California / El Centro Regional Medical Center
CMS certification 050045 · El Centro, CA · 5 entries in CMS's price-transparency list
El Centro Regional Medical Center: charges and Medicare payments
El Centro Regional Medical Center reported 750 Medicare inpatient stays across 22 DRGs in 2024. Across them it charged 4.07 times what it was paid — among the lower ratios in California, number 178 of 247 hospitals with at least 100 stays (state median 5.18×, national 4.15×). Its most frequent stay was DRG 871, Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC: 177 stays at an average charge of $74,143, 18% below the national average. It also billed 1,543 outpatient services, charging 5.3 times what Medicare paid.
- 1Medicare inpatient stays 750
- 2Charge ÷ paid, inpatient 4.07×
- 3Rank in CA (highest ratio = 1) 178 of 247
- 4CMS price-transparency actions 5
Inpatient stays
For the 22 DRGs that can be compared with the national average, El Centro Regional Medical Center charged more than the national average in 4 (18%). 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 | 177 | $74,143 | -18% | $19,065 |
| 291 Heart Failure and Shock with MCC | 75 | $50,138 | -11% | $12,721 |
| 193 Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with MCC | 57 | $61,380 | +3% | $13,899 |
| 689 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections with MCC | 50 | $50,655 | -1% | $11,605 |
| 177 Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with MCC | 40 | $78,815 | +12% | $16,169 |
| 683 Renal Failure with CC | 36 | $37,429 | -8% | $9,319 |
| 682 Renal Failure with MCC | 33 | $72,407 | +10% | $14,920 |
| 872 Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours without MCC | 30 | $47,667 | -3% | $10,375 |
| 065 Intracranial Hemorrhage or Cerebral Infarction with CC or... | 28 | $47,798 | -14% | $10,295 |
| 690 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections without MCC | 25 | $29,127 | -23% | $7,984 |
| 189 Pulmonary Edema and Respiratory Failure | 23 | $77,277 | +34% | $12,907 |
| 280 Acute Myocardial Infarction, Discharged Alive with MCC | 22 | $35,047 | -54% | $13,862 |
| 853 Infectious and Parasitic Diseases with O.R. Procedures with... | 21 | $153,994 | -33% | $46,228 |
| 377 Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage with MCC | 19 | $69,643 | -18% | $17,232 |
| 064 Intracranial Hemorrhage or Cerebral Infarction with MCC | 18 | $64,570 | -35% | $18,829 |
| 378 Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage with CC | 17 | $43,375 | -11% | $9,574 |
| 641 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and... | 17 | $36,104 | -3% | $8,113 |
| 392 Esophagitis, Gastroenteritis and Miscellaneous Digestive... | 15 | $38,412 | -4% | $8,192 |
| 194 Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with CC | 12 | $38,403 | 0% | $8,531 |
| 308 Cardiac Arrhythmia and Conduction Disorders with MCC | 12 | $32,006 | -43% | $12,282 |
| 640 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and... | 12 | $51,443 | -15% | $12,290 |
| 389 Gastrointestinal Obstruction with CC | 11 | $33,144 | -15% | $8,466 |
Outpatient services
| Service (APC) | Services | Avg charge | Medicare allowed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 Intraocular Procedures | 664 | $10,144 | $2,858 |
| Comprehensive Observation Services | 267 | $25,913 | $3,344 |
| Level 4 Urology and Related Services | 92 | $19,537 | $4,286 |
| Level 6 Urology and Related Services | 85 | $29,588 | $11,313 |
| Level 3 Vascular Procedures | 79 | $17,272 | $3,770 |
| Level 1 Laparoscopy and Related Services | 64 | $32,420 | $7,094 |
| Level 2 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage | 50 | $8,243 | $1,993 |
| Level 3 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage | 46 | $8,700 | $3,493 |
| Level 4 Vascular Procedures | 44 | $26,705 | $6,756 |
| Level 3 Urology and Related Services | 42 | $12,357 | $2,504 |
| Level 5 Urology and Related Services | 24 | $21,146 | $6,362 |
| Level 3 Extraocular, Repair, and Plastic Eye Procedures | 24 | $10,933 | $2,873 |
| Level 2 Upper GI Procedures | 20 | $12,936 | $2,281 |
| Level 2 Laparoscopy and Related Services | 16 | $43,636 | $12,038 |
| Level 2 Vascular Procedures | 13 | $11,246 | $1,969 |
| Level 2 Urology and Related Services | 13 | $10,039 | $840 |
Against the California average
For Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC (DRG 871), El Centro Regional Medical Center charged $74,143 on average, 48% less than the California average of $143,063, and was paid $19,065 against a state average of $23,020. For Heart Failure and Shock with MCC (DRG 291), El Centro Regional Medical Center charged $50,138 on average, 50% less than the California average of $100,739, and was paid $12,721 against a state average of $15,556. For Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with MCC (DRG 193), El Centro Regional Medical Center charged $61,380 on average, 41% less than the California average of $103,761, and was paid $13,899 against a state average of $15,112. For Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections with MCC (DRG 689), El Centro Regional Medical Center charged $50,655 on average, 38% less than the California average of $81,192, and was paid $11,605 against a state average of $13,102. For Level 1 Intraocular Procedures (outpatient APC 5491), its average charge of $10,144 was 52% below the state average of $20,986. For Comprehensive Observation Services (outpatient APC 8011), its average charge of $25,913 was 38% below the state average of $41,628. For Level 4 Urology and Related Services (outpatient APC 5374), its average charge of $19,537 was 46% below the state average of $36,378. For Level 6 Urology and Related Services (outpatient APC 5376), its average charge of $29,588 was 57% below the state average of $68,071.
Price-transparency record
CMS's enforcement list records these actions for a hospital named El Centro Regional Medical Center in El Centro, CA, under the federal hospital price-transparency rule (45 CFR part 180), which requires hospitals to post their standard charges online:
- Warning Notice — 2023-01-17 (CMS case 868)
- Closure Notice — 2023-05-01 (CMS case 868)
- Warning Notice — 2024-03-07 (CMS case 2262)
- Closure Notice — 2024-06-07 (CMS case 2262)
- Met Requirements — 2025-07-24 (CMS case 5942)
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.