Wisconsin / Aurora St Lukes Medical Center
CMS certification 520138 · Milwaukee, WI · 3 entries in CMS's price-transparency list
Aurora St Lukes Medical Center: charges and Medicare payments
Aurora St Lukes Medical Center reported 6,021 Medicare inpatient stays across 153 DRGs in 2024. Across them it charged 5 times what it was paid — among the higher ratios in Wisconsin, number 2 of 55 hospitals with at least 100 stays (state median 3.47×, national 4.15×). Its most frequent stay was DRG 291, Heart Failure and Shock with MCC: 474 stays at an average charge of $58,133, 3% above the national average. It also billed 5,137 outpatient services, charging 8.95 times what Medicare paid.
- 1Medicare inpatient stays 6,021
- 2Charge ÷ paid, inpatient 5×
- 3Rank in WI (highest ratio = 1) 2 of 55
- 4CMS price-transparency actions 3
Inpatient stays
For the 153 DRGs that can be compared with the national average, Aurora St Lukes Medical Center charged more than the national average in 76 (50%). Payments follow Medicare's rates, so they usually vary far less than charges.
| DRG | Stays | Avg charge | vs US | Avg paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 291 Heart Failure and Shock with MCC | 474 | $58,133 | +3% | $12,327 |
| 871 Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC | 470 | $85,599 | -5% | $18,153 |
| 267 Endovascular Cardiac Valve Replacement and Supplement... | 159 | $270,771 | +22% | $40,896 |
| 286 Circulatory Disorders except AMI, with Cardiac... | 145 | $112,729 | 0% | $21,585 |
| 274 Percutaneous and Other Intracardiac Procedures without MCC | 140 | $182,947 | +17% | $27,361 |
| 872 Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours without MCC | 120 | $50,433 | +3% | $10,634 |
| 177 Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with MCC | 91 | $64,635 | -8% | $14,772 |
| 698 Other Kidney and Urinary Tract Diagnoses with MCC | 90 | $67,833 | -8% | $15,733 |
| 266 Endovascular Cardiac Valve Replacement and Supplement... | 89 | $374,939 | +32% | $60,577 |
| 189 Pulmonary Edema and Respiratory Failure | 88 | $63,095 | +10% | $13,010 |
| 690 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections without MCC | 87 | $42,795 | +13% | $7,897 |
| 853 Infectious and Parasitic Diseases with O.R. Procedures with... | 81 | $228,970 | 0% | $52,884 |
| 064 Intracranial Hemorrhage or Cerebral Infarction with MCC | 80 | $104,830 | +5% | $17,936 |
| 193 Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with MCC | 80 | $64,609 | +8% | $12,623 |
| 065 Intracranial Hemorrhage or Cerebral Infarction with CC or... | 77 | $63,251 | +14% | $10,047 |
| 322 Percutaneous Cardiovascular Procedures with Intraluminal... | 76 | $116,084 | +1% | $15,823 |
| 280 Acute Myocardial Infarction, Discharged Alive with MCC | 75 | $97,447 | +29% | $16,439 |
| 640 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and... | 75 | $59,303 | -2% | $12,848 |
| 309 Cardiac Arrhythmia and Conduction Disorders with CC | 72 | $35,843 | -1% | $7,578 |
| 683 Renal Failure with CC | 70 | $38,345 | -6% | $8,652 |
| 682 Renal Failure with MCC | 69 | $57,322 | -13% | $14,436 |
| 689 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections with MCC | 69 | $51,510 | 0% | $10,952 |
| 377 Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage with MCC | 67 | $73,925 | -13% | $16,187 |
| 378 Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage with CC | 67 | $48,480 | 0% | $9,204 |
| 392 Esophagitis, Gastroenteritis and Miscellaneous Digestive... | 67 | $38,016 | -5% | $7,957 |
| 312 Syncope and Collapse | 66 | $43,310 | -5% | $8,030 |
| 310 Cardiac Arrhythmia and Conduction Disorders without CC/MCC | 63 | $27,055 | -6% | $6,319 |
| 219 Cardiac Valve and Other Major Cardiothoracic Procedures... | 62 | $275,004 | -31% | $81,428 |
| 321 Percutaneous Cardiovascular Procedures with Intraluminal... | 59 | $172,039 | +5% | $27,370 |
| 314 Other Circulatory System Diagnoses with MCC | 55 | $118,006 | +24% | $22,426 |
| 190 Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease with MCC | 53 | $41,906 | -17% | $10,317 |
| 252 Other Vascular Procedures with MCC | 53 | $157,149 | -8% | $31,853 |
| 603 Cellulitis without MCC | 50 | $38,899 | +4% | $8,450 |
| 025 Craniotomy and Endovascular Intracranial Procedures with MCC | 46 | $209,754 | -9% | $45,292 |
| 235 Coronary Bypass without Cardiac Catheterization with MCC | 46 | $196,512 | -33% | $50,185 |
| 270 Other Major Cardiovascular Procedures with MCC | 44 | $257,344 | -1% | $50,226 |
| 470 Major Hip and Knee Joint Replacement or Reattachment of... | 42 | $93,710 | +1% | $16,346 |
| 981 Extensive O.R. Procedures Unrelated To Principal Diagnosis... | 41 | $344,801 | +59% | $56,293 |
| 699 Other Kidney and Urinary Tract Diagnoses with CC | 40 | $42,948 | -10% | $10,751 |
| 236 Coronary Bypass without Cardiac Catheterization without MCC | 38 | $141,800 | -33% | $38,537 |
| 308 Cardiac Arrhythmia and Conduction Disorders with MCC | 38 | $60,454 | +7% | $10,638 |
| 220 Cardiac Valve and Other Major Cardiothoracic Procedures... | 37 | $205,518 | -26% | $44,675 |
| 641 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and... | 37 | $38,700 | +4% | $7,781 |
| 391 Esophagitis, Gastroenteritis and Miscellaneous Digestive... | 36 | $53,491 | -12% | $12,292 |
| 287 Circulatory Disorders except AMI, with Cardiac... | 35 | $72,121 | +13% | $10,415 |
| 637 Diabetes with MCC | 35 | $96,784 | +46% | $14,425 |
| 164 Major Chest Procedures with CC | 34 | $101,944 | -20% | $20,046 |
| 330 Major Small and Large Bowel Procedures with CC | 34 | $114,991 | -3% | $25,694 |
| 208 Respiratory System Diagnosis with Ventilator Support <=96... | 33 | $112,492 | -17% | $25,579 |
| 233 Coronary Bypass with Cardiac Catheterization or Open... | 31 | $318,320 | -17% | $78,038 |
| 243 Permanent Cardiac Pacemaker Implant with CC | 31 | $103,213 | -7% | $20,476 |
| 389 Gastrointestinal Obstruction with CC | 31 | $43,954 | +13% | $8,169 |
| 638 Diabetes with CC | 31 | $67,095 | +61% | $11,629 |
| 216 Cardiac Valve and Other Major Cardiothoracic Procedures with... | 30 | $386,693 | -21% | $115,852 |
| 481 Hip and Femur Procedures except Major Joint with CC | 30 | $94,869 | -6% | $17,095 |
| 552 Medical Back Problems without MCC | 30 | $42,746 | -13% | $8,937 |
| 057 Degenerative Nervous System Disorders without MCC | 29 | $55,081 | -3% | $12,506 |
| 175 Pulmonary Embolism with MCC or Acute Cor Pulmonale | 29 | $90,385 | +39% | $14,713 |
| 432 Cirrhosis and Alcoholic Hepatitis with MCC | 29 | $98,101 | +3% | $19,041 |
| 460 Spinal Fusion except Cervical without MCC | 29 | $178,061 | +5% | $31,832 |
Showing the 60 most frequent of 153 DRGs.
Outpatient services
Against the Wisconsin average
For Heart Failure and Shock with MCC (DRG 291), Aurora St Lukes Medical Center charged $58,133 on average, 47% more than the Wisconsin average of $39,564, and was paid $12,327 against a state average of $10,862. For Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC (DRG 871), Aurora St Lukes Medical Center charged $85,599 on average, 44% more than the Wisconsin average of $59,481, and was paid $18,153 against a state average of $16,719. For Endovascular Cardiac Valve Replacement and Supplement Procedures without MCC (DRG 267), Aurora St Lukes Medical Center charged $270,771 on average, 73% more than the Wisconsin average of $156,308, and was paid $40,896 against a state average of $39,116. For Circulatory Disorders except AMI, with Cardiac Catheterization with MCC (DRG 286), Aurora St Lukes Medical Center charged $112,729 on average, 31% more than the Wisconsin average of $85,791, and was paid $21,585 against a state average of $20,067. For Comprehensive Observation Services (outpatient APC 8011), its average charge of $21,277 was 20% above the state average of $17,717. For Level 1 Endovascular Procedures (outpatient APC 5191), its average charge of $38,547 was 62% above the state average of $23,760. For Level 2 Intraocular Procedures (outpatient APC 5492), its average charge of $31,015 was 48% above the state average of $21,027. For Level 4 Urology and Related Services (outpatient APC 5374), its average charge of $22,313 was 22% above the state average of $18,304.
Price-transparency record
CMS's enforcement list records these actions for a hospital named Aurora St Lukes Medical Center in Milwaukee, WI, under the federal hospital price-transparency rule (45 CFR part 180), which requires hospitals to post their standard charges online:
- Warning Notice — 2021-05-18 (CMS case 65)
- Closure Notice — 2021-10-27 (CMS case 65)
- Met Requirements — 2025-06-26 (CMS case 5358)
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.