Pennsylvania / Lower Bucks Hospital
CMS certification 390070 · Bristol, PA · 1 entry in CMS's price-transparency list
Lower Bucks Hospital: charges and Medicare payments
Lower Bucks Hospital reported 252 Medicare inpatient stays across 13 DRGs in 2024. Across them it charged 4.18 times what it was paid — mid-range in Pennsylvania, number 61 of 117 hospitals with at least 100 stays (state median 4.27×, national 4.15×). Its most frequent stay was DRG 871, Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC: 56 stays at an average charge of $85,689, 5% below the national average. It also billed 64 outpatient services, charging 11.54 times what Medicare paid.
- 1Medicare inpatient stays 252
- 2Charge ÷ paid, inpatient 4.18×
- 3Rank in PA (highest ratio = 1) 61 of 117
- 4CMS price-transparency actions 1
Inpatient stays
For the 13 DRGs that can be compared with the national average, Lower Bucks Hospital charged more than the national average in 1 (8%). 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 | 56 | $85,689 | -5% | $16,929 |
| 291 Heart Failure and Shock with MCC | 37 | $44,804 | -21% | $12,740 |
| 193 Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with MCC | 27 | $45,543 | -24% | $12,979 |
| 286 Circulatory Disorders except AMI, with Cardiac... | 19 | $86,348 | -23% | $19,864 |
| 177 Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with MCC | 17 | $66,764 | -5% | $15,719 |
| 074 Cranial and Peripheral Nerve Disorders without MCC | 15 | $43,087 | -20% | $10,083 |
| 641 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and... | 13 | $26,003 | -30% | $7,777 |
| 280 Acute Myocardial Infarction, Discharged Alive with MCC | 12 | $78,746 | +4% | $15,440 |
| 603 Cellulitis without MCC | 12 | $28,323 | -24% | $8,768 |
| 392 Esophagitis, Gastroenteritis and Miscellaneous Digestive... | 11 | $32,018 | -20% | $8,333 |
| 640 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and... | 11 | $28,325 | -53% | $11,212 |
| 682 Renal Failure with MCC | 11 | $55,509 | -16% | $15,198 |
| 683 Renal Failure with CC | 11 | $32,492 | -20% | $9,049 |
Outpatient services
| Service (APC) | Services | Avg charge | Medicare allowed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Comprehensive Observation Services | 28 | $14,204 | $2,500 |
| Level 1 Endovascular Procedures | 21 | $31,216 | $3,149 |
| Level 3 Endovascular Procedures | 15 | $111,515 | $10,603 |
Against the Pennsylvania average
For Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC (DRG 871), Lower Bucks Hospital charged $85,689 on average, 3% less than the Pennsylvania average of $88,167, and was paid $16,929 against a state average of $16,881. For Heart Failure and Shock with MCC (DRG 291), Lower Bucks Hospital charged $44,804 on average, 22% less than the Pennsylvania average of $57,362, and was paid $12,740 against a state average of $11,112. For Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with MCC (DRG 193), Lower Bucks Hospital charged $45,543 on average, 23% less than the Pennsylvania average of $59,404, and was paid $12,979 against a state average of $11,319. For Circulatory Disorders except AMI, with Cardiac Catheterization with MCC (DRG 286), Lower Bucks Hospital charged $86,348 on average, 35% less than the Pennsylvania average of $133,276, and was paid $19,864 against a state average of $21,460. For Comprehensive Observation Services (outpatient APC 8011), its average charge of $14,204 was 35% below the state average of $21,732. For Level 1 Endovascular Procedures (outpatient APC 5191), its average charge of $31,216 was 10% above the state average of $28,496. For Level 3 Endovascular Procedures (outpatient APC 5193), its average charge of $111,515 was 37% above the state average of $81,234.
Price-transparency record
CMS's enforcement list records these actions for a hospital named Lower Bucks Hospital in Bristol, PA, under the federal hospital price-transparency rule (45 CFR part 180), which requires hospitals to post their standard charges online:
- Met Requirements — 2025-07-18 (CMS case 5881)
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.