New Mexico / Lovelace Westside Hospital
CMS certification 320074 · Albuquerque, NM · 2 entries in CMS's price-transparency list
Lovelace Westside Hospital: charges and Medicare payments
Lovelace Westside Hospital reported 156 Medicare inpatient stays across 6 DRGs in 2024. Across them it charged 6.74 times what it was paid — mid-range in New Mexico, number 6 of 16 hospitals with at least 100 stays (state median 4.13×, national 4.15×). Its most frequent stay was DRG 871, Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC: 62 stays at an average charge of $81,124, 10% below the national average. It also billed 231 outpatient services, charging 13.06 times what Medicare paid.
- 1Medicare inpatient stays 156
- 2Charge ÷ paid, inpatient 6.74×
- 3Rank in NM (highest ratio = 1) 6 of 16
- 4CMS price-transparency actions 2
Inpatient stays
For the 6 DRGs that can be compared with the national average, Lovelace Westside Hospital charged more than the national average in 5 (83%). 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 | 62 | $81,124 | -10% | $13,561 |
| 291 Heart Failure and Shock with MCC | 26 | $70,291 | +25% | $10,429 |
| 193 Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with MCC | 22 | $60,739 | +2% | $9,809 |
| 177 Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with MCC | 18 | $81,614 | +16% | $11,090 |
| 872 Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours without MCC | 17 | $77,494 | +58% | $7,187 |
| 682 Renal Failure with MCC | 11 | $77,857 | +18% | $9,803 |
Outpatient services
| Service (APC) | Services | Avg charge | Medicare allowed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Comprehensive Observation Services | 47 | $35,367 | $2,382 |
| Level 5 Musculoskeletal Procedures | 34 | $91,955 | $11,340 |
| Level 1 Laparoscopy and Related Services | 29 | $53,131 | $4,967 |
| Level 4 Musculoskeletal Procedures | 25 | $71,482 | $6,130 |
| Level 1 Breast/Lymphatic Surgery and Related Procedures | 15 | $46,445 | $3,374 |
| Level 3 Musculoskeletal Procedures | 15 | $41,580 | $2,865 |
| Level 3 Airway Endoscopy | 15 | $26,258 | $1,502 |
| Level 4 Airway Endoscopy | 13 | $38,266 | $3,315 |
| Level 5 Airway Endoscopy | 13 | $52,311 | $5,686 |
| Level 2 Upper GI Procedures | 13 | $17,513 | $1,684 |
| Level 5 ENT Procedures | 12 | $49,091 | $5,183 |
Against the New Mexico average
For Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC (DRG 871), Lovelace Westside Hospital charged $81,124 on average, 23% more than the New Mexico average of $65,967, and was paid $13,561 against a state average of $17,240. For Heart Failure and Shock with MCC (DRG 291), Lovelace Westside Hospital charged $70,291 on average, 43% more than the New Mexico average of $49,310, and was paid $10,429 against a state average of $11,350. For Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with MCC (DRG 193), Lovelace Westside Hospital charged $60,739 on average, 29% more than the New Mexico average of $47,073, and was paid $9,809 against a state average of $12,080. For Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with MCC (DRG 177), Lovelace Westside Hospital charged $81,614 on average, 49% more than the New Mexico average of $54,728, and was paid $11,090 against a state average of $14,774. For Comprehensive Observation Services (outpatient APC 8011), its average charge of $35,367 was 65% above the state average of $21,444. For Level 5 Musculoskeletal Procedures (outpatient APC 5115), its average charge of $91,955 was 25% above the state average of $73,720. For Level 1 Laparoscopy and Related Services (outpatient APC 5361), its average charge of $53,131 was 16% above the state average of $45,932. For Level 4 Musculoskeletal Procedures (outpatient APC 5114), its average charge of $71,482 was 46% above the state average of $49,078.
Price-transparency record
CMS's enforcement list records these actions for a hospital named Lovelace Westside Hospital in Albuquerque, NM, under the federal hospital price-transparency rule (45 CFR part 180), which requires hospitals to post their standard charges online:
- Warning Notice — 2025-04-25 (CMS case 4068)
- Closure Notice — 2025-05-16 (CMS case 4068)
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.