Open Heart Surgery Cost in Wisconsin (2026)
Near the US median for open heart surgery pricing · WI
What Drives Pricing Here
Three factors explain most of why open heart surgery costs what it does in Wisconsin.
Regional Price Parity
Wisconsin's cost-of-living index sits at 99.8 — near the national benchmark (100). This directly scales facility and staffing overhead, which flow through to every procedure price.
Specialist Availability
9 facilities perform this procedure in Wisconsin — competition keeps pricing honest and gives you real leverage to shop quotes.
Vs. National Benchmark
Wisconsin tracks within 0.2% of the national average ($150,000) — a typical mid-market pricing environment with wide provider variance.
Open Heart Surgery in Wisconsin: What to Know
Wisconsin offers exceptional open-heart surgery options. Aurora St. Luke's Medical Center in Milwaukee is a high-volume center, performing over 1,000 bypass and valve surgeries annually. In 2015, they earned a rare three-star rating from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons for CABG, AVR, and combined procedures. Froedtert Hospital, also in Milwaukee, was named one of America's 50 Best Hospitals for Cardiac Surgery by Healthgrades in 2024 and performs groundbreaking minimally invasive techniques like the LAMPOON procedure.
For potential cost savings, consider facilities outside of major metropolitan areas, such as Aspirus Heart Care in Central Wisconsin, a leader in minimally invasive techniques and beating-heart bypass surgery. While Wisconsin's average cost is comparable to the national average, exploring options in neighboring states like Minnesota or Iowa, especially near border communities served by systems like Gundersen Health, might also present different pricing structures. Verify current pricing directly with providers.
Estimated Cost Breakdown in Wisconsin
Wisconsin sits near the middle of the pack for open heart surgery pricing. The cost components typically split like this.
Hospital Stay
Per-night inpatient cost
Most significant cost
Surgeon Fee
Expertise and experience level
Implants & Supplies
Operating Room
OR and equipment time
Anesthesia
Anesthesiologist or CRNA fee
Post-Op Care
Recovery and aftercare
Total Estimated Cost
Wisconsin all-in range
Financing Options
Many Wisconsin clinics partner with CareCredit or Alphaeon. A typical 24-month, 0% APR term on $149,700 looks like:
- Soft credit check — no hard pull
- Instant approval decisions
- HSA/FSA eligible for qualifying cases
Prices reflect regional cost-of-living adjustments. How we calculate these numbers →
Ranges adjusted for Wisconsin's regional price parity (99.8). See the national percentage breakdown →
Facility Costs in Wisconsin
Here are the highest-volume open heart surgery providers in Wisconsin. All rates come from CMS Medicare claims data — actual payments, not list prices.
| Facility | City | Negotiated Rate | Medicare | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aurora St Lukes Medical Center | Milwaukee | $66,932 | $59,319 | 67 |
| University Of Wi Hospitals & Clinics Authority | Madison | $95,543 | $74,352 | 50 |
| Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital | Milwaukee | $94,711 | $51,167 | 43 |
| Ssm Health St Mary's Hospital - Madison | Madison | $59,742 | $57,993 | 32 |
| Mayo Clinic Health System In Eau Claire | Eau Claire | $74,601 | $58,666 | 26 |
| Aurora St Lukes Medical Center | Milwaukee | $95,721 | $75,058 | 21 |
| University Of Wi Hospitals & Clinics Authority | Madison | $105,895 | $82,693 | 19 |
| Ssm Health St Mary's Hospital - Madison | Madison | $74,035 | $72,061 | 14 |
| Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center | La Crosse | $75,038 | $64,491 | 12 |
Open Heart Surgery Cost in Nearby States
See how Wisconsin's open heart surgery costs compare to neighboring states. Prices can vary significantly even across state lines.
Expert Answers for Wisconsin Patients
Local regulations, insurance nuance, and surgical standards specific to Wisconsin.
Compare Wisconsin with any other state
See national pricing, all 50 state comparisons, and detailed cost factors in the main open heart surgery cost guide.
View full open heart surgery guideWhat should I expect to pay for open heart surgery in Wisconsin?
Will my health insurance pay for open heart surgery?
What's the recovery time for open heart surgery?
What payment options exist for open heart surgery in Wisconsin?
How do I compare open heart surgery facilities in Wisconsin?
Is it worth traveling to another state for open heart surgery?
Does Wisconsin Medicaid cover open heart surgery?
How we calculate open heart surgery costs in Wisconsin
Cost estimates combine procedure-specific pricing data with regional cost-of-living and provider-supply adjustments. Primary sources:
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Hospital pricing transparency files — CMS-required machine-readable data published by hospitals under the CMS Hospital Price Transparency rule (effective January 2021). Provides actual negotiated rates between hospitals and insurers.
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HCUP (Healthcare Cost & Utilization Project) — AHRQ's HCUP databases provide nationally-representative procedure cost data by state, payer, and patient demographics.
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Bureau of Labor Statistics — Healthcare Practitioner Occupational Wages — BLS OEWS data on surgeon, anesthesiologist, and surgical staff wages by state, used to model regional labor-cost differences in procedure pricing.
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BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP) — U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis state-level price-level indices, used to adjust national procedure averages for Wisconsin's cost-of-living relative to the national mean.
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FAIR Health Consumer Cost Lookup — the FAIR Health database aggregates billed and allowed amounts from over 36 billion claim records, providing a check on procedure-cost ranges by ZIP code.
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Medicare Provider Utilization & Payment Data — CMS public-use files on Medicare-allowed amounts and submitted charges by HCPCS/CPT code and state, used as a baseline for procedure-cost ranges.
Estimates are illustrative and reflect typical pricing ranges; actual costs depend on insurance coverage, surgical complexity, anesthesia type, hospital vs. ambulatory setting, and individual patient factors. Always confirm pricing directly with providers and your insurance carrier. See our methodology page for full calculation details.