Texas / HCA Houston Healthcare Southeast
CMS certification 450097 · Pasadena, TX · 2 entries in CMS's price-transparency list
HCA Houston Healthcare Southeast: charges and Medicare payments
HCA Houston Healthcare Southeast reported 626 Medicare inpatient stays across 24 DRGs in 2024. Across them it charged 9.6 times what it was paid — among the higher ratios in Texas, number 40 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: 152 stays at an average charge of $187,903, 108% above the national average. It also billed 270 outpatient services, charging 21.59 times what Medicare paid.
- 1Medicare inpatient stays 626
- 2Charge ÷ paid, inpatient 9.6×
- 3Rank in TX (highest ratio = 1) 40 of 190
- 4CMS price-transparency actions 2
Inpatient stays
For the 24 DRGs that can be compared with the national average, HCA Houston Healthcare Southeast charged more than the national average in 24 (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 | 152 | $187,903 | +108% | $19,224 |
| 291 Heart Failure and Shock with MCC | 55 | $105,177 | +87% | $14,870 |
| 193 Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with MCC | 43 | $136,156 | +128% | $15,481 |
| 280 Acute Myocardial Infarction, Discharged Alive with MCC | 33 | $137,641 | +82% | $16,886 |
| 640 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and... | 29 | $125,540 | +108% | $16,541 |
| 853 Infectious and Parasitic Diseases with O.R. Procedures with... | 24 | $442,094 | +93% | $42,040 |
| 208 Respiratory System Diagnosis with Ventilator Support <=96... | 23 | $293,375 | +116% | $25,446 |
| 392 Esophagitis, Gastroenteritis and Miscellaneous Digestive... | 22 | $90,791 | +126% | $11,321 |
| 683 Renal Failure with CC | 21 | $96,492 | +137% | $11,858 |
| 189 Pulmonary Edema and Respiratory Failure | 19 | $113,564 | +97% | $14,465 |
| 470 Major Hip and Knee Joint Replacement or Reattachment of... | 19 | $257,577 | +176% | $22,894 |
| 698 Other Kidney and Urinary Tract Diagnoses with MCC | 19 | $199,756 | +172% | $17,635 |
| 377 Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage with MCC | 17 | $194,623 | +128% | $18,697 |
| 177 Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with MCC | 16 | $189,859 | +169% | $18,144 |
| 690 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections without MCC | 16 | $77,550 | +105% | $11,340 |
| 100 Seizures with MCC | 15 | $210,700 | +123% | $19,994 |
| 689 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections with MCC | 15 | $93,395 | +82% | $13,659 |
| 682 Renal Failure with MCC | 14 | $129,419 | +96% | $16,171 |
| 064 Intracranial Hemorrhage or Cerebral Infarction with MCC | 13 | $185,921 | +86% | $17,420 |
| 432 Cirrhosis and Alcoholic Hepatitis with MCC | 13 | $248,417 | +160% | $19,457 |
| 872 Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours without MCC | 13 | $103,772 | +112% | $13,452 |
| 321 Percutaneous Cardiovascular Procedures with Intraluminal... | 12 | $328,521 | +101% | $27,363 |
| 884 Organic Disturbances and Intellectual Disability | 12 | $130,830 | +110% | $17,167 |
| 270 Other Major Cardiovascular Procedures with MCC | 11 | $558,836 | +116% | $46,482 |
Outpatient services
| Service (APC) | Services | Avg charge | Medicare allowed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Comprehensive Observation Services | 76 | $61,623 | $2,538 |
| Level 4 Musculoskeletal Procedures | 38 | $99,658 | $6,495 |
| Level 1 Endovascular Procedures | 34 | $44,364 | $2,899 |
| Level 5 Musculoskeletal Procedures | 31 | $192,701 | $12,187 |
| Level 2 Upper GI Procedures | 17 | $26,962 | $1,764 |
| Level 3 Vascular Procedures | 14 | $95,002 | $2,956 |
| Level 6 Musculoskeletal Procedures | 13 | $315,454 | $17,243 |
| Level 3 Endovascular Procedures | 12 | $141,629 | $10,192 |
| Level 1 Laparoscopy and Related Services | 12 | $92,964 | $5,351 |
| Level 3 Urology and Related Services | 12 | $61,883 | $1,856 |
| Level 3 Musculoskeletal Procedures | 11 | $50,229 | $3,002 |
Against the Texas average
For Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC (DRG 871), HCA Houston Healthcare Southeast charged $187,903 on average, 69% more than the Texas average of $111,133, and was paid $19,224 against a state average of $16,694. For Heart Failure and Shock with MCC (DRG 291), HCA Houston Healthcare Southeast charged $105,177 on average, 55% more than the Texas average of $67,944, and was paid $14,870 against a state average of $11,820. For Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with MCC (DRG 193), HCA Houston Healthcare Southeast charged $136,156 on average, 85% more than the Texas average of $73,756, and was paid $15,481 against a state average of $11,597. For Acute Myocardial Infarction, Discharged Alive with MCC (DRG 280), HCA Houston Healthcare Southeast charged $137,641 on average, 48% more than the Texas average of $92,713, and was paid $16,886 against a state average of $13,694. For Comprehensive Observation Services (outpatient APC 8011), its average charge of $61,623 was 120% above the state average of $27,955. For Level 4 Musculoskeletal Procedures (outpatient APC 5114), its average charge of $99,658 was 69% above the state average of $58,833. For Level 1 Endovascular Procedures (outpatient APC 5191), its average charge of $44,364 was 22% above the state average of $36,220. For Level 5 Musculoskeletal Procedures (outpatient APC 5115), its average charge of $192,701 was 95% above the state average of $98,771.
Price-transparency record
CMS's enforcement list records these actions for a hospital named HCA Houston Healthcare Southeast in Pasadena, TX, under the federal hospital price-transparency rule (45 CFR part 180), which requires hospitals to post their standard charges online:
- Met Requirements — 2023-10-31 (CMS case 1917)
- Met Requirements — 2025-05-02 (CMS case 4231)
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.