Louisiana / Avala
CMS certification 190267 · Covington, LA · 3 entries in CMS's price-transparency list
Avala: charges and Medicare payments
Avala reported 131 Medicare inpatient stays across 4 DRGs in 2024. Across them it charged 6.02 times what it was paid — among the higher ratios in Louisiana, number 9 of 46 hospitals with at least 100 stays (state median 4.2×, national 4.15×). Its most frequent stay was DRG 455, Combined Anterior and Posterior Spinal Fusion without CC/MCC: 58 stays at an average charge of $161,630, 20% below the national average. It also billed 654 outpatient services, charging 7.91 times what Medicare paid.
- 1Medicare inpatient stays 131
- 2Charge ÷ paid, inpatient 6.02×
- 3Rank in LA (highest ratio = 1) 9 of 46
- 4CMS price-transparency actions 3
Inpatient stays
For the 4 DRGs that can be compared with the national average, Avala 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 455 Combined Anterior and Posterior Spinal Fusion without CC/MCC | 58 | $161,630 | -20% | $29,007 |
| 473 Cervical Spinal Fusion without CC/MCC | 43 | $107,717 | -6% | $15,146 |
| 402 Single Level Combined Anterior and Posterior Spinal Fusion... | 15 | $134,914 | -28% | $24,238 |
| 428 Multiple Level Combined Anterior and Posterior Spinal Fusion... | 15 | $219,818 | -14% | $34,087 |
Outpatient services
| Service (APC) | Services | Avg charge | Medicare allowed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 5 Musculoskeletal Procedures | 201 | $71,150 | $11,135 |
| Level 4 Musculoskeletal Procedures | 134 | $40,684 | $6,060 |
| Level 1 Nerve Procedures | 75 | $14,028 | $1,636 |
| Level 3 Musculoskeletal Procedures | 65 | $23,987 | $2,742 |
| Level 1 Intraocular Procedures | 59 | $13,210 | $1,974 |
| Level 2 Musculoskeletal Procedures | 55 | $16,145 | $1,361 |
| Level 6 Musculoskeletal Procedures | 23 | $75,528 | $15,754 |
| Level 2 Intraocular Procedures | 19 | $18,615 | $3,444 |
| Level 1 Breast/Lymphatic Surgery and Related Procedures | 12 | $33,967 | $3,229 |
| Level 3 Extraocular, Repair, and Plastic Eye Procedures | 11 | $15,191 | $1,979 |
Against the Louisiana average
For Combined Anterior and Posterior Spinal Fusion without CC/MCC (DRG 455), Avala charged $161,630 on average, 13% more than the Louisiana average of $143,082, and was paid $29,007 against a state average of $30,380. For Cervical Spinal Fusion without CC/MCC (DRG 473), Avala charged $107,717 on average, 20% more than the Louisiana average of $89,770, and was paid $15,146 against a state average of $16,484. For Single Level Combined Anterior and Posterior Spinal Fusion except Cervical (DRG 402), Avala charged $134,914 on average, 1% less than the Louisiana average of $135,964, and was paid $24,238 against a state average of $25,945. For Multiple Level Combined Anterior and Posterior Spinal Fusion except Cervical without CC/ (DRG 428), Avala charged $219,818 on average, 21% more than the Louisiana average of $181,360, and was paid $34,087 against a state average of $37,063. For Level 5 Musculoskeletal Procedures (outpatient APC 5115), its average charge of $71,150 was 12% above the state average of $63,573. For Level 4 Musculoskeletal Procedures (outpatient APC 5114), its average charge of $40,684 was 5% below the state average of $42,639. For Level 1 Nerve Procedures (outpatient APC 5431), its average charge of $14,028 was 19% above the state average of $11,748. For Level 3 Musculoskeletal Procedures (outpatient APC 5113), its average charge of $23,987 was 2% above the state average of $23,541.
Price-transparency record
CMS's enforcement list records these actions for a hospital named Avala in Covington, LA, under the federal hospital price-transparency rule (45 CFR part 180), which requires hospitals to post their standard charges online:
- Warning Notice — 2025-09-10 (CMS case 6507)
- CAP Request — 2025-12-18 (CMS case 6507)
- Closure Notice — 2026-03-26 (CMS case 6507)
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.