California / La Palma Intercommunity Hospital
CMS certification 050580 · La Palma, CA · 1 entry in CMS's price-transparency list
La Palma Intercommunity Hospital: charges and Medicare payments
La Palma Intercommunity Hospital reported 609 Medicare inpatient stays across 21 DRGs in 2024. Across them it charged 3.17 times what it was paid — among the lower ratios in California, number 216 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: 197 stays at an average charge of $65,296, 28% below the national average. It also billed 14 outpatient services, charging 6.91 times what Medicare paid.
- 1Medicare inpatient stays 609
- 2Charge ÷ paid, inpatient 3.17×
- 3Rank in CA (highest ratio = 1) 216 of 247
- 4CMS price-transparency actions 1
Inpatient stays
For the 21 DRGs that can be compared with the national average, La Palma Intercommunity 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 | 197 | $65,296 | -28% | $19,776 |
| 640 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and... | 60 | $27,319 | -55% | $13,091 |
| 641 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and... | 38 | $29,094 | -21% | $8,112 |
| 291 Heart Failure and Shock with MCC | 35 | $36,597 | -35% | $13,114 |
| 872 Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours without MCC | 28 | $38,634 | -21% | $10,394 |
| 193 Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with MCC | 26 | $59,785 | 0% | $13,454 |
| 682 Renal Failure with MCC | 25 | $39,494 | -40% | $13,251 |
| 280 Acute Myocardial Infarction, Discharged Alive with MCC | 20 | $35,040 | -54% | $15,805 |
| 177 Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with MCC | 19 | $68,097 | -4% | $16,277 |
| 392 Esophagitis, Gastroenteritis and Miscellaneous Digestive... | 17 | $28,781 | -28% | $8,216 |
| 070 Other Cerebrovascular Disorders with MCC | 15 | $31,358 | -59% | $15,955 |
| 071 Other Cerebrovascular Disorders with CC | 15 | $28,884 | -43% | $10,338 |
| 189 Pulmonary Edema and Respiratory Failure | 15 | $57,109 | -1% | $12,755 |
| 393 Other Digestive System Diagnoses with MCC | 14 | $53,708 | -30% | $16,692 |
| 603 Cellulitis without MCC | 13 | $30,328 | -19% | $9,203 |
| 689 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections with MCC | 13 | $27,819 | -46% | $12,186 |
| 690 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections without MCC | 13 | $25,221 | -33% | $8,197 |
| 683 Renal Failure with CC | 12 | $23,882 | -41% | $9,349 |
| 698 Other Kidney and Urinary Tract Diagnoses with MCC | 12 | $36,824 | -50% | $16,207 |
| 394 Other Digestive System Diagnoses with CC | 11 | $43,434 | -8% | $9,662 |
| 853 Infectious and Parasitic Diseases with O.R. Procedures with... | 11 | $157,961 | -31% | $45,983 |
Outpatient services
| Service (APC) | Services | Avg charge | Medicare allowed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 2 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage | 14 | $10,980 | $1,993 |
Against the California average
For Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC (DRG 871), La Palma Intercommunity Hospital charged $65,296 on average, 54% less than the California average of $143,063, and was paid $19,776 against a state average of $23,020. For Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and Electrolytes with MCC (DRG 640), La Palma Intercommunity Hospital charged $27,319 on average, 69% less than the California average of $88,573, and was paid $13,091 against a state average of $15,580. For Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and Electrolytes without MCC (DRG 641), La Palma Intercommunity Hospital charged $29,094 on average, 52% less than the California average of $60,462, and was paid $8,112 against a state average of $9,715. For Heart Failure and Shock with MCC (DRG 291), La Palma Intercommunity Hospital charged $36,597 on average, 64% less than the California average of $100,739, and was paid $13,114 against a state average of $15,556. For Level 2 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage (outpatient APC 5072), its average charge of $10,980 was 26% below the state average of $14,749.
Price-transparency record
CMS's enforcement list records these actions for a hospital named La Palma Intercommunity Hospital in La Palma, 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 3623)
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.