Alabama / Athens Limestone Hospital
CMS certification 010079 · Athens, AL · 2 entries in CMS's price-transparency list
Athens Limestone Hospital: charges and Medicare payments
Athens Limestone Hospital reported 569 Medicare inpatient stays across 26 DRGs in 2024. Across them it charged 2.67 times what it was paid — among the lower ratios in Alabama, number 37 of 45 hospitals with at least 100 stays (state median 4.24×, national 4.15×). Its most frequent stay was DRG 470, Major Hip and Knee Joint Replacement or Reattachment of Lower Extremity without MCC: 68 stays at an average charge of $35,852, 62% below the national average. It also billed 1,117 outpatient services, charging 6.18 times what Medicare paid.
- 1Medicare inpatient stays 569
- 2Charge ÷ paid, inpatient 2.67×
- 3Rank in AL (highest ratio = 1) 37 of 45
- 4CMS price-transparency actions 2
Inpatient stays
For the 26 DRGs that can be compared with the national average, Athens Limestone Hospital charged more than the national average in 0 (0%). Payments follow Medicare's rates, so they usually vary far less than charges.
| DRG | Stays | Avg charge | vs US | Avg paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 470 Major Hip and Knee Joint Replacement or Reattachment of... | 68 | $35,852 | -62% | $12,802 |
| 871 Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC | 66 | $26,251 | -71% | $12,930 |
| 291 Heart Failure and Shock with MCC | 41 | $15,115 | -73% | $8,518 |
| 641 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and... | 32 | $12,108 | -67% | $5,676 |
| 481 Hip and Femur Procedures except Major Joint with CC | 25 | $30,801 | -69% | $13,608 |
| 640 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and... | 23 | $19,430 | -68% | $9,083 |
| 812 Red Blood Cell Disorders without MCC | 23 | $15,850 | -64% | $6,503 |
| 190 Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease with MCC | 21 | $15,440 | -69% | $7,782 |
| 522 Hip Replacement with Principal Diagnosis of Hip Fracture... | 21 | $36,913 | -64% | $13,995 |
| 177 Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with MCC | 19 | $31,829 | -55% | $10,624 |
| 872 Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours without MCC | 18 | $23,678 | -52% | $7,273 |
| 193 Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with MCC | 17 | $17,955 | -70% | $10,679 |
| 682 Renal Failure with MCC | 16 | $19,492 | -70% | $9,750 |
| 683 Renal Failure with CC | 16 | $12,874 | -68% | $6,438 |
| 194 Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with CC | 15 | $15,505 | -60% | $6,613 |
| 455 Combined Anterior and Posterior Spinal Fusion without CC/MCC | 15 | $163,618 | -19% | $38,051 |
| 689 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections with MCC | 15 | $19,167 | -63% | $7,630 |
| 811 Red Blood Cell Disorders with MCC | 15 | $18,209 | -73% | $9,626 |
| 948 Signs and Symptoms without MCC | 15 | $14,070 | -63% | $5,820 |
| 189 Pulmonary Edema and Respiratory Failure | 14 | $20,950 | -64% | $8,208 |
| 690 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections without MCC | 14 | $12,677 | -66% | $5,855 |
| 392 Esophagitis, Gastroenteritis and Miscellaneous Digestive... | 13 | $17,190 | -57% | $5,728 |
| 178 Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with CC | 12 | $26,161 | -42% | $7,000 |
| 454 Combined Anterior and Posterior Spinal Fusion with CC | 12 | $183,618 | -34% | $44,862 |
| 884 Organic Disturbances and Intellectual Disability | 12 | $11,780 | -81% | $9,460 |
| 378 Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage with CC | 11 | $22,740 | -53% | $7,763 |
Outpatient services
Against the Alabama average
For Major Hip and Knee Joint Replacement or Reattachment of Lower Extremity without MCC (DRG 470), Athens Limestone Hospital charged $35,852 on average, 65% less than the Alabama average of $101,964, and was paid $12,802 against a state average of $14,592. For Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC (DRG 871), Athens Limestone Hospital charged $26,251 on average, 67% less than the Alabama average of $80,125, and was paid $12,930 against a state average of $14,647. For Heart Failure and Shock with MCC (DRG 291), Athens Limestone Hospital charged $15,115 on average, 66% less than the Alabama average of $43,997, and was paid $8,518 against a state average of $10,010. For Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and Electrolytes without MCC (DRG 641), Athens Limestone Hospital charged $12,108 on average, 56% less than the Alabama average of $27,292, and was paid $5,676 against a state average of $6,747. For Comprehensive Observation Services (outpatient APC 8011), its average charge of $9,168 was 45% below the state average of $16,650. For Level 1 Nerve Procedures (outpatient APC 5431), its average charge of $10,498 was 28% below the state average of $14,549. For Level 1 Intraocular Procedures (outpatient APC 5491), its average charge of $7,494 was 28% below the state average of $10,352. For Level 3 Musculoskeletal Procedures (outpatient APC 5113), its average charge of $21,263 was 33% below the state average of $31,652.
Price-transparency record
CMS's enforcement list records these actions for a hospital named Athens Limestone Hospital in Athens, AL, under the federal hospital price-transparency rule (45 CFR part 180), which requires hospitals to post their standard charges online:
- Warning Notice — 2024-11-06 (CMS case 2885)
- Closure Notice — 2025-02-12 (CMS case 2885)
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.