Washington / Multicare Covington Medical Center
CMS certification 500154 · Covington, WA · 2 entries in CMS's price-transparency list
Multicare Covington Medical Center: charges and Medicare payments
Multicare Covington Medical Center reported 292 Medicare inpatient stays across 11 DRGs in 2024. Across them it charged 2.3 times what it was paid — among the lower ratios in Washington, number 41 of 43 hospitals with at least 100 stays (state median 4.37×, national 4.15×). Its most frequent stay was DRG 871, Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC: 76 stays at an average charge of $32,357, 64% below the national average. It also billed 131 outpatient services, charging 7.28 times what Medicare paid.
- 1Medicare inpatient stays 292
- 2Charge ÷ paid, inpatient 2.3×
- 3Rank in WA (highest ratio = 1) 41 of 43
- 4CMS price-transparency actions 2
Inpatient stays
For the 11 DRGs that can be compared with the national average, Multicare Covington Medical Center charged more than the national average in 0 (0%). 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 | 76 | $32,357 | -64% | $16,385 |
| 872 Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours without MCC | 31 | $28,162 | -43% | $10,021 |
| 291 Heart Failure and Shock with MCC | 30 | $27,969 | -50% | $11,176 |
| 193 Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with MCC | 29 | $26,488 | -56% | $11,843 |
| 177 Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with MCC | 24 | $23,276 | -67% | $14,165 |
| 189 Pulmonary Edema and Respiratory Failure | 20 | $28,534 | -50% | $10,905 |
| 689 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections with MCC | 20 | $34,090 | -34% | $10,254 |
| 690 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections without MCC | 20 | $22,042 | -42% | $8,492 |
| 698 Other Kidney and Urinary Tract Diagnoses with MCC | 16 | $31,455 | -57% | $14,478 |
| 392 Esophagitis, Gastroenteritis and Miscellaneous Digestive... | 14 | $29,884 | -26% | $7,608 |
| 603 Cellulitis without MCC | 12 | $16,183 | -57% | $8,734 |
Outpatient services
| Service (APC) | Services | Avg charge | Medicare allowed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 5 Urology and Related Services | 31 | $37,300 | $5,149 |
| Comprehensive Observation Services | 23 | $19,406 | $2,699 |
| Level 2 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage | 21 | $10,109 | $1,656 |
| Level 4 Urology and Related Services | 17 | $25,022 | $3,393 |
| Level 6 Musculoskeletal Procedures | 15 | $82,201 | $17,942 |
| Level 3 Musculoskeletal Procedures | 12 | $29,132 | $3,306 |
| Level 5 Musculoskeletal Procedures | 12 | $78,249 | $12,437 |
Against the Washington average
For Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC (DRG 871), Multicare Covington Medical Center charged $32,357 on average, 59% less than the Washington average of $78,715, and was paid $16,385 against a state average of $18,304. For Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours without MCC (DRG 872), Multicare Covington Medical Center charged $28,162 on average, 35% less than the Washington average of $43,222, and was paid $10,021 against a state average of $10,007. For Heart Failure and Shock with MCC (DRG 291), Multicare Covington Medical Center charged $27,969 on average, 48% less than the Washington average of $53,424, and was paid $11,176 against a state average of $12,124. For Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with MCC (DRG 193), Multicare Covington Medical Center charged $26,488 on average, 51% less than the Washington average of $54,278, and was paid $11,843 against a state average of $12,466. For Level 5 Urology and Related Services (outpatient APC 5375), its average charge of $37,300 was 16% above the state average of $32,230. For Comprehensive Observation Services (outpatient APC 8011), its average charge of $19,406 was 13% below the state average of $22,427. For Level 2 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage (outpatient APC 5072), its average charge of $10,109 was 5% above the state average of $9,672. For Level 4 Urology and Related Services (outpatient APC 5374), its average charge of $25,022 was 13% above the state average of $22,173.
Price-transparency record
CMS's enforcement list records these actions for a hospital named Multicare Covington Medical Center in Covington, WA, under the federal hospital price-transparency rule (45 CFR part 180), which requires hospitals to post their standard charges online:
- Warning Notice — 2024-11-19 (CMS case 2935)
- Closure Notice — 2025-02-25 (CMS case 2935)
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.