North Carolina / Catawba Valley Medical Center
CMS certification 340143 · Hickory, NC · 3 entries in CMS's price-transparency list
Catawba Valley Medical Center: charges and Medicare payments
Catawba Valley Medical Center reported 872 Medicare inpatient stays across 36 DRGs in 2024. Across them it charged 3.24 times what it was paid — mid-range in North Carolina, number 45 of 73 hospitals with at least 100 stays (state median 3.55×, national 4.15×). Its most frequent stay was DRG 871, Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC: 140 stays at an average charge of $40,308, 55% below the national average. It also billed 1,637 outpatient services, charging 6.38 times what Medicare paid.
- 1Medicare inpatient stays 872
- 2Charge ÷ paid, inpatient 3.24×
- 3Rank in NC (highest ratio = 1) 45 of 73
- 4CMS price-transparency actions 3
Inpatient stays
For the 36 DRGs that can be compared with the national average, Catawba Valley Medical Center 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 | 140 | $40,308 | -55% | $14,445 |
| 193 Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with MCC | 53 | $33,963 | -43% | $10,724 |
| 291 Heart Failure and Shock with MCC | 49 | $27,922 | -50% | $10,443 |
| 177 Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with MCC | 41 | $36,349 | -49% | $12,630 |
| 481 Hip and Femur Procedures except Major Joint with CC | 32 | $57,771 | -43% | $15,439 |
| 378 Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage with CC | 31 | $26,169 | -46% | $8,451 |
| 689 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections with MCC | 27 | $26,510 | -48% | $9,677 |
| 698 Other Kidney and Urinary Tract Diagnoses with MCC | 26 | $40,911 | -44% | $12,877 |
| 872 Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours without MCC | 25 | $28,778 | -41% | $8,739 |
| 309 Cardiac Arrhythmia and Conduction Disorders with CC | 24 | $23,174 | -36% | $6,755 |
| 682 Renal Failure with MCC | 24 | $26,151 | -60% | $11,504 |
| 065 Intracranial Hemorrhage or Cerebral Infarction with CC or... | 22 | $32,342 | -42% | $8,745 |
| 190 Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease with MCC | 20 | $23,843 | -53% | $9,007 |
| 377 Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage with MCC | 20 | $35,175 | -59% | $12,904 |
| 522 Hip Replacement with Principal Diagnosis of Hip Fracture... | 20 | $60,465 | -41% | $16,071 |
| 064 Intracranial Hemorrhage or Cerebral Infarction with MCC | 19 | $40,271 | -60% | $14,496 |
| 853 Infectious and Parasitic Diseases with O.R. Procedures with... | 19 | $89,904 | -61% | $36,059 |
| 603 Cellulitis without MCC | 18 | $26,161 | -30% | $7,789 |
| 286 Circulatory Disorders except AMI, with Cardiac... | 17 | $65,219 | -42% | $14,689 |
| 310 Cardiac Arrhythmia and Conduction Disorders without CC/MCC | 17 | $21,221 | -26% | $6,236 |
| 321 Percutaneous Cardiovascular Procedures with Intraluminal... | 17 | $93,749 | -43% | $24,703 |
| 641 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and... | 17 | $19,519 | -47% | $7,000 |
| 683 Renal Failure with CC | 17 | $22,088 | -46% | $7,730 |
| 640 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and... | 16 | $35,857 | -41% | $10,619 |
| 870 Septicemia or Severe Sepsis with MV >96 Hours | 16 | $104,007 | -68% | $39,117 |
| 189 Pulmonary Edema and Respiratory Failure | 15 | $44,629 | -22% | $11,334 |
| 308 Cardiac Arrhythmia and Conduction Disorders with MCC | 15 | $36,691 | -35% | $9,960 |
| 389 Gastrointestinal Obstruction with CC | 15 | $23,790 | -39% | $7,181 |
| 322 Percutaneous Cardiovascular Procedures with Intraluminal... | 14 | $81,184 | -29% | $14,120 |
| 690 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections without MCC | 14 | $23,173 | -39% | $6,990 |
| 281 Acute Myocardial Infarction, Discharged Alive with CC | 13 | $33,117 | -34% | $7,805 |
| 392 Esophagitis, Gastroenteritis and Miscellaneous Digestive... | 13 | $25,193 | -37% | $7,081 |
| 271 Other Major Cardiovascular Procedures with CC | 12 | $145,712 | -16% | $27,472 |
| 467 Revision of Hip or Knee Replacement with CC | 12 | $126,940 | -20% | $25,882 |
| 194 Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with CC | 11 | $24,746 | -36% | $7,828 |
| 280 Acute Myocardial Infarction, Discharged Alive with MCC | 11 | $45,082 | -41% | $11,537 |
Outpatient services
Against the North Carolina average
For Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC (DRG 871), Catawba Valley Medical Center charged $40,308 on average, 29% less than the North Carolina average of $56,936, and was paid $14,445 against a state average of $16,444. For Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with MCC (DRG 193), Catawba Valley Medical Center charged $33,963 on average, 15% less than the North Carolina average of $39,905, and was paid $10,724 against a state average of $11,523. For Heart Failure and Shock with MCC (DRG 291), Catawba Valley Medical Center charged $27,922 on average, 22% less than the North Carolina average of $35,799, and was paid $10,443 against a state average of $11,305. For Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with MCC (DRG 177), Catawba Valley Medical Center charged $36,349 on average, 24% less than the North Carolina average of $47,554, and was paid $12,630 against a state average of $14,260. For Level 5 Musculoskeletal Procedures (outpatient APC 5115), its average charge of $41,834 was 32% below the state average of $61,166. For Comprehensive Observation Services (outpatient APC 8011), its average charge of $19,339 was 3% above the state average of $18,779. For Level 2 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage (outpatient APC 5072), its average charge of $10,889 was 16% above the state average of $9,423. For Level 5 Urology and Related Services (outpatient APC 5375), its average charge of $25,187 was 9% below the state average of $27,826.
Price-transparency record
CMS's enforcement list records these actions for a hospital named Catawba Valley Medical Center in Hickory, NC, under the federal hospital price-transparency rule (45 CFR part 180), which requires hospitals to post their standard charges online:
- Warning Notice — 2026-01-28 (CMS case 6885)
- CAP Request — 2026-04-30 (CMS case 6885)
- Closure Notice — 2026-05-08 (CMS case 6885)
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.