Iowa / CHI Health Mercy Council Bluffs
CMS certification 160028 · Council Bluffs, IA · 3 entries in CMS's price-transparency list
CHI Health Mercy Council Bluffs: charges and Medicare payments
CHI Health Mercy Council Bluffs reported 651 Medicare inpatient stays across 22 DRGs in 2024. Across them it charged 3.63 times what it was paid — among the higher ratios in Iowa, number 8 of 27 hospitals with at least 100 stays (state median 3.32×, national 4.15×). Its most frequent stay was DRG 871, Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC: 151 stays at an average charge of $52,057, 42% below the national average. It also billed 544 outpatient services, charging 7.66 times what Medicare paid.
- 1Medicare inpatient stays 651
- 2Charge ÷ paid, inpatient 3.63×
- 3Rank in IA (highest ratio = 1) 8 of 27
- 4CMS price-transparency actions 3
Inpatient stays
For the 22 DRGs that can be compared with the national average, CHI Health Mercy Council Bluffs 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 | 151 | $52,057 | -42% | $14,880 |
| 885 Psychoses | 113 | $37,043 | -16% | $11,025 |
| 291 Heart Failure and Shock with MCC | 59 | $38,705 | -31% | $9,546 |
| 872 Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours without MCC | 31 | $28,864 | -41% | $8,106 |
| 682 Renal Failure with MCC | 28 | $32,347 | -51% | $11,242 |
| 177 Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with MCC | 25 | $42,727 | -39% | $11,924 |
| 189 Pulmonary Edema and Respiratory Failure | 22 | $30,786 | -47% | $10,324 |
| 683 Renal Failure with CC | 22 | $25,851 | -36% | $7,690 |
| 698 Other Kidney and Urinary Tract Diagnoses with MCC | 21 | $42,854 | -42% | $12,085 |
| 193 Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with MCC | 20 | $31,750 | -47% | $9,940 |
| 640 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and... | 19 | $44,695 | -26% | $10,031 |
| 689 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections with MCC | 18 | $23,272 | -55% | $8,174 |
| 481 Hip and Femur Procedures except Major Joint with CC | 15 | $67,682 | -33% | $15,276 |
| 377 Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage with MCC | 14 | $48,212 | -44% | $13,429 |
| 884 Organic Disturbances and Intellectual Disability | 13 | $59,283 | -5% | $14,322 |
| 281 Acute Myocardial Infarction, Discharged Alive with CC | 12 | $38,448 | -24% | $7,112 |
| 690 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections without MCC | 12 | $28,937 | -23% | $6,498 |
| 853 Infectious and Parasitic Diseases with O.R. Procedures with... | 12 | $132,842 | -42% | $33,967 |
| 280 Acute Myocardial Infarction, Discharged Alive with MCC | 11 | $55,303 | -27% | $11,355 |
| 308 Cardiac Arrhythmia and Conduction Disorders with MCC | 11 | $27,542 | -51% | $9,335 |
| 480 Hip and Femur Procedures except Major Joint with MCC | 11 | $74,341 | -46% | $20,550 |
| 522 Hip Replacement with Principal Diagnosis of Hip Fracture... | 11 | $77,133 | -25% | $15,753 |
Outpatient services
| Service (APC) | Services | Avg charge | Medicare allowed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 Intraocular Procedures | 223 | $14,303 | $2,070 |
| Comprehensive Observation Services | 45 | $18,344 | $2,467 |
| Level 5 Musculoskeletal Procedures | 40 | $54,402 | $11,333 |
| Level 2 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage | 39 | $10,122 | $1,414 |
| Level 1 Laparoscopy and Related Services | 32 | $38,199 | $5,200 |
| Level 3 Vascular Procedures | 26 | $20,185 | $2,872 |
| Level 4 Musculoskeletal Procedures | 25 | $40,600 | $6,447 |
| Level 1 Endovascular Procedures | 23 | $33,183 | $2,941 |
| Level 3 Musculoskeletal Procedures | 22 | $32,382 | $2,917 |
| Level 6 Musculoskeletal Procedures | 22 | $62,913 | $16,757 |
| Level 5 Urology and Related Services | 19 | $46,181 | $4,663 |
| Level 3 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage | 15 | $17,550 | $2,481 |
| Level 3 Urology and Related Services | 13 | $8,713 | $1,836 |
Against the Iowa average
For Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC (DRG 871), CHI Health Mercy Council Bluffs charged $52,057 on average, 4% more than the Iowa average of $49,919, and was paid $14,880 against a state average of $14,771. For Psychoses (DRG 885), CHI Health Mercy Council Bluffs charged $37,043 on average, 40% more than the Iowa average of $26,385, and was paid $11,025 against a state average of $11,411. For Heart Failure and Shock with MCC (DRG 291), CHI Health Mercy Council Bluffs charged $38,705 on average, 11% more than the Iowa average of $34,817, and was paid $9,546 against a state average of $9,846. For Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours without MCC (DRG 872), CHI Health Mercy Council Bluffs charged $28,864 on average, 0% less than the Iowa average of $28,872, and was paid $8,106 against a state average of $8,049. For Level 1 Intraocular Procedures (outpatient APC 5491), its average charge of $14,303 was 51% above the state average of $9,485. For Comprehensive Observation Services (outpatient APC 8011), its average charge of $18,344 was 5% above the state average of $17,461. For Level 5 Musculoskeletal Procedures (outpatient APC 5115), its average charge of $54,402 was 11% above the state average of $49,177. For Level 2 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage (outpatient APC 5072), its average charge of $10,122 was 26% above the state average of $8,055.
Price-transparency record
CMS's enforcement list records these actions for a hospital named CHI Health Mercy Council Bluffs in Council Bluffs, IA, under the federal hospital price-transparency rule (45 CFR part 180), which requires hospitals to post their standard charges online:
- Met Requirements — 2022-12-06 (CMS case 1320)
- Met Requirements — 2025-04-02 (CMS case 3531)
- Met Requirements — 2025-06-09 (CMS case 4975)
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.