Mississippi / Merit Health Natchez
CMS certification 250084 · Natchez, MS · 1 entry in CMS's price-transparency list
Merit Health Natchez: charges and Medicare payments
Merit Health Natchez reported 309 Medicare inpatient stays across 12 DRGs in 2024. Across them it charged 8.24 times what it was paid — among the higher ratios in Mississippi, number 6 of 37 hospitals with at least 100 stays (state median 3.49×, national 4.15×). Its most frequent stay was DRG 871, Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC: 114 stays at an average charge of $136,957, 52% above the national average. It also billed 250 outpatient services, charging 17.14 times what Medicare paid.
- 1Medicare inpatient stays 309
- 2Charge ÷ paid, inpatient 8.24×
- 3Rank in MS (highest ratio = 1) 6 of 37
- 4CMS price-transparency actions 1
Inpatient stays
For the 12 DRGs that can be compared with the national average, Merit Health Natchez charged more than the national average in 12 (100%). 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 | 114 | $136,957 | +52% | $17,723 |
| 291 Heart Failure and Shock with MCC | 38 | $111,119 | +97% | $12,114 |
| 193 Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with MCC | 22 | $131,741 | +120% | $11,904 |
| 682 Renal Failure with MCC | 22 | $117,580 | +78% | $14,461 |
| 683 Renal Failure with CC | 18 | $68,371 | +68% | $8,084 |
| 872 Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours without MCC | 16 | $78,539 | +60% | $9,382 |
| 689 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections with MCC | 15 | $97,876 | +91% | $10,487 |
| 177 Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with MCC | 14 | $144,332 | +104% | $15,045 |
| 853 Infectious and Parasitic Diseases with O.R. Procedures with... | 14 | $350,045 | +53% | $44,526 |
| 640 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and... | 13 | $83,290 | +38% | $11,916 |
| 690 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections without MCC | 12 | $60,394 | +60% | $7,277 |
| 698 Other Kidney and Urinary Tract Diagnoses with MCC | 11 | $103,770 | +41% | $14,853 |
Outpatient services
| Service (APC) | Services | Avg charge | Medicare allowed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Comprehensive Observation Services | 90 | $46,247 | $2,402 |
| Level 1 Laparoscopy and Related Services | 43 | $61,178 | $5,185 |
| Level 3 Vascular Procedures | 31 | $39,608 | $2,864 |
| Level 2 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage | 29 | $32,050 | $1,457 |
| Level 1 Breast/Lymphatic Surgery and Related Procedures | 28 | $40,965 | $3,328 |
| Level 3 Pacemaker and Similar Procedures | 16 | $65,742 | $9,589 |
| Level 3 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage | 13 | $36,100 | $2,397 |
Against the Mississippi average
For Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC (DRG 871), Merit Health Natchez charged $136,957 on average, 113% more than the Mississippi average of $64,437, and was paid $17,723 against a state average of $14,187. For Heart Failure and Shock with MCC (DRG 291), Merit Health Natchez charged $111,119 on average, 155% more than the Mississippi average of $43,650, and was paid $12,114 against a state average of $9,475. For Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with MCC (DRG 193), Merit Health Natchez charged $131,741 on average, 176% more than the Mississippi average of $47,785, and was paid $11,904 against a state average of $9,796. For Renal Failure with MCC (DRG 682), Merit Health Natchez charged $117,580 on average, 141% more than the Mississippi average of $48,728, and was paid $14,461 against a state average of $10,997. For Comprehensive Observation Services (outpatient APC 8011), its average charge of $46,247 was 188% above the state average of $16,069. For Level 1 Laparoscopy and Related Services (outpatient APC 5361), its average charge of $61,178 was 119% above the state average of $27,999. For Level 3 Vascular Procedures (outpatient APC 5183), its average charge of $39,608 was 115% above the state average of $18,445. For Level 2 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage (outpatient APC 5072), its average charge of $32,050 was 237% above the state average of $9,506.
Price-transparency record
CMS's enforcement list records these actions for a hospital named Merit Health Natchez in Natchez, MS, under the federal hospital price-transparency rule (45 CFR part 180), which requires hospitals to post their standard charges online:
- Met Requirements — 2025-04-17 (CMS case 3926)
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.