Hip or knee replacement, no major complications in Des Moines, IA costs $50,263 to $52,819. Here's every hospital's price.
2 hospitals in the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA 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 Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area, 2 hospitals list a cash price for hip or knee replacement, no major complications (MS-DRG 470). The lowest is $50,263 at Mercyone Newton Medical Center, the median is $50,263 and the highest is $52,819 at Mercyone Des Moines Medical Center.
The Des Moines, IA median of $50,263 is 88% above the national median of $26,739 across 292 US hospitals with a cash price for this code.
4 of these hospitals also publish the rates they negotiated with insurers, from $69 to $30,229. 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 September 2026. 3 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.
Sorted by cash price
Hospital facility fee onlyNewton · 38 mi · File Mar 2026
Des Moines · 7 mi · File Mar 2026
Des Moines · 7 mi · File Jan 2026
What's in the price
The hospital facility fee for MS-DRG 470. The doctor, anesthesia and lab work usually bill separately.
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.
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 Des Moines, IA without a price for this procedure
Listed so you know who to call. The reason is what we found on their website.
- Dallas County HospitalNo website on record
- Guthrie County HospitalNo website on record
- Madison County Health Care SystemNo website on record