Florida / Lower Keys Medical Center
CMS certification 100150 · Key West, FL · 2 entries in CMS's price-transparency list
Lower Keys Medical Center: charges and Medicare payments
Lower Keys Medical Center reported 340 Medicare inpatient stays across 15 DRGs in 2024. Across them it charged 5.1 times what it was paid — among the lower ratios in Florida, number 122 of 159 hospitals with at least 100 stays (state median 7.04×, national 4.15×). Its most frequent stay was DRG 291, Heart Failure and Shock with MCC: 47 stays at an average charge of $56,275, 0% below the national average. It also billed 409 outpatient services, charging 14.28 times what Medicare paid.
- 1Medicare inpatient stays 340
- 2Charge ÷ paid, inpatient 5.1×
- 3Rank in FL (highest ratio = 1) 122 of 159
- 4CMS price-transparency actions 2
Inpatient stays
For the 15 DRGs that can be compared with the national average, Lower Keys Medical Center charged more than the national average in 13 (87%). Payments follow Medicare's rates, so they usually vary far less than charges.
| DRG | Stays | Avg charge | vs US | Avg paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 291 Heart Failure and Shock with MCC | 47 | $56,275 | 0% | $13,789 |
| 871 Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC | 36 | $116,970 | +30% | $21,758 |
| 193 Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with MCC | 33 | $70,415 | +18% | $15,919 |
| 177 Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with MCC | 32 | $84,995 | +20% | $17,575 |
| 392 Esophagitis, Gastroenteritis and Miscellaneous Digestive... | 24 | $50,196 | +25% | $8,516 |
| 689 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections with MCC | 24 | $49,839 | -3% | $12,358 |
| 690 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections without MCC | 22 | $38,023 | +1% | $9,528 |
| 378 Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage with CC | 21 | $66,291 | +37% | $10,327 |
| 683 Renal Failure with CC | 19 | $45,627 | +12% | $9,411 |
| 194 Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with CC | 18 | $50,400 | +31% | $9,722 |
| 682 Renal Failure with MCC | 17 | $100,181 | +52% | $18,316 |
| 330 Major Small and Large Bowel Procedures with CC | 13 | $159,874 | +34% | $24,953 |
| 603 Cellulitis without MCC | 12 | $42,187 | +13% | $9,320 |
| 470 Major Hip and Knee Joint Replacement or Reattachment of... | 11 | $149,425 | +60% | $19,826 |
| 641 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and... | 11 | $49,060 | +32% | $8,226 |
Outpatient services
| Service (APC) | Services | Avg charge | Medicare allowed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Comprehensive Observation Services | 144 | $33,013 | $2,608 |
| Level 2 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage | 51 | $11,897 | $1,552 |
| Level 2 Upper GI Procedures | 39 | $14,336 | $1,846 |
| Level 1 Intraocular Procedures | 31 | $25,575 | $2,261 |
| Level 4 Musculoskeletal Procedures | 25 | $87,549 | $6,719 |
| Level 5 Musculoskeletal Procedures | 24 | $140,044 | $12,749 |
| Level 3 Musculoskeletal Procedures | 21 | $43,495 | $3,140 |
| Level 3 Vascular Procedures | 19 | $27,859 | $2,680 |
| Level 1 Endovascular Procedures | 18 | $37,064 | $3,166 |
| Level 1 Laparoscopy and Related Services | 15 | $61,099 | $5,598 |
| Level 3 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage | 11 | $31,342 | $2,757 |
| Level 2 Musculoskeletal Procedures | 11 | $17,692 | $1,355 |
Against the Florida average
For Heart Failure and Shock with MCC (DRG 291), Lower Keys Medical Center charged $56,275 on average, 17% less than the Florida average of $67,659, and was paid $13,789 against a state average of $10,715. For Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC (DRG 871), Lower Keys Medical Center charged $116,970 on average, 4% more than the Florida average of $112,838, and was paid $21,758 against a state average of $15,663. For Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with MCC (DRG 193), Lower Keys Medical Center charged $70,415 on average, 10% less than the Florida average of $78,292, and was paid $15,919 against a state average of $10,939. For Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with MCC (DRG 177), Lower Keys Medical Center charged $84,995 on average, 1% less than the Florida average of $85,454, and was paid $17,575 against a state average of $13,200. For Comprehensive Observation Services (outpatient APC 8011), its average charge of $33,013 was 16% above the state average of $28,431. For Level 2 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage (outpatient APC 5072), its average charge of $11,897 was 18% below the state average of $14,597. For Level 2 Upper GI Procedures (outpatient APC 5302), its average charge of $14,336 was 24% below the state average of $18,929. For Level 1 Intraocular Procedures (outpatient APC 5491), its average charge of $25,575 was 7% above the state average of $23,896.
Price-transparency record
CMS's enforcement list records these actions for a hospital named Lower Keys Medical Center in Key West, FL, under the federal hospital price-transparency rule (45 CFR part 180), which requires hospitals to post their standard charges online:
- Met Requirements — 2022-12-28 (CMS case 1310)
- Met Requirements — 2025-07-17 (CMS case 5838)
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.