Alabama / Helen Keller Memorial Hospital
CMS certification 010019 · Sheffield, AL · 1 entry in CMS's price-transparency list
Helen Keller Memorial Hospital: charges and Medicare payments
Helen Keller Memorial Hospital reported 892 Medicare inpatient stays across 32 DRGs in 2024. Across them it charged 3.47 times what it was paid — mid-range in Alabama, number 27 of 45 hospitals with at least 100 stays (state median 4.24×, national 4.15×). Its most frequent stay was DRG 871, Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC: 94 stays at an average charge of $42,241, 53% below the national average. It also billed 826 outpatient services, charging 4.35 times what Medicare paid.
- 1Medicare inpatient stays 892
- 2Charge ÷ paid, inpatient 3.47×
- 3Rank in AL (highest ratio = 1) 27 of 45
- 4CMS price-transparency actions 1
Inpatient stays
For the 32 DRGs that can be compared with the national average, Helen Keller Memorial Hospital charged more than the national average in 0 (0%). 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 | 94 | $42,241 | -53% | $12,551 |
| 291 Heart Failure and Shock with MCC | 80 | $26,915 | -52% | $8,442 |
| 690 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections without MCC | 61 | $18,200 | -52% | $5,703 |
| 392 Esophagitis, Gastroenteritis and Miscellaneous Digestive... | 47 | $22,065 | -45% | $5,452 |
| 193 Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with MCC | 41 | $31,307 | -48% | $8,559 |
| 190 Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease with MCC | 39 | $27,258 | -46% | $7,342 |
| 641 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and... | 38 | $18,409 | -50% | $5,407 |
| 689 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections with MCC | 37 | $29,492 | -43% | $7,903 |
| 194 Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with CC | 35 | $24,132 | -37% | $5,881 |
| 872 Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours without MCC | 35 | $27,360 | -44% | $6,756 |
| 177 Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with MCC | 31 | $49,453 | -30% | $10,948 |
| 683 Renal Failure with CC | 29 | $22,495 | -45% | $6,294 |
| 378 Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage with CC | 23 | $27,276 | -44% | $6,727 |
| 481 Hip and Femur Procedures except Major Joint with CC | 21 | $38,222 | -62% | $12,850 |
| 698 Other Kidney and Urinary Tract Diagnoses with MCC | 21 | $37,639 | -49% | $10,509 |
| 682 Renal Failure with MCC | 20 | $32,253 | -51% | $9,505 |
| 305 Hypertension without MCC | 19 | $18,103 | -55% | $5,270 |
| 310 Cardiac Arrhythmia and Conduction Disorders without CC/MCC | 17 | $14,720 | -49% | $4,330 |
| 522 Hip Replacement with Principal Diagnosis of Hip Fracture... | 17 | $36,575 | -64% | $13,745 |
| 178 Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with CC | 16 | $20,927 | -54% | $6,892 |
| 482 Hip and Femur Procedures except Major Joint without CC/MCC | 16 | $30,406 | -61% | $10,204 |
| 536 Fractures of Hip and Pelvis without MCC | 16 | $17,248 | -54% | $5,876 |
| 640 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and... | 16 | $39,938 | -34% | $8,273 |
| 812 Red Blood Cell Disorders without MCC | 16 | $22,669 | -49% | $6,150 |
| 189 Pulmonary Edema and Respiratory Failure | 15 | $28,413 | -51% | $8,172 |
| 603 Cellulitis without MCC | 15 | $23,363 | -37% | $6,101 |
| 853 Infectious and Parasitic Diseases with O.R. Procedures with... | 15 | $71,482 | -69% | $28,728 |
| 065 Intracranial Hemorrhage or Cerebral Infarction with CC or... | 13 | $25,888 | -54% | $6,992 |
| 191 Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease with CC | 13 | $29,932 | -24% | $5,833 |
| 308 Cardiac Arrhythmia and Conduction Disorders with MCC | 12 | $23,292 | -59% | $7,981 |
| 312 Syncope and Collapse | 12 | $16,460 | -64% | $5,892 |
| 389 Gastrointestinal Obstruction with CC | 12 | $19,864 | -49% | $5,504 |
Outpatient services
| Service (APC) | Services | Avg charge | Medicare allowed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Comprehensive Observation Services | 154 | $12,811 | $2,208 |
| Level 1 Intraocular Procedures | 136 | $5,336 | $1,842 |
| Level 5 Musculoskeletal Procedures | 91 | $25,913 | $10,568 |
| Level 5 Urology and Related Services | 71 | $8,975 | $4,048 |
| Level 2 Upper GI Procedures | 67 | $6,747 | $1,540 |
| Level 3 Urology and Related Services | 63 | $7,929 | $1,636 |
| Level 4 Urology and Related Services | 63 | $7,999 | $2,730 |
| Level 1 Laparoscopy and Related Services | 42 | $30,652 | $4,369 |
| Level 2 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage | 28 | $3,946 | $1,215 |
| Level 2 Vascular Procedures | 24 | $5,336 | $1,268 |
| Level 2 Musculoskeletal Procedures | 20 | $5,807 | $1,316 |
| Level 6 Urology and Related Services | 20 | $25,677 | $7,546 |
| Level 4 Musculoskeletal Procedures | 17 | $15,410 | $5,585 |
| Level 1 Abdominal/Peritoneal/Biliary and Related Procedures | 16 | $15,857 | $2,696 |
| Level 3 Vascular Procedures | 14 | $6,208 | $2,611 |
Against the Alabama average
For Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC (DRG 871), Helen Keller Memorial Hospital charged $42,241 on average, 47% less than the Alabama average of $80,125, and was paid $12,551 against a state average of $14,647. For Heart Failure and Shock with MCC (DRG 291), Helen Keller Memorial Hospital charged $26,915 on average, 39% less than the Alabama average of $43,997, and was paid $8,442 against a state average of $10,010. For Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections without MCC (DRG 690), Helen Keller Memorial Hospital charged $18,200 on average, 38% less than the Alabama average of $29,176, and was paid $5,703 against a state average of $6,893. For Esophagitis, Gastroenteritis and Miscellaneous Digestive Disorders without MCC (DRG 392), Helen Keller Memorial Hospital charged $22,065 on average, 36% less than the Alabama average of $34,651, and was paid $5,452 against a state average of $6,917. For Comprehensive Observation Services (outpatient APC 8011), its average charge of $12,811 was 23% below the state average of $16,650. For Level 1 Intraocular Procedures (outpatient APC 5491), its average charge of $5,336 was 48% below the state average of $10,352. For Level 5 Musculoskeletal Procedures (outpatient APC 5115), its average charge of $25,913 was 67% below the state average of $79,031. For Level 5 Urology and Related Services (outpatient APC 5375), its average charge of $8,975 was 73% below the state average of $32,806.
Price-transparency record
CMS's enforcement list records these actions for a hospital named Helen Keller Memorial Hospital in Sheffield, AL, under the federal hospital price-transparency rule (45 CFR part 180), which requires hospitals to post their standard charges online:
- Met Requirements — 2026-02-13 (CMS case 7028)
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.