California / Palmdale Regional Medical Center
CMS certification 050204 · Palmdale, CA · 3 entries in CMS's price-transparency list
Palmdale Regional Medical Center: charges and Medicare payments
Palmdale Regional Medical Center reported 1,030 Medicare inpatient stays across 38 DRGs in 2024. Across them it charged 10.16 times what it was paid — among the higher ratios in California, number 22 of 247 hospitals with at least 100 stays (state median 5.18×, national 4.15×). Its most frequent stay was DRG 871, Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC: 195 stays at an average charge of $208,746, 131% above the national average. It also billed 466 outpatient services, charging 21 times what Medicare paid.
- 1Medicare inpatient stays 1,030
- 2Charge ÷ paid, inpatient 10.16×
- 3Rank in CA (highest ratio = 1) 22 of 247
- 4CMS price-transparency actions 3
Inpatient stays
For the 38 DRGs that can be compared with the national average, Palmdale Regional Medical Center charged more than the national average in 38 (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 | 195 | $208,746 | +131% | $19,589 |
| 291 Heart Failure and Shock with MCC | 72 | $138,312 | +145% | $12,963 |
| 193 Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with MCC | 66 | $129,170 | +116% | $13,740 |
| 177 Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with MCC | 53 | $139,563 | +98% | $16,665 |
| 640 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and... | 43 | $124,595 | +107% | $13,369 |
| 280 Acute Myocardial Infarction, Discharged Alive with MCC | 38 | $172,640 | +128% | $17,434 |
| 189 Pulmonary Edema and Respiratory Failure | 34 | $111,288 | +93% | $12,961 |
| 682 Renal Failure with MCC | 33 | $134,921 | +105% | $15,072 |
| 872 Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours without MCC | 25 | $113,430 | +131% | $10,722 |
| 853 Infectious and Parasitic Diseases with O.R. Procedures with... | 24 | $464,109 | +103% | $45,796 |
| 064 Intracranial Hemorrhage or Cerebral Infarction with MCC | 23 | $190,055 | +90% | $20,354 |
| 377 Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage with MCC | 23 | $191,115 | +124% | $18,321 |
| 698 Other Kidney and Urinary Tract Diagnoses with MCC | 23 | $207,130 | +182% | $17,138 |
| 314 Other Circulatory System Diagnoses with MCC | 22 | $174,682 | +84% | $21,056 |
| 637 Diabetes with MCC | 21 | $159,822 | +140% | $14,260 |
| 309 Cardiac Arrhythmia and Conduction Disorders with CC | 20 | $83,229 | +130% | $8,302 |
| 322 Percutaneous Cardiovascular Procedures with Intraluminal... | 19 | $181,514 | +58% | $19,617 |
| 683 Renal Failure with CC | 18 | $100,557 | +147% | $9,546 |
| 065 Intracranial Hemorrhage or Cerebral Infarction with CC or... | 17 | $122,001 | +119% | $10,467 |
| 378 Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage with CC | 17 | $140,092 | +189% | $10,968 |
| 392 Esophagitis, Gastroenteritis and Miscellaneous Digestive... | 16 | $106,847 | +166% | $8,489 |
| 641 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and... | 16 | $88,742 | +139% | $8,278 |
| 481 Hip and Femur Procedures except Major Joint with CC | 15 | $223,514 | +122% | $20,650 |
| 552 Medical Back Problems without MCC | 15 | $93,340 | +91% | $10,309 |
| 391 Esophagitis, Gastroenteritis and Miscellaneous Digestive... | 14 | $123,072 | +102% | $13,517 |
| 470 Major Hip and Knee Joint Replacement or Reattachment of... | 14 | $239,759 | +157% | $19,391 |
| 638 Diabetes with CC | 14 | $102,375 | +146% | $9,753 |
| 690 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections without MCC | 14 | $101,446 | +168% | $9,361 |
| 699 Other Kidney and Urinary Tract Diagnoses with CC | 14 | $104,800 | +121% | $10,524 |
| 870 Septicemia or Severe Sepsis with MV >96 Hours | 14 | $789,405 | +144% | $66,760 |
| 175 Pulmonary Embolism with MCC or Acute Cor Pulmonale | 13 | $163,298 | +151% | $14,563 |
| 190 Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease with MCC | 13 | $105,817 | +109% | $11,694 |
| 208 Respiratory System Diagnosis with Ventilator Support <=96... | 13 | $317,408 | +134% | $27,738 |
| 308 Cardiac Arrhythmia and Conduction Disorders with MCC | 13 | $117,521 | +108% | $12,761 |
| 689 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections with MCC | 13 | $118,151 | +130% | $18,543 |
| 281 Acute Myocardial Infarction, Discharged Alive with CC | 11 | $122,054 | +142% | $9,472 |
| 602 Cellulitis with MCC | 11 | $114,677 | +91% | $14,141 |
| 917 Poisoning and Toxic Effects of Drugs with MCC | 11 | $124,566 | +66% | $16,480 |
Outpatient services
Against the California average
For Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC (DRG 871), Palmdale Regional Medical Center charged $208,746 on average, 46% more than the California average of $143,063, and was paid $19,589 against a state average of $23,020. For Heart Failure and Shock with MCC (DRG 291), Palmdale Regional Medical Center charged $138,312 on average, 37% more than the California average of $100,739, and was paid $12,963 against a state average of $15,556. For Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with MCC (DRG 193), Palmdale Regional Medical Center charged $129,170 on average, 24% more than the California average of $103,761, and was paid $13,740 against a state average of $15,112. For Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with MCC (DRG 177), Palmdale Regional Medical Center charged $139,563 on average, 12% more than the California average of $124,302, and was paid $16,665 against a state average of $18,986. For Level 2 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage (outpatient APC 5072), its average charge of $23,685 was 61% above the state average of $14,749. For Comprehensive Observation Services (outpatient APC 8011), its average charge of $61,549 was 48% above the state average of $41,628. For Level 3 Vascular Procedures (outpatient APC 5183), its average charge of $36,750 was 22% above the state average of $30,190. For Level 1 Endovascular Procedures (outpatient APC 5191), its average charge of $56,354 was 39% above the state average of $40,544.
Price-transparency record
CMS's enforcement list records these actions for a hospital named Palmdale Regional Medical Center in Palmdale, CA, under the federal hospital price-transparency rule (45 CFR part 180), which requires hospitals to post their standard charges online:
- Met Requirements — 2023-05-12 (CMS case 1404)
- Met Requirements — 2025-03-31 (CMS case 3499)
- Met Requirements — 2025-05-12 (CMS case 4500)
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.