Georgia / Northside Hospital Duluth
CMS certification 110252 · Duluth, GA · 2 entries in CMS's price-transparency list
Northside Hospital Duluth: charges and Medicare payments
Northside Hospital Duluth reported 445 Medicare inpatient stays across 19 DRGs in 2024. Across them it charged 5.62 times what it was paid — among the higher ratios in Georgia, number 19 of 74 hospitals with at least 100 stays (state median 4.44×, national 4.15×). Its most frequent stay was DRG 871, Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC: 91 stays at an average charge of $83,117, 8% below the national average. It also billed 1,037 outpatient services, charging 10.43 times what Medicare paid.
- 1Medicare inpatient stays 445
- 2Charge ÷ paid, inpatient 5.62×
- 3Rank in GA (highest ratio = 1) 19 of 74
- 4CMS price-transparency actions 2
Inpatient stays
For the 19 DRGs that can be compared with the national average, Northside Hospital Duluth charged more than the national average in 8 (42%). 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 | 91 | $83,117 | -8% | $14,865 |
| 291 Heart Failure and Shock with MCC | 51 | $58,164 | +3% | $10,259 |
| 177 Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with MCC | 31 | $64,542 | -9% | $11,769 |
| 189 Pulmonary Edema and Respiratory Failure | 28 | $52,571 | -9% | $10,371 |
| 682 Renal Failure with MCC | 22 | $49,200 | -25% | $10,746 |
| 872 Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours without MCC | 22 | $43,896 | -11% | $8,238 |
| 193 Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with MCC | 21 | $60,788 | +2% | $9,566 |
| 392 Esophagitis, Gastroenteritis and Miscellaneous Digestive... | 20 | $49,919 | +24% | $6,548 |
| 640 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and... | 20 | $51,591 | -14% | $13,434 |
| 690 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections without MCC | 19 | $31,222 | -17% | $6,257 |
| 683 Renal Failure with CC | 16 | $49,720 | +22% | $7,195 |
| 603 Cellulitis without MCC | 15 | $43,351 | +16% | $6,632 |
| 698 Other Kidney and Urinary Tract Diagnoses with MCC | 15 | $55,173 | -25% | $11,699 |
| 389 Gastrointestinal Obstruction with CC | 13 | $33,935 | -13% | $6,990 |
| 689 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections with MCC | 13 | $45,924 | -11% | $9,114 |
| 811 Red Blood Cell Disorders with MCC | 13 | $71,407 | +5% | $10,691 |
| 378 Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage with CC | 12 | $65,924 | +36% | $7,922 |
| 470 Major Hip and Knee Joint Replacement or Reattachment of... | 12 | $124,703 | +34% | $14,878 |
| 853 Infectious and Parasitic Diseases with O.R. Procedures with... | 11 | $174,726 | -24% | $33,914 |
Outpatient services
Against the Georgia average
For Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC (DRG 871), Northside Hospital Duluth charged $83,117 on average, 3% less than the Georgia average of $85,396, and was paid $14,865 against a state average of $17,147. For Heart Failure and Shock with MCC (DRG 291), Northside Hospital Duluth charged $58,164 on average, 10% more than the Georgia average of $52,781, and was paid $10,259 against a state average of $12,005. For Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with MCC (DRG 177), Northside Hospital Duluth charged $64,542 on average, 2% less than the Georgia average of $66,006, and was paid $11,769 against a state average of $14,774. For Pulmonary Edema and Respiratory Failure (DRG 189), Northside Hospital Duluth charged $52,571 on average, 6% less than the Georgia average of $55,758, and was paid $10,371 against a state average of $11,742. For Comprehensive Observation Services (outpatient APC 8011), its average charge of $22,209 was 6% above the state average of $20,900. For Level 5 Musculoskeletal Procedures (outpatient APC 5115), its average charge of $105,362 was 29% above the state average of $81,545. For Level 4 Musculoskeletal Procedures (outpatient APC 5114), its average charge of $62,415 was 14% above the state average of $54,962. For Level 2 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage (outpatient APC 5072), its average charge of $13,488 was 4% above the state average of $12,974.
Price-transparency record
CMS's enforcement list records these actions for a hospital named Northside Hospital Duluth in Duluth, GA, under the federal hospital price-transparency rule (45 CFR part 180), which requires hospitals to post their standard charges online:
- Warning Notice — 2022-03-09 (CMS case 1334)
- Closure Notice — 2022-08-01 (CMS case 1334)
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.