North Carolina / Central Carolina Hospital
CMS certification 340020 · Sanford, NC · 5 entries in CMS's price-transparency list
Central Carolina Hospital: charges and Medicare payments
Central Carolina Hospital reported 318 Medicare inpatient stays across 12 DRGs in 2024. Across them it charged 5.01 times what it was paid — among the higher ratios in North Carolina, number 9 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: 86 stays at an average charge of $69,901, 23% below the national average. It also billed 393 outpatient services, charging 11.71 times what Medicare paid.
- 1Medicare inpatient stays 318
- 2Charge ÷ paid, inpatient 5.01×
- 3Rank in NC (highest ratio = 1) 9 of 73
- 4CMS price-transparency actions 5
Inpatient stays
For the 12 DRGs that can be compared with the national average, Central Carolina Hospital charged more than the national average in 2 (17%). 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 | 86 | $69,901 | -23% | $14,964 |
| 291 Heart Failure and Shock with MCC | 57 | $51,396 | -9% | $10,454 |
| 190 Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease with MCC | 24 | $48,800 | -4% | $9,207 |
| 193 Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with MCC | 21 | $50,657 | -15% | $10,640 |
| 641 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and... | 21 | $35,882 | -3% | $6,772 |
| 690 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections without MCC | 20 | $41,710 | +10% | $7,152 |
| 177 Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with MCC | 18 | $65,685 | -7% | $13,030 |
| 689 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections with MCC | 17 | $47,815 | -7% | $9,277 |
| 640 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and... | 16 | $50,694 | -16% | $12,547 |
| 872 Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours without MCC | 15 | $43,457 | -11% | $8,132 |
| 378 Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage with CC | 12 | $72,898 | +50% | $8,442 |
| 065 Intracranial Hemorrhage or Cerebral Infarction with CC or... | 11 | $51,429 | -8% | $8,713 |
Outpatient services
| Service (APC) | Services | Avg charge | Medicare allowed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 Intraocular Procedures | 216 | $16,435 | $2,061 |
| Comprehensive Observation Services | 82 | $24,516 | $2,397 |
| Level 4 Endovascular Procedures | 27 | $150,486 | $15,475 |
| Level 1 Abdominal/Peritoneal/Biliary and Related Procedures | 19 | $43,466 | $3,059 |
| Level 2 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage | 18 | $16,184 | $1,434 |
| Level 3 Vascular Procedures | 17 | $31,773 | $2,819 |
| Level 1 Endovascular Procedures | 14 | $46,374 | $2,886 |
Against the North Carolina average
For Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC (DRG 871), Central Carolina Hospital charged $69,901 on average, 23% more than the North Carolina average of $56,936, and was paid $14,964 against a state average of $16,444. For Heart Failure and Shock with MCC (DRG 291), Central Carolina Hospital charged $51,396 on average, 44% more than the North Carolina average of $35,799, and was paid $10,454 against a state average of $11,305. For Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease with MCC (DRG 190), Central Carolina Hospital charged $48,800 on average, 42% more than the North Carolina average of $34,302, and was paid $9,207 against a state average of $9,699. For Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with MCC (DRG 193), Central Carolina Hospital charged $50,657 on average, 27% more than the North Carolina average of $39,905, and was paid $10,640 against a state average of $11,523. For Level 1 Intraocular Procedures (outpatient APC 5491), its average charge of $16,435 was 62% above the state average of $10,153. For Comprehensive Observation Services (outpatient APC 8011), its average charge of $24,516 was 31% above the state average of $18,779. For Level 4 Endovascular Procedures (outpatient APC 5194), its average charge of $150,486 was 68% above the state average of $89,697. For Level 1 Abdominal/Peritoneal/Biliary and Related Procedures (outpatient APC 5341), its average charge of $43,466 was 108% above the state average of $20,873.
Price-transparency record
CMS's enforcement list records these actions for a hospital named Central Carolina Hospital in Sanford, NC, under the federal hospital price-transparency rule (45 CFR part 180), which requires hospitals to post their standard charges online:
- Warning Notice — 2024-02-05 (CMS case 530)
- Closure Notice — 2024-05-13 (CMS case 530)
- Warning Notice — 2025-06-27 (CMS case 5271)
- Closure Notice — 2025-09-26 (CMS case 5271)
- Warning Notice — 2026-07-23 (CMS case 8322)
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.