Texas / HCA Houston Healthcare Clear Lake

CMS certification 450617 · Webster, TX · 3 entries in CMS's price-transparency list

HCA Houston Healthcare Clear Lake: charges and Medicare payments

HCA Houston Healthcare Clear Lake reported 3,440 Medicare inpatient stays across 109 DRGs in 2024. Across them it charged 11.88 times what it was paid — among the higher ratios in Texas, number 14 of 190 hospitals with at least 100 stays (state median 5.35×, national 4.15×). Its most frequent stay was DRG 871, Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC: 358 stays at an average charge of $211,892, 135% above the national average. It also billed 1,581 outpatient services, charging 16.34 times what Medicare paid.

1Medicare inpatient stays 3,440
2Charge ÷ paid, inpatient 11.88×
3Rank in TX (highest ratio = 1) 14 of 190
4CMS price-transparency actions 3

Average charge per stay at HCA Houston Healthcare Clear Lake, its 10 most frequent DRGs, bars to scale. Source: CMS DY2024.

Inpatient stays

For the 109 DRGs that can be compared with the national average, HCA Houston Healthcare Clear Lake charged more than the national average in 109 (100%). 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	358	$211,892	+135%	$16,632
291 Heart Failure and Shock with MCC	180	$108,927	+93%	$10,865
274 Percutaneous and Other Intracardiac Procedures without MCC	115	$347,440	+122%	$25,251
640 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and...	82	$104,704	+74%	$10,874
682 Renal Failure with MCC	81	$136,059	+106%	$12,206
392 Esophagitis, Gastroenteritis and Miscellaneous Digestive...	76	$74,688	+86%	$7,209
683 Renal Failure with CC	74	$73,643	+81%	$8,134
853 Infectious and Parasitic Diseases with O.R. Procedures with...	69	$534,258	+133%	$41,005
193 Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with MCC	67	$153,991	+158%	$11,066
690 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections without MCC	60	$67,834	+79%	$7,325
280 Acute Myocardial Infarction, Discharged Alive with MCC	58	$155,138	+105%	$13,277
689 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections with MCC	58	$86,678	+69%	$9,567
312 Syncope and Collapse	57	$77,089	+69%	$7,756
552 Medical Back Problems without MCC	56	$83,958	+72%	$8,321
698 Other Kidney and Urinary Tract Diagnoses with MCC	52	$142,507	+94%	$13,124
189 Pulmonary Edema and Respiratory Failure	46	$127,785	+122%	$10,782
872 Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours without MCC	46	$85,408	+74%	$9,064
064 Intracranial Hemorrhage or Cerebral Infarction with MCC	43	$206,414	+107%	$15,189
177 Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with MCC	42	$143,189	+103%	$13,150
481 Hip and Femur Procedures except Major Joint with CC	40	$215,894	+114%	$15,925
305 Hypertension without MCC	39	$71,460	+78%	$7,002
812 Red Blood Cell Disorders without MCC	39	$70,601	+59%	$7,968
267 Endovascular Cardiac Valve Replacement and Supplement...	38	$472,065	+113%	$35,776
313 Chest Pain	36	$62,510	+57%	$6,873
065 Intracranial Hemorrhage or Cerebral Infarction with CC or...	35	$138,194	+148%	$10,597
252 Other Vascular Procedures with MCC	35	$276,405	+62%	$26,281
270 Other Major Cardiovascular Procedures with MCC	34	$446,657	+72%	$44,894
287 Circulatory Disorders except AMI, with Cardiac...	34	$106,367	+66%	$9,412
235 Coronary Bypass without Cardiac Catheterization with MCC	32	$664,777	+127%	$47,088
377 Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage with MCC	32	$202,700	+137%	$14,555
641 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and...	32	$65,974	+78%	$7,089
811 Red Blood Cell Disorders with MCC	32	$96,060	+41%	$11,726
208 Respiratory System Diagnosis with Ventilator Support <=96...	31	$300,943	+122%	$20,302
069 Transient Ischemia without Thrombolytic	30	$88,122	+75%	$7,158
522 Hip Replacement with Principal Diagnosis of Hip Fracture...	30	$214,814	+110%	$16,144
699 Other Kidney and Urinary Tract Diagnoses with CC	30	$90,332	+90%	$8,823
100 Seizures with MCC	28	$178,712	+89%	$16,522
309 Cardiac Arrhythmia and Conduction Disorders with CC	28	$77,268	+114%	$6,991
603 Cellulitis without MCC	28	$61,082	+64%	$8,388
101 Seizures without MCC	27	$71,689	+47%	$8,576
322 Percutaneous Cardiovascular Procedures with Intraluminal...	27	$193,161	+69%	$15,660
470 Major Hip and Knee Joint Replacement or Reattachment of...	27	$154,297	+66%	$17,144
286 Circulatory Disorders except AMI, with Cardiac...	26	$179,861	+60%	$16,882
321 Percutaneous Cardiovascular Procedures with Intraluminal...	26	$304,002	+86%	$26,921
057 Degenerative Nervous System Disorders without MCC	25	$87,500	+55%	$11,116
329 Major Small and Large Bowel Procedures with MCC	25	$479,440	+123%	$39,412
638 Diabetes with CC	25	$83,819	+101%	$8,283
300 Peripheral Vascular Disorders with CC	24	$89,841	+82%	$9,462
194 Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with CC	22	$82,743	+116%	$8,997
310 Cardiac Arrhythmia and Conduction Disorders without CC/MCC	22	$50,985	+77%	$5,777
378 Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage with CC	22	$100,480	+107%	$8,466
086 Traumatic Stupor and Coma <1 Hour with CC	21	$116,231	+70%	$11,222
180 Respiratory Neoplasms with MCC	20	$205,161	+134%	$13,851
308 Cardiac Arrhythmia and Conduction Disorders with MCC	20	$110,728	+96%	$10,055
330 Major Small and Large Bowel Procedures with CC	20	$223,110	+87%	$18,608
870 Septicemia or Severe Sepsis with MV >96 Hours	20	$601,440	+86%	$46,731
056 Degenerative Nervous System Disorders with MCC	19	$140,777	+47%	$16,811
091 Other Disorders of Nervous System with MCC	19	$152,687	+85%	$13,542
243 Permanent Cardiac Pacemaker Implant with CC	19	$220,221	+98%	$17,577
271 Other Major Cardiovascular Procedures with CC	19	$436,445	+151%	$38,626

Showing the 60 most frequent of 109 DRGs.

Outpatient services

Service (APC)	Services	Avg charge	Medicare allowed
Level 1 Endovascular Procedures	267	$48,950	$2,986
Comprehensive Observation Services	179	$49,970	$2,538
Level 3 Endovascular Procedures	127	$136,652	$9,923
Level 3 Electrophysiologic Procedures	114	$267,773	$21,787
Level 2 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage	108	$26,825	$1,494
Level 4 Endovascular Procedures	71	$205,053	$16,226
Level 5 Musculoskeletal Procedures	70	$144,567	$12,187
Level 1 Laparoscopy and Related Services	61	$101,929	$5,210
Level 3 Vascular Procedures	58	$59,152	$2,956
Level 3 Pacemaker and Similar Procedures	50	$81,419	$9,894
Level 3 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage	39	$58,346	$2,635
Level 4 Musculoskeletal Procedures	37	$118,108	$6,491
Level 2 Vascular Procedures	36	$14,405	$1,452
Level 2 Endovascular Procedures	34	$95,923	$5,176
Level 3 Musculoskeletal Procedures	29	$66,168	$3,001
Level 4 Airway Endoscopy	28	$79,044	$3,374
Level 3 Urology and Related Services	28	$57,292	$1,781
Level 4 Vascular Procedures	27	$101,510	$5,096
Level 2 ICD and Similar Procedures	25	$153,096	$30,414
Level 2 Breast/Lymphatic Surgery and Related Procedures	23	$112,976	$6,047
Level 2 Upper GI Procedures	23	$37,144	$1,732
Level 2 Laparoscopy and Related Services	22	$150,972	$9,181
Level 3 Airway Endoscopy	21	$40,543	$1,574
Level 5 Airway Endoscopy	21	$104,796	$6,124
Level 1 Abdominal/Peritoneal/Biliary and Related Procedures	21	$83,274	$3,208

Against the Texas average

For Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC (DRG 871), HCA Houston Healthcare Clear Lake charged $211,892 on average, 91% more than the Texas average of $111,133, and was paid $16,632 against a state average of $16,694. For Heart Failure and Shock with MCC (DRG 291), HCA Houston Healthcare Clear Lake charged $108,927 on average, 60% more than the Texas average of $67,944, and was paid $10,865 against a state average of $11,820. For Percutaneous and Other Intracardiac Procedures without MCC (DRG 274), HCA Houston Healthcare Clear Lake charged $347,440 on average, 46% more than the Texas average of $237,571, and was paid $25,251 against a state average of $25,777. For Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and Electrolytes with MCC (DRG 640), HCA Houston Healthcare Clear Lake charged $104,704 on average, 54% more than the Texas average of $68,203, and was paid $10,874 against a state average of $12,119. For Level 1 Endovascular Procedures (outpatient APC 5191), its average charge of $48,950 was 35% above the state average of $36,220. For Comprehensive Observation Services (outpatient APC 8011), its average charge of $49,970 was 79% above the state average of $27,955. For Level 3 Endovascular Procedures (outpatient APC 5193), its average charge of $136,652 was 46% above the state average of $93,719. For Level 3 Electrophysiologic Procedures (outpatient APC 5213), its average charge of $267,773 was 21% above the state average of $221,522.

Price-transparency record

CMS's enforcement list records these actions for a hospital named HCA Houston Healthcare Clear Lake in Webster, TX, under the federal hospital price-transparency rule (45 CFR part 180), which requires hospitals to post their standard charges online:

Warning Notice — 2023-06-29 (CMS case 538)
Closure Notice — 2023-10-04 (CMS case 538)
Met Requirements — 2025-05-08 (CMS case 4354)

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.