Minnesota / Essentia Health St Joseph's Medical Center
CMS certification 240075 · Brainerd, MN
Essentia Health St Joseph's Medical Center: charges and Medicare payments
Essentia Health St Joseph's Medical Center reported 711 Medicare inpatient stays across 25 DRGs in 2024. Across them it charged 2.54 times what it was paid — mid-range in Minnesota, number 28 of 43 hospitals with at least 100 stays (state median 2.98×, national 4.15×). Its most frequent stay was DRG 871, Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC: 194 stays at an average charge of $32,573, 64% below the national average. It also billed 1,229 outpatient services, charging 4.65 times what Medicare paid.
- 1Medicare inpatient stays 711
- 2Charge ÷ paid, inpatient 2.54×
- 3Rank in MN (highest ratio = 1) 28 of 43
- 4CMS price-transparency actions 0
Inpatient stays
For the 25 DRGs that can be compared with the national average, Essentia Health St Joseph's Medical Center 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 | 194 | $32,573 | -64% | $16,162 |
| 291 Heart Failure and Shock with MCC | 67 | $29,118 | -48% | $11,398 |
| 885 Psychoses | 48 | $21,828 | -50% | $11,308 |
| 189 Pulmonary Edema and Respiratory Failure | 42 | $26,461 | -54% | $10,054 |
| 481 Hip and Femur Procedures except Major Joint with CC | 29 | $46,742 | -54% | $17,046 |
| 322 Percutaneous Cardiovascular Procedures with Intraluminal... | 26 | $65,819 | -43% | $15,850 |
| 698 Other Kidney and Urinary Tract Diagnoses with MCC | 25 | $22,777 | -69% | $13,458 |
| 321 Percutaneous Cardiovascular Procedures with Intraluminal... | 23 | $87,417 | -47% | $25,522 |
| 280 Acute Myocardial Infarction, Discharged Alive with MCC | 21 | $33,241 | -56% | $13,069 |
| 641 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and... | 20 | $20,501 | -45% | $6,425 |
| 872 Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours without MCC | 19 | $24,425 | -50% | $8,451 |
| 690 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections without MCC | 18 | $19,536 | -48% | $6,569 |
| 522 Hip Replacement with Principal Diagnosis of Hip Fracture... | 17 | $50,682 | -50% | $18,390 |
| 309 Cardiac Arrhythmia and Conduction Disorders with CC | 16 | $19,385 | -46% | $6,913 |
| 065 Intracranial Hemorrhage or Cerebral Infarction with CC or... | 15 | $30,902 | -45% | $8,371 |
| 392 Esophagitis, Gastroenteritis and Miscellaneous Digestive... | 15 | $24,123 | -40% | $6,446 |
| 683 Renal Failure with CC | 15 | $30,403 | -25% | $8,175 |
| 194 Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with CC | 14 | $20,229 | -47% | $7,132 |
| 378 Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage with CC | 14 | $24,767 | -49% | $8,001 |
| 308 Cardiac Arrhythmia and Conduction Disorders with MCC | 13 | $22,210 | -61% | $9,776 |
| 480 Hip and Femur Procedures except Major Joint with MCC | 13 | $69,241 | -50% | $24,144 |
| 394 Other Digestive System Diagnoses with CC | 12 | $26,323 | -44% | $7,683 |
| 603 Cellulitis without MCC | 12 | $19,176 | -49% | $7,242 |
| 640 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and... | 12 | $28,700 | -52% | $11,847 |
| 389 Gastrointestinal Obstruction with CC | 11 | $19,465 | -50% | $6,554 |
Outpatient services
Against the Minnesota average
For Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC (DRG 871), Essentia Health St Joseph's Medical Center charged $32,573 on average, 45% less than the Minnesota average of $59,297, and was paid $16,162 against a state average of $17,952. For Heart Failure and Shock with MCC (DRG 291), Essentia Health St Joseph's Medical Center charged $29,118 on average, 28% less than the Minnesota average of $40,341, and was paid $11,398 against a state average of $11,754. For Psychoses (DRG 885), Essentia Health St Joseph's Medical Center charged $21,828 on average, 66% less than the Minnesota average of $64,706, and was paid $11,308 against a state average of $15,086. For Pulmonary Edema and Respiratory Failure (DRG 189), Essentia Health St Joseph's Medical Center charged $26,461 on average, 37% less than the Minnesota average of $41,872, and was paid $10,054 against a state average of $11,683. For Comprehensive Observation Services (outpatient APC 8011), its average charge of $13,167 was 11% below the state average of $14,738. For Level 2 Urology and Related Services (outpatient APC 5372), its average charge of $969 was 38% below the state average of $1,551. For Level 5 Musculoskeletal Procedures (outpatient APC 5115), its average charge of $37,907 was 3% below the state average of $39,247. For Level 2 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage (outpatient APC 5072), its average charge of $6,800 was 7% below the state average of $7,303.
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.