Hospital Charges

Total charges averaged $35,400 for a mean 4.2-day stay when children and adolescents were hospitalized with a diagnosis of musculoskeletal injury along with other medical conditions. With a primary diagnosis of injury, the stay was shorter (3.2 days), but mean charges were higher at $43,700, likely due to the high number of birth trauma cases. Mean charges were highest for adolescents of high school age or older (14 to 20 years). Total hospital charges for all primary musculoskeletal injury discharges in 2012 were $3.35 billion. (Reference Table 7.4 PDF [1] CSV [2])