North Carolina / Frye Regional Medical Center
CMS certification 340116 · Hickory, NC · 6 entries in CMS's price-transparency list
Frye Regional Medical Center: charges and Medicare payments
Frye Regional Medical Center reported 1,378 Medicare inpatient stays across 48 DRGs in 2024. Across them it charged 8.53 times what it was paid — among the higher ratios in North Carolina, number 1 of 73 hospitals with at least 100 stays (state median 3.55×, national 4.15×). Its most frequent stay was DRG 871, Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC: 137 stays at an average charge of $107,685, 19% above the national average. It also billed 1,267 outpatient services, charging 12.34 times what Medicare paid.
- 1Medicare inpatient stays 1,378
- 2Charge ÷ paid, inpatient 8.53×
- 3Rank in NC (highest ratio = 1) 1 of 73
- 4CMS price-transparency actions 6
Inpatient stays
For the 48 DRGs that can be compared with the national average, Frye Regional Medical Center charged more than the national average in 43 (90%). 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 | 137 | $107,685 | +19% | $13,183 |
| 274 Percutaneous and Other Intracardiac Procedures without MCC | 123 | $239,203 | +53% | $21,912 |
| 291 Heart Failure and Shock with MCC | 100 | $61,727 | +9% | $9,145 |
| 193 Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with MCC | 59 | $64,485 | +8% | $9,070 |
| 322 Percutaneous Cardiovascular Procedures with Intraluminal... | 45 | $134,565 | +17% | $13,160 |
| 310 Cardiac Arrhythmia and Conduction Disorders without CC/MCC | 42 | $33,411 | +16% | $4,642 |
| 177 Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with MCC | 40 | $93,264 | +32% | $11,499 |
| 309 Cardiac Arrhythmia and Conduction Disorders with CC | 40 | $47,110 | +30% | $5,699 |
| 683 Renal Failure with CC | 38 | $45,683 | +12% | $6,528 |
| 287 Circulatory Disorders except AMI, with Cardiac... | 32 | $70,787 | +11% | $7,769 |
| 190 Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease with MCC | 30 | $48,454 | -4% | $8,354 |
| 378 Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage with CC | 30 | $52,323 | +8% | $7,248 |
| 640 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and... | 30 | $81,496 | +35% | $9,521 |
| 872 Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours without MCC | 29 | $65,687 | +34% | $7,416 |
| 308 Cardiac Arrhythmia and Conduction Disorders with MCC | 26 | $62,600 | +11% | $8,976 |
| 312 Syncope and Collapse | 26 | $50,874 | +12% | $6,365 |
| 313 Chest Pain | 26 | $59,762 | +50% | $5,479 |
| 682 Renal Failure with MCC | 26 | $72,483 | +10% | $10,422 |
| 065 Intracranial Hemorrhage or Cerebral Infarction with CC or... | 25 | $65,405 | +17% | $7,178 |
| 280 Acute Myocardial Infarction, Discharged Alive with MCC | 25 | $85,216 | +12% | $10,666 |
| 689 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections with MCC | 25 | $54,877 | +7% | $8,197 |
| 243 Permanent Cardiac Pacemaker Implant with CC | 24 | $137,099 | +23% | $15,210 |
| 641 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and... | 24 | $51,142 | +38% | $5,851 |
| 690 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections without MCC | 24 | $45,089 | +19% | $5,835 |
| 698 Other Kidney and Urinary Tract Diagnoses with MCC | 23 | $89,436 | +22% | $11,602 |
| 064 Intracranial Hemorrhage or Cerebral Infarction with MCC | 21 | $81,021 | -19% | $12,318 |
| 392 Esophagitis, Gastroenteritis and Miscellaneous Digestive... | 21 | $59,981 | +49% | $5,780 |
| 286 Circulatory Disorders except AMI, with Cardiac... | 18 | $117,966 | +5% | $15,399 |
| 853 Infectious and Parasitic Diseases with O.R. Procedures with... | 17 | $236,372 | +3% | $31,691 |
| 242 Permanent Cardiac Pacemaker Implant with MCC | 16 | $212,176 | +32% | $23,345 |
| 321 Percutaneous Cardiovascular Procedures with Intraluminal... | 16 | $166,093 | +1% | $21,984 |
| 377 Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage with MCC | 16 | $99,309 | +16% | $11,851 |
| 266 Endovascular Cardiac Valve Replacement and Supplement... | 15 | $322,755 | +13% | $40,279 |
| 812 Red Blood Cell Disorders without MCC | 15 | $46,443 | +5% | $6,542 |
| 552 Medical Back Problems without MCC | 14 | $39,415 | -19% | $6,861 |
| 194 Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with CC | 13 | $47,280 | +23% | $6,085 |
| 234 Coronary Bypass with Cardiac Catheterization or Open... | 13 | $356,314 | +33% | $34,697 |
| 244 Permanent Cardiac Pacemaker Implant without CC/MCC | 13 | $108,576 | +17% | $12,530 |
| 481 Hip and Femur Procedures except Major Joint with CC | 13 | $123,772 | +23% | $13,844 |
| 482 Hip and Femur Procedures except Major Joint without CC/MCC | 13 | $93,545 | +20% | $10,933 |
| 039 Extracranial Procedures without CC/MCC | 12 | $99,079 | +55% | $8,116 |
| 070 Other Cerebrovascular Disorders with MCC | 12 | $86,973 | +14% | $10,981 |
| 189 Pulmonary Edema and Respiratory Failure | 12 | $88,473 | +54% | $8,789 |
| 281 Acute Myocardial Infarction, Discharged Alive with CC | 12 | $48,798 | -3% | $6,520 |
| 455 Combined Anterior and Posterior Spinal Fusion without CC/MCC | 12 | $208,645 | +3% | $32,357 |
| 460 Spinal Fusion except Cervical without MCC | 12 | $215,940 | +27% | $24,274 |
| 522 Hip Replacement with Principal Diagnosis of Hip Fracture... | 12 | $121,815 | +19% | $13,882 |
| 445 Disorders of The Biliary Tract with CC | 11 | $45,523 | -22% | $7,780 |
Outpatient services
Against the North Carolina average
For Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC (DRG 871), Frye Regional Medical Center charged $107,685 on average, 89% more than the North Carolina average of $56,936, and was paid $13,183 against a state average of $16,444. For Percutaneous and Other Intracardiac Procedures without MCC (DRG 274), Frye Regional Medical Center charged $239,203 on average, 85% more than the North Carolina average of $129,539, and was paid $21,912 against a state average of $25,878. For Heart Failure and Shock with MCC (DRG 291), Frye Regional Medical Center charged $61,727 on average, 72% more than the North Carolina average of $35,799, and was paid $9,145 against a state average of $11,305. For Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with MCC (DRG 193), Frye Regional Medical Center charged $64,485 on average, 62% more than the North Carolina average of $39,905, and was paid $9,070 against a state average of $11,523. For Comprehensive Observation Services (outpatient APC 8011), its average charge of $35,083 was 87% above the state average of $18,779. For Level 1 Endovascular Procedures (outpatient APC 5191), its average charge of $37,730 was 55% above the state average of $24,380. For Level 4 Musculoskeletal Procedures (outpatient APC 5114), its average charge of $57,879 was 48% above the state average of $38,985. For Level 2 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage (outpatient APC 5072), its average charge of $16,085 was 71% above the state average of $9,423.
Price-transparency record
CMS's enforcement list records these actions for a hospital named Frye Regional Medical Center in Hickory, NC, under the federal hospital price-transparency rule (45 CFR part 180), which requires hospitals to post their standard charges online:
- Warning Notice — 2021-10-27 (CMS case 202)
- Closure Notice — 2022-03-21 (CMS case 202)
- Warning Notice — 2025-06-27 (CMS case 5285)
- Closure Notice — 2025-09-26 (CMS case 5285)
- Warning Notice — 2026-04-14 (CMS case 7487)
- Closure Notice — 2026-07-20 (CMS case 7487)
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.