Washington / Harborview Medical Center
CMS certification 500064 · Seattle, WA · 4 entries in CMS's price-transparency list
Harborview Medical Center: charges and Medicare payments
Harborview Medical Center reported 1,808 Medicare inpatient stays across 75 DRGs in 2024. Across them it charged 3.88 times what it was paid — among the lower ratios in Washington, number 29 of 43 hospitals with at least 100 stays (state median 4.37×, national 4.15×). Its most frequent stay was DRG 871, Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC: 82 stays at an average charge of $110,643, 23% above the national average. It also billed 1,733 outpatient services, charging 8.71 times what Medicare paid.
- 1Medicare inpatient stays 1,808
- 2Charge ÷ paid, inpatient 3.88×
- 3Rank in WA (highest ratio = 1) 29 of 43
- 4CMS price-transparency actions 4
Inpatient stays
For the 75 DRGs that can be compared with the national average, Harborview Medical Center charged more than the national average in 44 (59%). 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 | 82 | $110,643 | +23% | $24,152 |
| 481 Hip and Femur Procedures except Major Joint with CC | 74 | $128,526 | +28% | $27,922 |
| 025 Craniotomy and Endovascular Intracranial Procedures with MCC | 63 | $270,789 | +17% | $63,416 |
| 023 Craniotomy with Major Device Implant or Acute Complex Cns... | 59 | $258,770 | -8% | $68,774 |
| 065 Intracranial Hemorrhage or Cerebral Infarction with CC or... | 59 | $69,036 | +24% | $15,663 |
| 064 Intracranial Hemorrhage or Cerebral Infarction with MCC | 51 | $110,894 | +11% | $25,440 |
| 454 Combined Anterior and Posterior Spinal Fusion with CC | 49 | $261,453 | -7% | $80,987 |
| 184 Major Chest Trauma with CC | 47 | $49,227 | -11% | $15,480 |
| 640 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and... | 47 | $65,275 | +8% | $15,166 |
| 026 Craniotomy and Endovascular Intracranial Procedures with CC | 43 | $167,586 | +2% | $40,886 |
| 460 Spinal Fusion except Cervical without MCC | 39 | $212,103 | +25% | $50,486 |
| 082 Traumatic Stupor and Coma >1 Hour with MCC | 37 | $115,711 | 0% | $34,948 |
| 480 Hip and Femur Procedures except Major Joint with MCC | 37 | $197,820 | +43% | $44,109 |
| 101 Seizures without MCC | 35 | $41,326 | -15% | $14,210 |
| 957 Other O.R. Procedures for Multiple Significant Trauma with... | 35 | $427,596 | +8% | $131,768 |
| 516 Other Musculoskeletal System and Connective Tissue O.R.... | 31 | $99,201 | -2% | $24,408 |
| 853 Infectious and Parasitic Diseases with O.R. Procedures with... | 31 | $308,629 | +35% | $75,514 |
| 183 Major Chest Trauma with MCC | 30 | $76,077 | +2% | $20,536 |
| 472 Cervical Spinal Fusion with CC | 29 | $167,045 | +17% | $36,612 |
| 493 Lower Extremity and Humerus Procedures except Hip, Foot and... | 29 | $146,061 | +23% | $33,082 |
| 963 Other Multiple Significant Trauma with MCC | 28 | $136,397 | -1% | $32,803 |
| 027 Craniotomy and Endovascular Intracranial Procedures without... | 27 | $171,258 | +23% | $29,996 |
| 603 Cellulitis without MCC | 27 | $32,447 | -13% | $11,175 |
| 083 Traumatic Stupor and Coma >1 Hour with CC | 26 | $102,490 | +40% | $22,865 |
| 641 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and... | 26 | $42,188 | +14% | $11,934 |
| 291 Heart Failure and Shock with MCC | 24 | $97,906 | +74% | $20,474 |
| 193 Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with MCC | 22 | $62,757 | +5% | $15,794 |
| 519 Back and Neck Procedures except Spinal Fusion with CC | 22 | $111,132 | +6% | $23,308 |
| 552 Medical Back Problems without MCC | 22 | $45,250 | -7% | $11,806 |
| 928 Full Thickness Burn with Skin Graft or Inhalation Injury... | 20 | $210,005 | -39% | $82,837 |
| 958 Other O.R. Procedures for Multiple Significant Trauma with... | 20 | $185,515 | -14% | $50,931 |
| 003 ECMO or Tracheostomy with MV >96 Hours or Principal... | 19 | $875,566 | -17% | $265,061 |
| 177 Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with MCC | 19 | $95,189 | +35% | $22,372 |
| 964 Other Multiple Significant Trauma with CC | 19 | $80,716 | +3% | $19,989 |
| 020 Intracranial Vascular Procedures with Principal Diagnosis... | 18 | $444,304 | +9% | $108,586 |
| 125 Other Disorders of The Eye without MCC | 18 | $39,735 | -9% | $10,452 |
| 515 Other Musculoskeletal System and Connective Tissue O.R.... | 18 | $155,068 | +3% | $35,604 |
| 698 Other Kidney and Urinary Tract Diagnoses with MCC | 18 | $75,843 | +3% | $18,977 |
| 029 Spinal Procedures with CC or Spinal Neurostimulators | 17 | $202,798 | +18% | $52,441 |
| 092 Other Disorders of Nervous System with CC | 17 | $70,886 | +37% | $13,158 |
| 309 Cardiac Arrhythmia and Conduction Disorders with CC | 17 | $44,867 | +24% | $10,236 |
| 956 Limb Reattachment, Hip and Femur Procedures for Multiple... | 17 | $270,168 | +53% | $58,511 |
| 459 Spinal Fusion except Cervical with MCC | 16 | $293,203 | +1% | $91,376 |
| 536 Fractures of Hip and Pelvis without MCC | 16 | $36,408 | -3% | $9,970 |
| 934 Full Thickness Burn without Skin Graft or Inhalation Injury | 16 | $34,681 | -59% | $23,384 |
| 028 Spinal Procedures with MCC | 15 | $341,138 | +16% | $74,909 |
| 057 Degenerative Nervous System Disorders without MCC | 15 | $40,443 | -29% | $16,045 |
| 086 Traumatic Stupor and Coma <1 Hour with CC | 15 | $65,338 | -4% | $15,798 |
| 190 Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease with MCC | 15 | $76,834 | +52% | $19,007 |
| 253 Other Vascular Procedures with CC | 15 | $121,231 | -8% | $34,520 |
| 453 Combined Anterior and Posterior Spinal Fusion with MCC | 15 | $494,735 | +9% | $107,291 |
| 494 Lower Extremity and Humerus Procedures except Hip, Foot and... | 15 | $98,805 | +4% | $22,775 |
| 551 Medical Back Problems with MCC | 15 | $119,735 | +52% | $23,493 |
| 682 Renal Failure with MCC | 15 | $71,080 | +8% | $17,126 |
| 857 Postoperative or Post-Traumatic Infections with O.R.... | 15 | $77,815 | -22% | $23,458 |
| 908 Other O.R. Procedures for Injuries with CC | 15 | $95,830 | -1% | $27,193 |
| 917 Poisoning and Toxic Effects of Drugs with MCC | 14 | $119,878 | +60% | $21,144 |
| 033 Ventricular Shunt Procedures without CC/MCC | 13 | $68,738 | -21% | $19,980 |
| 269 Aortic and Heart Assist Procedures except Pulsation Balloon... | 13 | $189,498 | -2% | $47,300 |
| 091 Other Disorders of Nervous System with MCC | 12 | $89,530 | +8% | $27,448 |
Showing the 60 most frequent of 75 DRGs.
Outpatient services
Against the Washington average
For Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC (DRG 871), Harborview Medical Center charged $110,643 on average, 41% more than the Washington average of $78,715, and was paid $24,152 against a state average of $18,304. For Hip and Femur Procedures except Major Joint with CC (DRG 481), Harborview Medical Center charged $128,526 on average, 34% more than the Washington average of $96,255, and was paid $27,922 against a state average of $19,127. For Craniotomy and Endovascular Intracranial Procedures with MCC (DRG 025), Harborview Medical Center charged $270,789 on average, 39% more than the Washington average of $194,831, and was paid $63,416 against a state average of $46,418. For Craniotomy with Major Device Implant or Acute Complex Cns Principal Diagnosis with MCC O (DRG 023), Harborview Medical Center charged $258,770 on average, 15% more than the Washington average of $224,439, and was paid $68,774 against a state average of $58,519. For Level 1 Intraocular Procedures (outpatient APC 5491), its average charge of $10,327 was 0% below the state average of $10,318. For Level 3 Extraocular, Repair, and Plastic Eye Procedures (outpatient APC 5503), its average charge of $11,939 was 20% below the state average of $15,000. For Level 4 Musculoskeletal Procedures (outpatient APC 5114), its average charge of $48,084 was 6% above the state average of $45,214. For Level 4 Vascular Procedures (outpatient APC 5184), its average charge of $46,349 was 11% above the state average of $41,865.
Price-transparency record
CMS's enforcement list records these actions for a hospital named Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, WA, under the federal hospital price-transparency rule (45 CFR part 180), which requires hospitals to post their standard charges online:
- Met Requirements — 2024-03-27 (CMS case 1596)
- Warning Notice — 2025-03-24 (CMS case 3304)
- CAP Request — 2025-06-26 (CMS case 3304)
- Closure Notice — 2025-07-09 (CMS case 3304)
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.