New Mexico / CHRISTUS Southern New Mexico
CMS certification 320004 · Alamogordo, NM
CHRISTUS Southern New Mexico: charges and Medicare payments
CHRISTUS Southern New Mexico reported 563 Medicare inpatient stays across 23 DRGs in 2024. Across them it charged 8.52 times what it was paid — among the higher ratios in New Mexico, number 2 of 16 hospitals with at least 100 stays (state median 4.13×, national 4.15×). Its most frequent stay was DRG 470, Major Hip and Knee Joint Replacement or Reattachment of Lower Extremity without MCC: 103 stays at an average charge of $251,234, 170% above the national average. It also billed 938 outpatient services, charging 21.8 times what Medicare paid.
- 1Medicare inpatient stays 563
- 2Charge ÷ paid, inpatient 8.52×
- 3Rank in NM (highest ratio = 1) 2 of 16
- 4CMS price-transparency actions 0
Inpatient stays
For the 23 DRGs that can be compared with the national average, CHRISTUS Southern New Mexico charged more than the national average in 23 (100%). Payments follow Medicare's rates, so they usually vary far less than charges.
| DRG | Stays | Avg charge | vs US | Avg paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 470 Major Hip and Knee Joint Replacement or Reattachment of... | 103 | $251,234 | +170% | $22,822 |
| 871 Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC | 84 | $139,637 | +55% | $21,113 |
| 291 Heart Failure and Shock with MCC | 40 | $99,725 | +77% | $14,411 |
| 193 Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with MCC | 34 | $112,564 | +88% | $14,714 |
| 177 Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with MCC | 32 | $115,778 | +64% | $17,554 |
| 689 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections with MCC | 22 | $85,658 | +67% | $12,417 |
| 190 Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease with MCC | 21 | $127,650 | +152% | $11,651 |
| 322 Percutaneous Cardiovascular Procedures with Intraluminal... | 21 | $196,244 | +71% | $19,098 |
| 872 Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours without MCC | 21 | $106,588 | +117% | $13,337 |
| 481 Hip and Femur Procedures except Major Joint with CC | 19 | $262,299 | +160% | $23,840 |
| 853 Infectious and Parasitic Diseases with O.R. Procedures with... | 16 | $398,815 | +74% | $63,343 |
| 321 Percutaneous Cardiovascular Procedures with Intraluminal... | 14 | $242,426 | +48% | $30,251 |
| 378 Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage with CC | 14 | $97,144 | +100% | $10,410 |
| 392 Esophagitis, Gastroenteritis and Miscellaneous Digestive... | 13 | $63,526 | +58% | $8,167 |
| 522 Hip Replacement with Principal Diagnosis of Hip Fracture... | 13 | $307,238 | +200% | $23,702 |
| 641 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and... | 13 | $66,838 | +80% | $8,198 |
| 690 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections without MCC | 13 | $69,862 | +85% | $8,520 |
| 065 Intracranial Hemorrhage or Cerebral Infarction with CC or... | 12 | $89,242 | +60% | $10,712 |
| 175 Pulmonary Embolism with MCC or Acute Cor Pulmonale | 12 | $89,254 | +37% | $14,604 |
| 189 Pulmonary Edema and Respiratory Failure | 12 | $92,569 | +61% | $13,218 |
| 377 Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage with MCC | 12 | $161,759 | +89% | $19,240 |
| 309 Cardiac Arrhythmia and Conduction Disorders with CC | 11 | $66,375 | +84% | $7,826 |
| 389 Gastrointestinal Obstruction with CC | 11 | $70,247 | +80% | $8,443 |
Outpatient services
Against the New Mexico average
For Major Hip and Knee Joint Replacement or Reattachment of Lower Extremity without MCC (DRG 470), CHRISTUS Southern New Mexico charged $251,234 on average, 65% more than the New Mexico average of $151,992, and was paid $22,822 against a state average of $18,257. For Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC (DRG 871), CHRISTUS Southern New Mexico charged $139,637 on average, 112% more than the New Mexico average of $65,967, and was paid $21,113 against a state average of $17,240. For Heart Failure and Shock with MCC (DRG 291), CHRISTUS Southern New Mexico charged $99,725 on average, 102% more than the New Mexico average of $49,310, and was paid $14,411 against a state average of $11,350. For Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with MCC (DRG 193), CHRISTUS Southern New Mexico charged $112,564 on average, 139% more than the New Mexico average of $47,073, and was paid $14,714 against a state average of $12,080. For Comprehensive Observation Services (outpatient APC 8011), its average charge of $42,521 was 98% above the state average of $21,444. For Level 2 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage (outpatient APC 5072), its average charge of $13,419 was 28% above the state average of $10,501. For Level 1 Nerve Procedures (outpatient APC 5431), its average charge of $44,772 was 210% above the state average of $14,426. For Level 1 Endovascular Procedures (outpatient APC 5191), its average charge of $83,900 was 131% above the state average of $36,265.
Price-transparency record
No action in CMS's price-transparency enforcement list (July 2026) matches this hospital's exact name, city and state. That can mean CMS has not reviewed it, or that it is listed under a different name.
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.