Montana / Community Medical Center
CMS certification 270023 · Missoula, MT · 3 entries in CMS's price-transparency list
Community Medical Center: charges and Medicare payments
Community Medical Center reported 315 Medicare inpatient stays across 14 DRGs in 2024. Across them it charged 4.44 times what it was paid — among the higher ratios in Montana, number 1 of 10 hospitals with at least 100 stays (state median 3.38×, national 4.15×). Its most frequent stay was DRG 871, Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC: 83 stays at an average charge of $57,140, 37% below the national average. It also billed 1,280 outpatient services, charging 6.68 times what Medicare paid.
- 1Medicare inpatient stays 315
- 2Charge ÷ paid, inpatient 4.44×
- 3Rank in MT (highest ratio = 1) 1 of 10
- 4CMS price-transparency actions 3
Inpatient stays
For the 14 DRGs that can be compared with the national average, Community Medical Center charged more than the national average in 1 (7%). 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 | 83 | $57,140 | -37% | $15,340 |
| 872 Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours without MCC | 29 | $39,158 | -20% | $8,163 |
| 177 Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with MCC | 25 | $50,816 | -28% | $12,895 |
| 291 Heart Failure and Shock with MCC | 25 | $44,484 | -21% | $10,054 |
| 683 Renal Failure with CC | 22 | $27,975 | -31% | $7,188 |
| 189 Pulmonary Edema and Respiratory Failure | 19 | $42,280 | -27% | $9,700 |
| 193 Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with MCC | 18 | $43,524 | -27% | $10,301 |
| 322 Percutaneous Cardiovascular Procedures with Intraluminal... | 17 | $90,665 | -21% | $13,776 |
| 641 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and... | 15 | $31,400 | -15% | $6,675 |
| 331 Major Small and Large Bowel Procedures without CC/MCC | 13 | $89,437 | +4% | $12,423 |
| 378 Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage with CC | 13 | $39,477 | -19% | $7,727 |
| 389 Gastrointestinal Obstruction with CC | 12 | $37,676 | -3% | $6,468 |
| 468 Revision of Hip or Knee Replacement without CC/MCC | 12 | $95,467 | -23% | $20,068 |
| 682 Renal Failure with MCC | 12 | $44,017 | -33% | $11,552 |
Outpatient services
Against the Montana average
For Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC (DRG 871), Community Medical Center charged $57,140 on average, 34% more than the Montana average of $42,642, and was paid $15,340 against a state average of $15,860. For Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours without MCC (DRG 872), Community Medical Center charged $39,158 on average, 66% more than the Montana average of $23,658, and was paid $8,163 against a state average of $8,589. For Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with MCC (DRG 177), Community Medical Center charged $50,816 on average, 42% more than the Montana average of $35,729, and was paid $12,895 against a state average of $13,317. For Heart Failure and Shock with MCC (DRG 291), Community Medical Center charged $44,484 on average, 46% more than the Montana average of $30,559, and was paid $10,054 against a state average of $10,456. For Level 5 Musculoskeletal Procedures (outpatient APC 5115), its average charge of $58,302 was 36% above the state average of $42,843. For Level 2 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage (outpatient APC 5072), its average charge of $9,736 was 46% above the state average of $6,661. For Level 2 Upper GI Procedures (outpatient APC 5302), its average charge of $9,796 was 22% above the state average of $8,005. For Level 1 Endovascular Procedures (outpatient APC 5191), its average charge of $24,550 was 58% above the state average of $15,556.
Price-transparency record
CMS's enforcement list records these actions for a hospital named Community Medical Center in Missoula, MT, under the federal hospital price-transparency rule (45 CFR part 180), which requires hospitals to post their standard charges online:
- Warning Notice — 2025-06-27 (CMS case 5226)
- Closure Notice — 2025-09-29 (CMS case 5226)
- Warning Notice — 2026-07-07 (CMS case 8197)
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.