California / Kaiser Foundation Hospital - South Bay
CMS certification 050411 · Harbor City, CA · 2 entries in CMS's price-transparency list
Kaiser Foundation Hospital - South Bay: charges and Medicare payments
Kaiser Foundation Hospital - South Bay reported 219 Medicare inpatient stays across 10 DRGs in 2024. Across them it charged 3.13 times what it was paid — among the lower ratios in California, number 218 of 247 hospitals with at least 100 stays (state median 5.18×, national 4.15×). Its most frequent stay was DRG 871, Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC: 84 stays at an average charge of $88,790, 2% below the national average. It also billed 104 outpatient services, charging 9.64 times what Medicare paid.
- 1Medicare inpatient stays 219
- 2Charge ÷ paid, inpatient 3.13×
- 3Rank in CA (highest ratio = 1) 218 of 247
- 4CMS price-transparency actions 2
Inpatient stays
For the 10 DRGs that can be compared with the national average, Kaiser Foundation Hospital - South Bay charged more than the national average in 4 (40%). 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 | 84 | $88,790 | -2% | $25,741 |
| 291 Heart Failure and Shock with MCC | 29 | $76,904 | +36% | $23,058 |
| 872 Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours without MCC | 25 | $35,623 | -27% | $13,049 |
| 177 Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with MCC | 12 | $53,320 | -24% | $31,857 |
| 280 Acute Myocardial Infarction, Discharged Alive with MCC | 12 | $61,653 | -19% | $26,016 |
| 392 Esophagitis, Gastroenteritis and Miscellaneous Digestive... | 12 | $41,633 | +4% | $30,568 |
| 853 Infectious and Parasitic Diseases with O.R. Procedures with... | 12 | $286,686 | +25% | $67,560 |
| 190 Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease with MCC | 11 | $68,880 | +36% | $11,888 |
| 193 Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with MCC | 11 | $43,238 | -28% | $21,047 |
| 377 Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage with MCC | 11 | $46,906 | -45% | $22,463 |
Outpatient services
| Service (APC) | Services | Avg charge | Medicare allowed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Comprehensive Observation Services | 69 | $34,787 | $3,289 |
| Level 2 Endovascular Procedures | 18 | $22,590 | $7,027 |
| Level 1 Intraocular Procedures | 17 | $9,660 | $2,056 |
Against the California average
For Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC (DRG 871), Kaiser Foundation Hospital - South Bay charged $88,790 on average, 38% less than the California average of $143,063, and was paid $25,741 against a state average of $23,020. For Heart Failure and Shock with MCC (DRG 291), Kaiser Foundation Hospital - South Bay charged $76,904 on average, 24% less than the California average of $100,739, and was paid $23,058 against a state average of $15,556. For Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours without MCC (DRG 872), Kaiser Foundation Hospital - South Bay charged $35,623 on average, 53% less than the California average of $76,120, and was paid $13,049 against a state average of $12,552. For Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with MCC (DRG 177), Kaiser Foundation Hospital - South Bay charged $53,320 on average, 57% less than the California average of $124,302, and was paid $31,857 against a state average of $18,986. For Comprehensive Observation Services (outpatient APC 8011), its average charge of $34,787 was 16% below the state average of $41,628. For Level 2 Endovascular Procedures (outpatient APC 5192), its average charge of $22,590 was 56% below the state average of $51,060. For Level 1 Intraocular Procedures (outpatient APC 5491), its average charge of $9,660 was 54% below the state average of $20,986.
Price-transparency record
CMS's enforcement list records these actions for a hospital named Kaiser Foundation Hospital - South Bay in Harbor City, CA, under the federal hospital price-transparency rule (45 CFR part 180), which requires hospitals to post their standard charges online:
- Met Requirements — 2025-04-08 (CMS case 3631)
- Met Requirements — 2026-04-28 (CMS case 7647)
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.