South Dakota / Avera Sacred Heart Hospital
CMS certification 430012 · Yankton, SD · 4 entries in CMS's price-transparency list
Avera Sacred Heart Hospital: charges and Medicare payments
Avera Sacred Heart Hospital reported 613 Medicare inpatient stays across 25 DRGs in 2024. Across them it charged 2.87 times what it was paid — among the lower ratios in South Dakota, number 9 of 12 hospitals with at least 100 stays (state median 3.53×, national 4.15×). Its most frequent stay was DRG 871, Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC: 138 stays at an average charge of $43,287, 52% below the national average. It also billed 1,265 outpatient services, charging 4.65 times what Medicare paid.
- 1Medicare inpatient stays 613
- 2Charge ÷ paid, inpatient 2.87×
- 3Rank in SD (highest ratio = 1) 9 of 12
- 4CMS price-transparency actions 4
Inpatient stays
For the 25 DRGs that can be compared with the national average, Avera Sacred Heart 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 871 Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC | 138 | $43,287 | -52% | $17,042 |
| 291 Heart Failure and Shock with MCC | 56 | $39,840 | -29% | $11,737 |
| 177 Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with MCC | 38 | $33,934 | -52% | $14,399 |
| 872 Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours without MCC | 32 | $32,397 | -34% | $8,884 |
| 481 Hip and Femur Procedures except Major Joint with CC | 25 | $58,077 | -42% | $17,896 |
| 309 Cardiac Arrhythmia and Conduction Disorders with CC | 22 | $24,391 | -32% | $6,445 |
| 682 Renal Failure with MCC | 22 | $32,356 | -51% | $12,950 |
| 683 Renal Failure with CC | 21 | $21,335 | -48% | $7,852 |
| 470 Major Hip and Knee Joint Replacement or Reattachment of... | 20 | $60,904 | -35% | $16,236 |
| 522 Hip Replacement with Principal Diagnosis of Hip Fracture... | 20 | $60,102 | -41% | $18,187 |
| 641 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and... | 19 | $18,233 | -51% | $6,781 |
| 193 Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with MCC | 18 | $29,734 | -50% | $11,442 |
| 392 Esophagitis, Gastroenteritis and Miscellaneous Digestive... | 18 | $19,510 | -51% | $7,089 |
| 065 Intracranial Hemorrhage or Cerebral Infarction with CC or... | 17 | $29,137 | -48% | $8,768 |
| 308 Cardiac Arrhythmia and Conduction Disorders with MCC | 16 | $38,886 | -31% | $10,861 |
| 603 Cellulitis without MCC | 16 | $18,627 | -50% | $7,655 |
| 189 Pulmonary Edema and Respiratory Failure | 15 | $29,034 | -50% | $11,557 |
| 310 Cardiac Arrhythmia and Conduction Disorders without CC/MCC | 15 | $18,138 | -37% | $6,493 |
| 389 Gastrointestinal Obstruction with CC | 14 | $22,823 | -41% | $6,911 |
| 690 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections without MCC | 13 | $21,338 | -44% | $6,992 |
| 064 Intracranial Hemorrhage or Cerebral Infarction with MCC | 12 | $37,956 | -62% | $16,910 |
| 378 Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage with CC | 12 | $23,536 | -52% | $8,470 |
| 689 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections with MCC | 12 | $26,849 | -48% | $10,170 |
| 460 Spinal Fusion except Cervical without MCC | 11 | $99,632 | -42% | $31,445 |
| 640 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and... | 11 | $24,562 | -59% | $11,331 |
Outpatient services
Against the South Dakota average
For Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC (DRG 871), Avera Sacred Heart Hospital charged $43,287 on average, 35% less than the South Dakota average of $67,007, and was paid $17,042 against a state average of $17,025. For Heart Failure and Shock with MCC (DRG 291), Avera Sacred Heart Hospital charged $39,840 on average, 10% less than the South Dakota average of $44,214, and was paid $11,737 against a state average of $11,100. For Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with MCC (DRG 177), Avera Sacred Heart Hospital charged $33,934 on average, 37% less than the South Dakota average of $53,881, and was paid $14,399 against a state average of $14,370. For Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours without MCC (DRG 872), Avera Sacred Heart Hospital charged $32,397 on average, 15% less than the South Dakota average of $38,150, and was paid $8,884 against a state average of $9,216. For Level 1 Intraocular Procedures (outpatient APC 5491), its average charge of $10,531 was 32% above the state average of $7,991. For Level 5 Musculoskeletal Procedures (outpatient APC 5115), its average charge of $46,115 was 5% below the state average of $48,584. For Comprehensive Observation Services (outpatient APC 8011), its average charge of $14,046 was 24% below the state average of $18,366. For Level 5 Urology and Related Services (outpatient APC 5375), its average charge of $19,673 was 10% below the state average of $21,901.
Price-transparency record
CMS's enforcement list records these actions for a hospital named Avera Sacred Heart Hospital in Yankton, SD, under the federal hospital price-transparency rule (45 CFR part 180), which requires hospitals to post their standard charges online:
- Warning Notice — 2022-12-23 (CMS case 466)
- Closure Notice — 2023-04-13 (CMS case 466)
- Warning Notice — 2025-04-24 (CMS case 4021)
- Closure Notice — 2025-07-30 (CMS case 4021)
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.