New York / Erie County Medical Center
CMS certification 330219 · Buffalo, NY · 1 entry in CMS's price-transparency list
Erie County Medical Center: charges and Medicare payments
Erie County Medical Center reported 1,263 Medicare inpatient stays across 55 DRGs in 2024. Across them it charged 2.64 times what it was paid — mid-range in New York, number 67 of 123 hospitals with at least 100 stays (state median 2.74×, national 4.15×). Its most frequent stay was DRG 871, Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC: 90 stays at an average charge of $68,159, 25% below the national average. It also billed 1,239 outpatient services, charging 2.89 times what Medicare paid.
- 1Medicare inpatient stays 1,263
- 2Charge ÷ paid, inpatient 2.64×
- 3Rank in NY (highest ratio = 1) 67 of 123
- 4CMS price-transparency actions 1
Inpatient stays
For the 55 DRGs that can be compared with the national average, Erie County Medical Center charged more than the national average in 3 (5%). 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 | 90 | $68,159 | -25% | $25,458 |
| 897 Alcohol, Drug Abuse or Dependence without Rehabilitation... | 75 | $18,781 | -49% | $11,101 |
| 291 Heart Failure and Shock with MCC | 60 | $37,333 | -34% | $15,980 |
| 481 Hip and Femur Procedures except Major Joint with CC | 54 | $52,459 | -48% | $24,279 |
| 189 Pulmonary Edema and Respiratory Failure | 44 | $40,257 | -30% | $15,697 |
| 698 Other Kidney and Urinary Tract Diagnoses with MCC | 39 | $51,250 | -30% | $20,137 |
| 683 Renal Failure with CC | 38 | $28,868 | -29% | $12,251 |
| 690 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections without MCC | 34 | $25,780 | -32% | $10,367 |
| 470 Major Hip and Knee Joint Replacement or Reattachment of... | 32 | $35,825 | -62% | $20,557 |
| 552 Medical Back Problems without MCC | 32 | $35,894 | -27% | $12,048 |
| 493 Lower Extremity and Humerus Procedures except Hip, Foot and... | 31 | $52,902 | -56% | $27,313 |
| 603 Cellulitis without MCC | 27 | $24,541 | -34% | $11,504 |
| 699 Other Kidney and Urinary Tract Diagnoses with CC | 26 | $28,797 | -39% | $12,964 |
| 650 Kidney Transplant with Hemodialysis with MCC | 25 | $252,862 | -40% | $49,705 |
| 177 Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with MCC | 24 | $49,178 | -30% | $19,756 |
| 480 Hip and Femur Procedures except Major Joint with MCC | 24 | $69,584 | -50% | $32,513 |
| 652 Kidney Transplant | 24 | $215,017 | -36% | $35,271 |
| 483 Major Joint or Limb Reattachment Procedures of Upper... | 23 | $58,352 | -54% | $25,561 |
| 638 Diabetes with CC | 22 | $32,944 | -21% | $14,431 |
| 640 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and... | 22 | $42,922 | -29% | $17,139 |
| 190 Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease with MCC | 20 | $36,408 | -28% | $13,663 |
| 853 Infectious and Parasitic Diseases with O.R. Procedures with... | 20 | $171,586 | -25% | $68,048 |
| 682 Renal Failure with MCC | 19 | $74,813 | +13% | $22,769 |
| 689 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections with MCC | 19 | $71,635 | +40% | $14,821 |
| 200 Pneumothorax with CC | 18 | $43,803 | -18% | $15,110 |
| 641 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and... | 18 | $23,819 | -36% | $9,569 |
| 083 Traumatic Stupor and Coma >1 Hour with CC | 17 | $54,944 | -25% | $17,715 |
| 312 Syncope and Collapse | 17 | $35,518 | -22% | $10,853 |
| 894 Alcohol, Drug Abuse or Dependence, Left Ama | 17 | $12,241 | -57% | $7,237 |
| 433 Cirrhosis and Alcoholic Hepatitis with CC | 16 | $29,794 | -43% | $13,244 |
| 494 Lower Extremity and Humerus Procedures except Hip, Foot and... | 16 | $39,310 | -59% | $22,870 |
| 522 Hip Replacement with Principal Diagnosis of Hip Fracture... | 16 | $51,673 | -50% | $24,093 |
| 870 Septicemia or Severe Sepsis with MV >96 Hours | 16 | $196,010 | -39% | $79,198 |
| 872 Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours without MCC | 16 | $30,171 | -38% | $12,961 |
| 082 Traumatic Stupor and Coma >1 Hour with MCC | 15 | $89,511 | -22% | $24,977 |
| 392 Esophagitis, Gastroenteritis and Miscellaneous Digestive... | 15 | $26,060 | -35% | $10,709 |
| 884 Organic Disturbances and Intellectual Disability | 15 | $39,035 | -37% | $21,744 |
| 184 Major Chest Trauma with CC | 14 | $51,847 | -7% | $13,595 |
| 193 Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with MCC | 14 | $70,411 | +18% | $22,947 |
| 391 Esophagitis, Gastroenteritis and Miscellaneous Digestive... | 14 | $42,361 | -31% | $16,577 |
| 563 Fracture, Sprain, Strain and Dislocation except Femur, Hip,... | 14 | $36,023 | -15% | $11,298 |
| 602 Cellulitis with MCC | 14 | $28,440 | -53% | $14,901 |
| 812 Red Blood Cell Disorders without MCC | 14 | $29,796 | -33% | $11,142 |
| 191 Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease with CC | 13 | $30,140 | -24% | $10,579 |
| 492 Lower Extremity and Humerus Procedures except Hip, Foot and... | 13 | $96,425 | -41% | $40,494 |
| 918 Poisoning and Toxic Effects of Drugs without MCC | 13 | $28,181 | -30% | $10,409 |
| 981 Extensive O.R. Procedures Unrelated To Principal Diagnosis... | 13 | $62,024 | -71% | $46,802 |
| 207 Respiratory System Diagnosis with Ventilator Support >96... | 12 | $166,249 | -43% | $65,478 |
| 314 Other Circulatory System Diagnoses with MCC | 12 | $47,337 | -50% | $25,133 |
| 896 Alcohol, Drug Abuse or Dependence without Rehabilitation... | 12 | $48,212 | -38% | $25,650 |
| 064 Intracranial Hemorrhage or Cerebral Infarction with MCC | 11 | $60,440 | -39% | $26,735 |
| 101 Seizures without MCC | 11 | $28,720 | -41% | $11,359 |
| 194 Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with CC | 11 | $18,787 | -51% | $9,777 |
| 252 Other Vascular Procedures with MCC | 11 | $51,444 | -70% | $34,478 |
| 811 Red Blood Cell Disorders with MCC | 11 | $33,178 | -51% | $17,447 |
Outpatient services
Against the New York average
For Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC (DRG 871), Erie County Medical Center charged $68,159 on average, 42% less than the New York average of $116,930, and was paid $25,458 against a state average of $24,426. For Alcohol, Drug Abuse or Dependence without Rehabilitation Therapy without MCC (DRG 897), Erie County Medical Center charged $18,781 on average, 57% less than the New York average of $44,135, and was paid $11,101 against a state average of $12,090. For Heart Failure and Shock with MCC (DRG 291), Erie County Medical Center charged $37,333 on average, 54% less than the New York average of $81,161, and was paid $15,980 against a state average of $16,034. For Hip and Femur Procedures except Major Joint with CC (DRG 481), Erie County Medical Center charged $52,459 on average, 53% less than the New York average of $111,979, and was paid $24,279 against a state average of $23,668. For Comprehensive Observation Services (outpatient APC 8011), its average charge of $15,706 was 41% below the state average of $26,675. For Level 5 Musculoskeletal Procedures (outpatient APC 5115), its average charge of $23,465 was 65% below the state average of $67,926. For Level 4 ENT Procedures (outpatient APC 5164), its average charge of $9,771 was 40% below the state average of $16,158. For Level 2 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage (outpatient APC 5072), its average charge of $9,695 was 24% below the state average of $12,815.
Price-transparency record
CMS's enforcement list records these actions for a hospital named Erie County Medical Center in Buffalo, NY, under the federal hospital price-transparency rule (45 CFR part 180), which requires hospitals to post their standard charges online:
- Met Requirements — 2025-03-25 (CMS case 3392)
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.