South Carolina / MUSC Health Lancaster Medical Center
CMS certification 420036 · Lancaster, SC · 3 entries in CMS's price-transparency list
MUSC Health Lancaster Medical Center: charges and Medicare payments
MUSC Health Lancaster Medical Center reported 629 Medicare inpatient stays across 29 DRGs in 2024. Across them it charged 8.3 times what it was paid — among the higher ratios in South Carolina, number 5 of 45 hospitals with at least 100 stays (state median 4.13×, national 4.15×). Its most frequent stay was DRG 871, Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC: 83 stays at an average charge of $109,964, 22% above the national average. It also billed 768 outpatient services, charging 20.78 times what Medicare paid.
- 1Medicare inpatient stays 629
- 2Charge ÷ paid, inpatient 8.3×
- 3Rank in SC (highest ratio = 1) 5 of 45
- 4CMS price-transparency actions 3
Inpatient stays
For the 29 DRGs that can be compared with the national average, MUSC Health Lancaster Medical Center charged more than the national average in 29 (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 | 83 | $109,964 | +22% | $17,805 |
| 291 Heart Failure and Shock with MCC | 52 | $102,575 | +82% | $13,653 |
| 652 Kidney Transplant | 48 | $388,479 | +15% | $24,930 |
| 177 Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with MCC | 27 | $95,117 | +35% | $15,846 |
| 280 Acute Myocardial Infarction, Discharged Alive with MCC | 25 | $90,489 | +19% | $14,547 |
| 189 Pulmonary Edema and Respiratory Failure | 24 | $70,023 | +22% | $11,712 |
| 070 Other Cerebrovascular Disorders with MCC | 20 | $109,409 | +44% | $17,553 |
| 190 Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease with MCC | 19 | $66,137 | +31% | $10,652 |
| 378 Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage with CC | 19 | $86,929 | +79% | $9,757 |
| 641 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and... | 19 | $76,833 | +107% | $8,879 |
| 698 Other Kidney and Urinary Tract Diagnoses with MCC | 19 | $158,150 | +115% | $15,445 |
| 699 Other Kidney and Urinary Tract Diagnoses with CC | 19 | $120,505 | +154% | $11,914 |
| 065 Intracranial Hemorrhage or Cerebral Infarction with CC or... | 18 | $69,345 | +24% | $9,938 |
| 193 Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with MCC | 18 | $96,580 | +62% | $13,498 |
| 309 Cardiac Arrhythmia and Conduction Disorders with CC | 18 | $58,729 | +63% | $7,457 |
| 682 Renal Failure with MCC | 18 | $88,960 | +35% | $14,156 |
| 690 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections without MCC | 18 | $59,108 | +56% | $8,919 |
| 853 Infectious and Parasitic Diseases with O.R. Procedures with... | 18 | $255,065 | +11% | $43,148 |
| 377 Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage with MCC | 17 | $119,623 | +40% | $17,283 |
| 683 Renal Failure with CC | 15 | $64,895 | +59% | $9,885 |
| 310 Cardiac Arrhythmia and Conduction Disorders without CC/MCC | 14 | $39,601 | +38% | $6,114 |
| 650 Kidney Transplant with Hemodialysis with MCC | 14 | $430,344 | +3% | $33,792 |
| 811 Red Blood Cell Disorders with MCC | 14 | $85,965 | +26% | $12,902 |
| 872 Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours without MCC | 14 | $85,084 | +73% | $10,137 |
| 312 Syncope and Collapse | 13 | $69,381 | +52% | $8,407 |
| 392 Esophagitis, Gastroenteritis and Miscellaneous Digestive... | 13 | $53,934 | +34% | $8,235 |
| 071 Other Cerebrovascular Disorders with CC | 11 | $67,820 | +34% | $10,169 |
| 522 Hip Replacement with Principal Diagnosis of Hip Fracture... | 11 | $148,860 | +45% | $17,990 |
| 638 Diabetes with CC | 11 | $79,812 | +92% | $10,004 |
Outpatient services
| Service (APC) | Services | Avg charge | Medicare allowed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Comprehensive Observation Services | 137 | $33,719 | $2,431 |
| Level 2 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage | 116 | $18,721 | $1,437 |
| Level 5 Urology and Related Services | 63 | $81,455 | $4,532 |
| Level 3 Urology and Related Services | 54 | $16,712 | $1,525 |
| Level 2 Upper GI Procedures | 49 | $32,581 | $1,688 |
| Level 5 Musculoskeletal Procedures | 48 | $155,636 | $11,175 |
| Level 4 Musculoskeletal Procedures | 47 | $101,477 | $6,108 |
| Level 1 Endovascular Procedures | 43 | $57,214 | $2,933 |
| Level 1 Laparoscopy and Related Services | 37 | $94,220 | $5,185 |
| Level 4 Urology and Related Services | 31 | $63,372 | $3,133 |
| Level 3 Vascular Procedures | 25 | $60,144 | $2,864 |
| Level 3 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage | 20 | $38,761 | $2,298 |
| Level 3 Musculoskeletal Procedures | 19 | $69,317 | $2,909 |
| Level 1 Abdominal/Peritoneal/Biliary and Related Procedures | 19 | $92,639 | $2,978 |
| Level 2 Vascular Procedures | 17 | $12,207 | $1,439 |
| Level 1 Nerve Procedures | 17 | $53,431 | $1,735 |
| Level 3 Airway Endoscopy | 13 | $38,419 | $1,525 |
| Level 4 Vascular Procedures | 13 | $80,984 | $4,938 |
Against the South Carolina average
For Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC (DRG 871), MUSC Health Lancaster Medical Center charged $109,964 on average, 44% more than the South Carolina average of $76,532, and was paid $17,805 against a state average of $16,014. For Heart Failure and Shock with MCC (DRG 291), MUSC Health Lancaster Medical Center charged $102,575 on average, 125% more than the South Carolina average of $45,682, and was paid $13,653 against a state average of $10,696. For Kidney Transplant (DRG 652), MUSC Health Lancaster Medical Center charged $388,479 on average, 16% more than the South Carolina average of $336,330, and was paid $24,930 against a state average of $36,378. For Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with MCC (DRG 177), MUSC Health Lancaster Medical Center charged $95,117 on average, 53% more than the South Carolina average of $62,241, and was paid $15,846 against a state average of $13,455. For Comprehensive Observation Services (outpatient APC 8011), its average charge of $33,719 was 62% above the state average of $20,764. For Level 2 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage (outpatient APC 5072), its average charge of $18,721 was 60% above the state average of $11,718. For Level 5 Urology and Related Services (outpatient APC 5375), its average charge of $81,455 was 110% above the state average of $38,828. For Level 3 Urology and Related Services (outpatient APC 5373), its average charge of $16,712 was 2% above the state average of $16,428.
Price-transparency record
CMS's enforcement list records these actions for a hospital named MUSC Health Lancaster Medical Center in Lancaster, SC, under the federal hospital price-transparency rule (45 CFR part 180), which requires hospitals to post their standard charges online:
- Warning Notice — 2023-03-27 (CMS case 662)
- CAP Request — 2023-07-10 (CMS case 662)
- Closure Notice — 2023-12-04 (CMS case 662)
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.