Pennsylvania / Penn State Health Lancaster Medical Center
CMS certification 390339 · Lancaster, PA · 1 entry in CMS's price-transparency list
Penn State Health Lancaster Medical Center: charges and Medicare payments
Penn State Health Lancaster Medical Center reported 853 Medicare inpatient stays across 41 DRGs in 2024. Across them it charged 4.15 times what it was paid — mid-range in Pennsylvania, number 62 of 117 hospitals with at least 100 stays (state median 4.27×, national 4.15×). Its most frequent stay was DRG 291, Heart Failure and Shock with MCC: 77 stays at an average charge of $53,820, 5% below the national average. It also billed 971 outpatient services, charging 12.07 times what Medicare paid.
- 1Medicare inpatient stays 853
- 2Charge ÷ paid, inpatient 4.15×
- 3Rank in PA (highest ratio = 1) 62 of 117
- 4CMS price-transparency actions 1
Inpatient stays
For the 41 DRGs that can be compared with the national average, Penn State Health Lancaster Medical Center charged more than the national average in 6 (15%). 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 | 77 | $53,820 | -5% | $12,911 |
| 871 Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC | 59 | $78,260 | -13% | $18,363 |
| 189 Pulmonary Edema and Respiratory Failure | 48 | $50,975 | -11% | $11,788 |
| 392 Esophagitis, Gastroenteritis and Miscellaneous Digestive... | 45 | $30,672 | -24% | $8,074 |
| 603 Cellulitis without MCC | 35 | $34,872 | -6% | $9,247 |
| 177 Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with MCC | 34 | $57,001 | -19% | $15,839 |
| 690 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections without MCC | 31 | $29,357 | -22% | $8,139 |
| 698 Other Kidney and Urinary Tract Diagnoses with MCC | 25 | $55,667 | -24% | $16,090 |
| 193 Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with MCC | 24 | $43,108 | -28% | $12,120 |
| 699 Other Kidney and Urinary Tract Diagnoses with CC | 23 | $42,616 | -10% | $10,165 |
| 065 Intracranial Hemorrhage or Cerebral Infarction with CC or... | 22 | $44,240 | -21% | $11,014 |
| 309 Cardiac Arrhythmia and Conduction Disorders with CC | 21 | $32,427 | -10% | $7,522 |
| 683 Renal Failure with CC | 20 | $34,416 | -15% | $8,638 |
| 689 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections with MCC | 20 | $49,125 | -4% | $11,739 |
| 312 Syncope and Collapse | 19 | $52,632 | +16% | $11,763 |
| 552 Medical Back Problems without MCC | 18 | $33,118 | -32% | $9,352 |
| 638 Diabetes with CC | 18 | $28,380 | -32% | $7,066 |
| 069 Transient Ischemia without Thrombolytic | 17 | $28,197 | -44% | $9,494 |
| 470 Major Hip and Knee Joint Replacement or Reattachment of... | 17 | $119,912 | +29% | $13,847 |
| 308 Cardiac Arrhythmia and Conduction Disorders with MCC | 16 | $67,668 | +19% | $17,100 |
| 682 Renal Failure with MCC | 15 | $55,400 | -16% | $15,566 |
| 853 Infectious and Parasitic Diseases with O.R. Procedures with... | 15 | $152,028 | -34% | $44,656 |
| 194 Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with CC | 14 | $31,334 | -18% | $7,320 |
| 280 Acute Myocardial Infarction, Discharged Alive with MCC | 14 | $58,266 | -23% | $14,137 |
| 322 Percutaneous Cardiovascular Procedures with Intraluminal... | 14 | $158,571 | +38% | $22,702 |
| 378 Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage with CC | 14 | $46,185 | -5% | $9,532 |
| 391 Esophagitis, Gastroenteritis and Miscellaneous Digestive... | 14 | $32,950 | -46% | $11,025 |
| 641 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and... | 14 | $34,278 | -8% | $7,226 |
| 389 Gastrointestinal Obstruction with CC | 13 | $30,283 | -22% | $8,532 |
| 064 Intracranial Hemorrhage or Cerebral Infarction with MCC | 12 | $50,491 | -49% | $16,137 |
| 149 Dysequilibrium | 12 | $24,382 | -45% | $5,616 |
| 321 Percutaneous Cardiovascular Procedures with Intraluminal... | 12 | $158,822 | -3% | $25,914 |
| 660 Kidney and Ureter Procedures for Non-Neoplasm with CC | 12 | $68,195 | +1% | $13,613 |
| 872 Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours without MCC | 12 | $39,486 | -19% | $11,346 |
| 178 Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with CC | 11 | $44,584 | -2% | $11,195 |
| 305 Hypertension without MCC | 11 | $29,757 | -26% | $7,518 |
| 310 Cardiac Arrhythmia and Conduction Disorders without CC/MCC | 11 | $23,474 | -18% | $5,736 |
| 330 Major Small and Large Bowel Procedures with CC | 11 | $107,086 | -10% | $21,688 |
| 454 Combined Anterior and Posterior Spinal Fusion with CC | 11 | $318,575 | +14% | $87,225 |
| 543 Pathological Fractures and Musculoskeletal and Connective... | 11 | $39,394 | -20% | $11,979 |
| 563 Fracture, Sprain, Strain and Dislocation except Femur, Hip,... | 11 | $31,406 | -26% | $9,634 |
Outpatient services
Against the Pennsylvania average
For Heart Failure and Shock with MCC (DRG 291), Penn State Health Lancaster Medical Center charged $53,820 on average, 6% less than the Pennsylvania average of $57,362, and was paid $12,911 against a state average of $11,112. For Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC (DRG 871), Penn State Health Lancaster Medical Center charged $78,260 on average, 11% less than the Pennsylvania average of $88,167, and was paid $18,363 against a state average of $16,881. For Pulmonary Edema and Respiratory Failure (DRG 189), Penn State Health Lancaster Medical Center charged $50,975 on average, 22% less than the Pennsylvania average of $65,329, and was paid $11,788 against a state average of $11,268. For Esophagitis, Gastroenteritis and Miscellaneous Digestive Disorders without MCC (DRG 392), Penn State Health Lancaster Medical Center charged $30,672 on average, 23% less than the Pennsylvania average of $40,091, and was paid $8,074 against a state average of $7,126. For Level 5 Urology and Related Services (outpatient APC 5375), its average charge of $44,124 was 21% above the state average of $36,329. For Level 5 Musculoskeletal Procedures (outpatient APC 5115), its average charge of $114,650 was 80% above the state average of $63,627. For Comprehensive Observation Services (outpatient APC 8011), its average charge of $16,893 was 22% below the state average of $21,732. For Level 4 Urology and Related Services (outpatient APC 5374), its average charge of $33,108 was 29% above the state average of $25,570.
Price-transparency record
CMS's enforcement list records these actions for a hospital named Penn State Health Lancaster Medical Center in Lancaster, PA, under the federal hospital price-transparency rule (45 CFR part 180), which requires hospitals to post their standard charges online:
- Met Requirements — 2025-04-24 (CMS case 4095)
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.