Mississippi / Merit Health Wesley
CMS certification 250094 · Hattiesburg, MS · 1 entry in CMS's price-transparency list
Merit Health Wesley: charges and Medicare payments
Merit Health Wesley reported 685 Medicare inpatient stays across 27 DRGs in 2024. Across them it charged 9.73 times what it was paid — among the higher ratios in Mississippi, number 5 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: 136 stays at an average charge of $159,970, 77% above the national average. It also billed 662 outpatient services, charging 15.51 times what Medicare paid.
- 1Medicare inpatient stays 685
- 2Charge ÷ paid, inpatient 9.73×
- 3Rank in MS (highest ratio = 1) 5 of 37
- 4CMS price-transparency actions 1
Inpatient stays
For the 27 DRGs that can be compared with the national average, Merit Health Wesley charged more than the national average in 27 (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 | 136 | $159,970 | +77% | $16,016 |
| 291 Heart Failure and Shock with MCC | 48 | $124,289 | +120% | $11,625 |
| 190 Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease with MCC | 35 | $121,433 | +140% | $9,209 |
| 274 Percutaneous and Other Intracardiac Procedures without MCC | 34 | $174,333 | +11% | $25,587 |
| 683 Renal Failure with CC | 33 | $76,676 | +88% | $7,707 |
| 690 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections without MCC | 29 | $70,769 | +87% | $6,871 |
| 872 Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours without MCC | 29 | $79,189 | +61% | $8,999 |
| 470 Major Hip and Knee Joint Replacement or Reattachment of... | 26 | $115,054 | +23% | $15,940 |
| 682 Renal Failure with MCC | 24 | $103,455 | +57% | $12,711 |
| 853 Infectious and Parasitic Diseases with O.R. Procedures with... | 23 | $426,637 | +86% | $44,875 |
| 392 Esophagitis, Gastroenteritis and Miscellaneous Digestive... | 22 | $71,485 | +78% | $7,110 |
| 378 Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage with CC | 21 | $73,964 | +52% | $8,639 |
| 641 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and... | 21 | $55,183 | +49% | $6,907 |
| 481 Hip and Femur Procedures except Major Joint with CC | 20 | $129,586 | +29% | $17,208 |
| 193 Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with MCC | 19 | $90,690 | +52% | $11,303 |
| 065 Intracranial Hemorrhage or Cerebral Infarction with CC or... | 17 | $95,573 | +72% | $9,287 |
| 189 Pulmonary Edema and Respiratory Failure | 17 | $111,050 | +93% | $10,754 |
| 177 Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with MCC | 16 | $143,899 | +104% | $13,953 |
| 689 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections with MCC | 16 | $100,438 | +96% | $10,254 |
| 640 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and... | 14 | $136,671 | +127% | $10,605 |
| 698 Other Kidney and Urinary Tract Diagnoses with MCC | 14 | $158,185 | +115% | $15,088 |
| 331 Major Small and Large Bowel Procedures without CC/MCC | 13 | $125,200 | +46% | $14,032 |
| 208 Respiratory System Diagnosis with Ventilator Support <=96... | 12 | $217,448 | +60% | $22,571 |
| 287 Circulatory Disorders except AMI, with Cardiac... | 12 | $140,238 | +120% | $9,492 |
| 394 Other Digestive System Diagnoses with CC | 12 | $80,097 | +70% | $8,290 |
| 603 Cellulitis without MCC | 11 | $60,907 | +63% | $7,704 |
| 981 Extensive O.R. Procedures Unrelated To Principal Diagnosis... | 11 | $574,076 | +165% | $35,939 |
Outpatient services
Against the Mississippi average
For Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC (DRG 871), Merit Health Wesley charged $159,970 on average, 148% more than the Mississippi average of $64,437, and was paid $16,016 against a state average of $14,187. For Heart Failure and Shock with MCC (DRG 291), Merit Health Wesley charged $124,289 on average, 185% more than the Mississippi average of $43,650, and was paid $11,625 against a state average of $9,475. For Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease with MCC (DRG 190), Merit Health Wesley charged $121,433 on average, 163% more than the Mississippi average of $46,086, and was paid $9,209 against a state average of $8,178. For Percutaneous and Other Intracardiac Procedures without MCC (DRG 274), Merit Health Wesley charged $174,333 on average, 95% more than the Mississippi average of $89,477, and was paid $25,587 against a state average of $21,820. For Comprehensive Observation Services (outpatient APC 8011), its average charge of $32,726 was 104% above the state average of $16,069. For Level 4 Urology and Related Services (outpatient APC 5374), its average charge of $45,705 was 92% above the state average of $23,835. For Level 1 Endovascular Procedures (outpatient APC 5191), its average charge of $68,641 was 206% above the state average of $22,403. For Level 5 Urology and Related Services (outpatient APC 5375), its average charge of $45,870 was 81% above the state average of $25,275.
Price-transparency record
CMS's enforcement list records these actions for a hospital named Merit Health Wesley in Hattiesburg, MS, under the federal hospital price-transparency rule (45 CFR part 180), which requires hospitals to post their standard charges online:
- Met Requirements — 2025-04-22 (CMS case 3990)
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.