Louisiana / Northern Louisiana Medical Center
CMS certification 190086 · Ruston, LA · 5 entries in CMS's price-transparency list
Northern Louisiana Medical Center: charges and Medicare payments
Northern Louisiana Medical Center reported 363 Medicare inpatient stays across 16 DRGs in 2024. Across them it charged 6.14 times what it was paid — among the higher ratios in Louisiana, number 8 of 46 hospitals with at least 100 stays (state median 4.2×, national 4.15×). Its most frequent stay was DRG 291, Heart Failure and Shock with MCC: 63 stays at an average charge of $45,036, 20% below the national average. It also billed 496 outpatient services, charging 7.29 times what Medicare paid.
- 1Medicare inpatient stays 363
- 2Charge ÷ paid, inpatient 6.14×
- 3Rank in LA (highest ratio = 1) 8 of 46
- 4CMS price-transparency actions 5
Inpatient stays
For the 16 DRGs that can be compared with the national average, Northern Louisiana Medical Center charged more than the national average in 2 (13%). 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 | 63 | $45,036 | -20% | $8,301 |
| 871 Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC | 45 | $67,393 | -25% | $12,240 |
| 193 Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with MCC | 31 | $58,602 | -2% | $9,041 |
| 641 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and... | 31 | $34,031 | -8% | $5,198 |
| 690 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections without MCC | 25 | $29,949 | -21% | $5,550 |
| 683 Renal Failure with CC | 22 | $27,539 | -32% | $5,792 |
| 177 Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with MCC | 19 | $55,980 | -21% | $10,517 |
| 308 Cardiac Arrhythmia and Conduction Disorders with MCC | 18 | $54,623 | -4% | $7,952 |
| 689 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections with MCC | 17 | $36,027 | -30% | $7,626 |
| 322 Percutaneous Cardiovascular Procedures with Intraluminal... | 15 | $138,592 | +21% | $12,369 |
| 378 Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage with CC | 15 | $41,160 | -15% | $6,562 |
| 189 Pulmonary Edema and Respiratory Failure | 13 | $64,027 | +11% | $8,141 |
| 640 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and... | 13 | $51,326 | -15% | $8,303 |
| 872 Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours without MCC | 13 | $45,767 | -7% | $6,743 |
| 292 Heart Failure and Shock with CC | 12 | $31,948 | -18% | $6,168 |
| 948 Signs and Symptoms without MCC | 11 | $30,020 | -21% | $5,596 |
Outpatient services
| Service (APC) | Services | Avg charge | Medicare allowed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Comprehensive Observation Services | 82 | $18,186 | $2,259 |
| Level 1 Intraocular Procedures | 79 | $6,882 | $1,937 |
| Level 4 Urology and Related Services | 49 | $14,982 | $2,898 |
| Level 2 Upper GI Procedures | 39 | $7,897 | $1,582 |
| Level 3 Vascular Procedures | 35 | $15,893 | $2,650 |
| Level 5 Urology and Related Services | 35 | $20,980 | $4,302 |
| Level 1 Endovascular Procedures | 26 | $27,506 | $2,714 |
| Level 2 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage | 25 | $11,251 | $1,348 |
| Level 3 Musculoskeletal Procedures | 24 | $20,098 | $2,691 |
| Level 5 Musculoskeletal Procedures | 18 | $52,964 | $10,930 |
| Level 1 Abdominal/Peritoneal/Biliary and Related Procedures | 18 | $17,433 | $2,876 |
| Level 1 Laparoscopy and Related Services | 18 | $19,387 | $4,797 |
| Level 1 Nerve Procedures | 13 | $6,822 | $1,605 |
| Level 2 Musculoskeletal Procedures | 12 | $7,891 | $1,337 |
| Level 4 Musculoskeletal Procedures | 12 | $40,550 | $5,948 |
| Level 3 Urology and Related Services | 11 | $10,736 | $1,693 |
Against the Louisiana average
For Heart Failure and Shock with MCC (DRG 291), Northern Louisiana Medical Center charged $45,036 on average, 9% more than the Louisiana average of $41,326, and was paid $8,301 against a state average of $9,753. For Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC (DRG 871), Northern Louisiana Medical Center charged $67,393 on average, 1% less than the Louisiana average of $68,087, and was paid $12,240 against a state average of $14,397. For Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with MCC (DRG 193), Northern Louisiana Medical Center charged $58,602 on average, 21% more than the Louisiana average of $48,369, and was paid $9,041 against a state average of $9,868. For Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and Electrolytes without MCC (DRG 641), Northern Louisiana Medical Center charged $34,031 on average, 26% more than the Louisiana average of $27,038, and was paid $5,198 against a state average of $6,373. For Comprehensive Observation Services (outpatient APC 8011), its average charge of $18,186 was 12% above the state average of $16,215. For Level 1 Intraocular Procedures (outpatient APC 5491), its average charge of $6,882 was 51% below the state average of $14,054. For Level 4 Urology and Related Services (outpatient APC 5374), its average charge of $14,982 was 28% below the state average of $20,743. For Level 2 Upper GI Procedures (outpatient APC 5302), its average charge of $7,897 was 34% below the state average of $11,957.
Price-transparency record
CMS's enforcement list records these actions for a hospital named Northern Louisiana Medical Center in Ruston, LA, under the federal hospital price-transparency rule (45 CFR part 180), which requires hospitals to post their standard charges online:
- Warning Notice — 2023-04-07 (CMS case 842)
- Closure Notice — 2023-09-28 (CMS case 842)
- Met Requirements — 2025-04-11 (CMS case 3740)
- Warning Notice — 2026-05-19 (CMS case 7829)
- Closure Notice — 2026-07-10 (CMS case 7829)
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.