Skin infection (cellulitis) in Arkansas
MS-DRG 603: Cellulitis without mcc
Arkansas hospitals billed Medicare a typical $27,124 for this stay in 2024, about 4.2 times what was actually paid. Medicare's payment depends mostly on the hospital's location and teaching role; the bill depends on the hospital's own price list, so bills vary far more than payments.
Arkansas hospitals compared
Billed (list price)Actually paid (Medicare + patient)
Medicare: CMS, 2024 (hospitals with 11 or more Medicare stays). Cash and insurer prices: hospitals' own price files, where read; insurer figures are commercial plans only, median and 10th–90th percentile across plans.
What it is
Cellulitis is a bacterial infection of the skin and the tissue beneath it, usually on a leg, causing redness, swelling, warmth and pain. It is hospitalised when it spreads quickly or pills are not working.
This page covers stays without major complications. Patients who also have a severe additional condition are billed under a higher-paying code.
What to expect
Antibiotics through a vein, elevation of the limb, and sometimes draining an abscess. Most stays are two to four days.
What moves the bill
Mostly the length of stay; imaging or a drainage procedure adds to it.
General information, not medical advice.
Before you go
- Ask for an estimate. Hospitals must give uninsured and self-pay patients a written good-faith estimate before planned care.
- Check the network. Confirm that the hospital and the doctors are in your plan's network.
- Ask about financial help. Non-profit hospitals must have a financial assistance policy; many discount or forgive bills by income.
- Get an itemized bill. Compare it with the estimate and question anything you don't recognise.