South Carolina / Aiken Regional Medical Center
CMS certification 420082 · Aiken, SC · 3 entries in CMS's price-transparency list
Aiken Regional Medical Center: charges and Medicare payments
Aiken Regional Medical Center reported 1,570 Medicare inpatient stays across 48 DRGs in 2024. Across them it charged 7.75 times what it was paid — among the higher ratios in South Carolina, number 6 of 45 hospitals with at least 100 stays (state median 4.13×, national 4.15×). Its most frequent stay was DRG 871, Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC: 255 stays at an average charge of $114,397, 27% above the national average. It also billed 1,253 outpatient services, charging 12.04 times what Medicare paid.
- 1Medicare inpatient stays 1,570
- 2Charge ÷ paid, inpatient 7.75×
- 3Rank in SC (highest ratio = 1) 6 of 45
- 4CMS price-transparency actions 3
Inpatient stays
For the 48 DRGs that can be compared with the national average, Aiken Regional Medical Center charged more than the national average in 43 (90%). Payments follow Medicare's rates, so they usually vary far less than charges.
| DRG | Stays | Avg charge | vs US | Avg paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 871 Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC | 255 | $114,397 | +27% | $14,682 |
| 291 Heart Failure and Shock with MCC | 128 | $64,509 | +14% | $9,789 |
| 872 Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours without MCC | 70 | $63,784 | +30% | $8,443 |
| 193 Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with MCC | 51 | $76,970 | +29% | $10,266 |
| 189 Pulmonary Edema and Respiratory Failure | 46 | $74,684 | +30% | $9,586 |
| 280 Acute Myocardial Infarction, Discharged Alive with MCC | 43 | $83,196 | +10% | $11,495 |
| 698 Other Kidney and Urinary Tract Diagnoses with MCC | 43 | $108,836 | +48% | $12,360 |
| 683 Renal Failure with CC | 42 | $48,754 | +20% | $6,952 |
| 177 Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with MCC | 41 | $88,575 | +25% | $12,552 |
| 640 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and... | 37 | $54,126 | -10% | $10,051 |
| 190 Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease with MCC | 36 | $60,712 | +20% | $8,113 |
| 312 Syncope and Collapse | 36 | $53,756 | +18% | $6,800 |
| 392 Esophagitis, Gastroenteritis and Miscellaneous Digestive... | 35 | $57,479 | +43% | $6,520 |
| 309 Cardiac Arrhythmia and Conduction Disorders with CC | 34 | $49,998 | +38% | $6,050 |
| 378 Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage with CC | 33 | $57,443 | +18% | $7,866 |
| 522 Hip Replacement with Principal Diagnosis of Hip Fracture... | 33 | $125,086 | +22% | $15,512 |
| 274 Percutaneous and Other Intracardiac Procedures without MCC | 30 | $188,101 | +20% | $23,585 |
| 481 Hip and Femur Procedures except Major Joint with CC | 29 | $123,171 | +22% | $14,761 |
| 689 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections with MCC | 29 | $60,418 | +18% | $9,168 |
| 641 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and... | 27 | $49,194 | +33% | $6,455 |
| 069 Transient Ischemia without Thrombolytic | 26 | $55,576 | +10% | $6,672 |
| 682 Renal Failure with MCC | 26 | $96,535 | +46% | $10,913 |
| 690 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections without MCC | 26 | $56,701 | +50% | $6,793 |
| 853 Infectious and Parasitic Diseases with O.R. Procedures with... | 26 | $336,734 | +47% | $38,446 |
| 065 Intracranial Hemorrhage or Cerebral Infarction with CC or... | 23 | $63,528 | +14% | $9,046 |
| 308 Cardiac Arrhythmia and Conduction Disorders with MCC | 23 | $81,687 | +44% | $10,380 |
| 377 Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage with MCC | 23 | $89,171 | +4% | $13,344 |
| 322 Percutaneous Cardiovascular Procedures with Intraluminal... | 21 | $147,502 | +29% | $13,538 |
| 330 Major Small and Large Bowel Procedures with CC | 20 | $200,836 | +69% | $17,241 |
| 812 Red Blood Cell Disorders without MCC | 20 | $49,580 | +12% | $7,315 |
| 948 Signs and Symptoms without MCC | 19 | $58,719 | +54% | $6,561 |
| 064 Intracranial Hemorrhage or Cerebral Infarction with MCC | 18 | $84,283 | -16% | $14,336 |
| 194 Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with CC | 18 | $46,354 | +21% | $6,736 |
| 389 Gastrointestinal Obstruction with CC | 17 | $49,926 | +28% | $6,882 |
| 391 Esophagitis, Gastroenteritis and Miscellaneous Digestive... | 17 | $88,584 | +45% | $8,820 |
| 603 Cellulitis without MCC | 17 | $58,013 | +56% | $7,433 |
| 305 Hypertension without MCC | 15 | $45,261 | +13% | $6,328 |
| 092 Other Disorders of Nervous System with CC | 14 | $45,734 | -11% | $8,741 |
| 175 Pulmonary Embolism with MCC or Acute Cor Pulmonale | 14 | $72,790 | +12% | $10,062 |
| 310 Cardiac Arrhythmia and Conduction Disorders without CC/MCC | 14 | $34,746 | +21% | $4,840 |
| 638 Diabetes with CC | 14 | $55,114 | +32% | $7,220 |
| 536 Fractures of Hip and Pelvis without MCC | 13 | $45,649 | +21% | $6,470 |
| 208 Respiratory System Diagnosis with Ventilator Support <=96... | 12 | $176,520 | +30% | $18,046 |
| 287 Circulatory Disorders except AMI, with Cardiac... | 12 | $96,292 | +51% | $9,135 |
| 300 Peripheral Vascular Disorders with CC | 11 | $53,162 | +8% | $8,287 |
| 521 Hip Replacement with Principal Diagnosis of Hip Fracture... | 11 | $148,766 | +10% | $20,094 |
| 811 Red Blood Cell Disorders with MCC | 11 | $59,833 | -12% | $10,619 |
| 813 Coagulation Disorders | 11 | $46,224 | -42% | $11,408 |
Outpatient services
Against the South Carolina average
For Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC (DRG 871), Aiken Regional Medical Center charged $114,397 on average, 49% more than the South Carolina average of $76,532, and was paid $14,682 against a state average of $16,014. For Heart Failure and Shock with MCC (DRG 291), Aiken Regional Medical Center charged $64,509 on average, 41% more than the South Carolina average of $45,682, and was paid $9,789 against a state average of $10,696. For Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours without MCC (DRG 872), Aiken Regional Medical Center charged $63,784 on average, 43% more than the South Carolina average of $44,459, and was paid $8,443 against a state average of $9,001. For Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with MCC (DRG 193), Aiken Regional Medical Center charged $76,970 on average, 44% more than the South Carolina average of $53,401, and was paid $10,266 against a state average of $11,120. For Comprehensive Observation Services (outpatient APC 8011), its average charge of $28,272 was 36% above the state average of $20,764. For Level 5 Urology and Related Services (outpatient APC 5375), its average charge of $40,132 was 3% above the state average of $38,828. For Level 1 Laparoscopy and Related Services (outpatient APC 5361), its average charge of $67,856 was 47% above the state average of $46,306. For Level 1 Endovascular Procedures (outpatient APC 5191), its average charge of $38,773 was 22% above the state average of $31,661.
Price-transparency record
CMS's enforcement list records these actions for a hospital named Aiken Regional Medical Center in Aiken, SC, under the federal hospital price-transparency rule (45 CFR part 180), which requires hospitals to post their standard charges online:
- Warning Notice — 2025-04-02 (CMS case 3524)
- Closure Notice — 2025-04-18 (CMS case 3524)
- Met Requirements — 2025-05-13 (CMS case 4488)
A warning notice or corrective-action request is not a finding of wrongdoing; "Met Requirements" and closure notices record that CMS's review ended. Matched to this hospital by exact name, city and state.
Charges are the hospital's list prices averaged over its 2024 Medicare cases; payments are what those cases actually brought in. Neither is what you will pay. For a planned procedure, ask the hospital for its price estimate or, if you are uninsured or self-paying, a good-faith estimate.
Sources: CMS Medicare Inpatient Hospitals — by Provider and Service / by Geography and Service, data year 2024; CMS Medicare Outpatient Hospitals — by Provider and Service / by Geography and Service, data year 2024; CMS Hospital Price Transparency Enforcement Activities and Outcomes, July 2026. Checked 2026-10-24. Methodology.