California / French Hospital Medical Center
CMS certification 050232 · San Luis Obispo, CA · 2 entries in CMS's price-transparency list
French Hospital Medical Center: charges and Medicare payments
French Hospital Medical Center reported 1,357 Medicare inpatient stays across 47 DRGs in 2024. Across them it charged 6.31 times what it was paid — among the higher ratios in California, number 79 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: 230 stays at an average charge of $119,916, 33% above the national average. It also billed 2,371 outpatient services, charging 6.99 times what Medicare paid.
- 1Medicare inpatient stays 1,357
- 2Charge ÷ paid, inpatient 6.31×
- 3Rank in CA (highest ratio = 1) 79 of 247
- 4CMS price-transparency actions 2
Inpatient stays
For the 47 DRGs that can be compared with the national average, French Hospital Medical Center charged more than the national average in 44 (94%). 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 | 230 | $119,916 | +33% | $18,111 |
| 291 Heart Failure and Shock with MCC | 120 | $68,393 | +21% | $11,470 |
| 193 Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with MCC | 56 | $73,970 | +24% | $12,419 |
| 177 Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with MCC | 53 | $111,110 | +57% | $15,566 |
| 267 Endovascular Cardiac Valve Replacement and Supplement... | 51 | $312,436 | +41% | $45,795 |
| 322 Percutaneous Cardiovascular Procedures with Intraluminal... | 45 | $134,583 | +17% | $17,762 |
| 274 Percutaneous and Other Intracardiac Procedures without MCC | 43 | $155,426 | -1% | $31,591 |
| 872 Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours without MCC | 40 | $61,594 | +26% | $9,584 |
| 853 Infectious and Parasitic Diseases with O.R. Procedures with... | 39 | $331,126 | +45% | $47,892 |
| 189 Pulmonary Edema and Respiratory Failure | 38 | $89,062 | +55% | $13,311 |
| 378 Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage with CC | 33 | $72,029 | +48% | $9,506 |
| 389 Gastrointestinal Obstruction with CC | 27 | $48,029 | +23% | $7,729 |
| 392 Esophagitis, Gastroenteritis and Miscellaneous Digestive... | 26 | $51,759 | +29% | $7,642 |
| 308 Cardiac Arrhythmia and Conduction Disorders with MCC | 25 | $77,227 | +36% | $11,959 |
| 321 Percutaneous Cardiovascular Procedures with Intraluminal... | 24 | $166,749 | +2% | $27,178 |
| 640 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and... | 24 | $63,891 | +6% | $12,140 |
| 243 Permanent Cardiac Pacemaker Implant with CC | 23 | $121,761 | +10% | $21,495 |
| 175 Pulmonary Embolism with MCC or Acute Cor Pulmonale | 20 | $67,021 | +3% | $13,188 |
| 470 Major Hip and Knee Joint Replacement or Reattachment of... | 20 | $105,063 | +13% | $17,925 |
| 481 Hip and Femur Procedures except Major Joint with CC | 20 | $133,909 | +33% | $19,510 |
| 683 Renal Failure with CC | 20 | $52,199 | +28% | $8,486 |
| 690 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections without MCC | 20 | $48,169 | +27% | $7,489 |
| 698 Other Kidney and Urinary Tract Diagnoses with MCC | 20 | $79,875 | +9% | $15,135 |
| 286 Circulatory Disorders except AMI, with Cardiac... | 19 | $128,509 | +14% | $21,076 |
| 641 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and... | 19 | $51,488 | +39% | $7,419 |
| 039 Extracranial Procedures without CC/MCC | 18 | $80,897 | +27% | $10,963 |
| 242 Permanent Cardiac Pacemaker Implant with MCC | 17 | $166,632 | +4% | $32,175 |
| 682 Renal Failure with MCC | 17 | $88,211 | +34% | $13,311 |
| 689 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections with MCC | 17 | $59,193 | +15% | $15,034 |
| 377 Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage with MCC | 16 | $130,294 | +53% | $15,655 |
| 219 Cardiac Valve and Other Major Cardiothoracic Procedures... | 15 | $507,650 | +27% | $85,870 |
| 280 Acute Myocardial Infarction, Discharged Alive with MCC | 15 | $104,316 | +38% | $14,712 |
| 391 Esophagitis, Gastroenteritis and Miscellaneous Digestive... | 15 | $73,981 | +21% | $12,244 |
| 603 Cellulitis without MCC | 15 | $50,202 | +35% | $8,541 |
| 314 Other Circulatory System Diagnoses with MCC | 14 | $124,586 | +31% | $18,316 |
| 444 Disorders of The Biliary Tract with MCC | 14 | $95,946 | +15% | $15,705 |
| 266 Endovascular Cardiac Valve Replacement and Supplement... | 13 | $346,395 | +22% | $57,894 |
| 064 Intracranial Hemorrhage or Cerebral Infarction with MCC | 12 | $90,061 | -10% | $16,873 |
| 070 Other Cerebrovascular Disorders with MCC | 12 | $94,550 | +24% | $17,306 |
| 269 Aortic and Heart Assist Procedures except Pulsation Balloon... | 12 | $163,659 | -15% | $39,215 |
| 281 Acute Myocardial Infarction, Discharged Alive with CC | 12 | $71,667 | +42% | $8,841 |
| 309 Cardiac Arrhythmia and Conduction Disorders with CC | 12 | $44,215 | +22% | $7,435 |
| 312 Syncope and Collapse | 12 | $62,428 | +37% | $8,374 |
| 194 Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with CC | 11 | $47,905 | +25% | $7,914 |
| 315 Other Circulatory System Diagnoses with CC | 11 | $70,667 | +47% | $9,130 |
| 388 Gastrointestinal Obstruction with MCC | 11 | $75,964 | +11% | $13,635 |
| 870 Septicemia or Severe Sepsis with MV >96 Hours | 11 | $404,993 | +25% | $64,525 |
Outpatient services
Against the California average
For Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC (DRG 871), French Hospital Medical Center charged $119,916 on average, 16% less than the California average of $143,063, and was paid $18,111 against a state average of $23,020. For Heart Failure and Shock with MCC (DRG 291), French Hospital Medical Center charged $68,393 on average, 32% less than the California average of $100,739, and was paid $11,470 against a state average of $15,556. For Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with MCC (DRG 193), French Hospital Medical Center charged $73,970 on average, 29% less than the California average of $103,761, and was paid $12,419 against a state average of $15,112. For Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with MCC (DRG 177), French Hospital Medical Center charged $111,110 on average, 11% less than the California average of $124,302, and was paid $15,566 against a state average of $18,986. For Level 5 Musculoskeletal Procedures (outpatient APC 5115), its average charge of $100,710 was 8% below the state average of $109,149. For Comprehensive Observation Services (outpatient APC 8011), its average charge of $33,525 was 19% below the state average of $41,628. For Level 2 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage (outpatient APC 5072), its average charge of $11,342 was 23% below the state average of $14,749. For Level 1 Endovascular Procedures (outpatient APC 5191), its average charge of $32,700 was 19% below the state average of $40,544.
Price-transparency record
CMS's enforcement list records these actions for a hospital named French Hospital Medical Center in San Luis Obispo, CA, under the federal hospital price-transparency rule (45 CFR part 180), which requires hospitals to post their standard charges online:
- Met Requirements — 2022-12-29 (CMS case 590)
- Met Requirements — 2025-06-09 (CMS case 5000)
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.