instead and are often cheaper.

Why prices vary

Joint replacement prices at hospitals in the same metro area routinely differ by a factor of two to four for the same DRG. Implant contracts, system size and teaching status drive it. Many hospitals and surgeons offer a bundled cash price for the whole episode, including surgeon and anesthesia, that is below the sum of the parts.

Questions to ask

  • What is the self-pay price for DRG 470, and what do surgeon and anesthesia add?
  • Is a bundled price for the whole episode available?
  • Am I a candidate for an outpatient replacement, and what does that cost?
  • What happens to the price if I need an extra night?

Hospitals in Boston, MA-NH without a price for this procedure

Listed so you know who to call. The reason is what we found on their website.

Questions people ask