Pennsylvania / Penn State Health St. Joseph
CMS certification 390096 · Reading, PA
Penn State Health St. Joseph: charges and Medicare payments
Penn State Health St. Joseph reported 1,281 Medicare inpatient stays across 42 DRGs in 2024. Across them it charged 4.96 times what it was paid — mid-range in Pennsylvania, number 46 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: 184 stays at an average charge of $47,457, 16% below the national average. It also billed 1,386 outpatient services, charging 11.13 times what Medicare paid.
- 1Medicare inpatient stays 1,281
- 2Charge ÷ paid, inpatient 4.96×
- 3Rank in PA (highest ratio = 1) 46 of 117
- 4CMS price-transparency actions 0
Inpatient stays
For the 42 DRGs that can be compared with the national average, Penn State Health St. Joseph charged more than the national average in 9 (21%). 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 | 184 | $47,457 | -16% | $10,887 |
| 871 Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC | 142 | $68,489 | -24% | $15,604 |
| 872 Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours without MCC | 54 | $36,885 | -25% | $8,355 |
| 378 Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage with CC | 53 | $56,801 | +17% | $8,345 |
| 690 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections without MCC | 47 | $26,735 | -29% | $6,859 |
| 190 Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease with MCC | 43 | $40,581 | -20% | $9,546 |
| 392 Esophagitis, Gastroenteritis and Miscellaneous Digestive... | 42 | $32,408 | -19% | $7,110 |
| 603 Cellulitis without MCC | 42 | $30,298 | -19% | $7,513 |
| 189 Pulmonary Edema and Respiratory Failure | 37 | $51,639 | -10% | $10,609 |
| 177 Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with MCC | 36 | $59,980 | -15% | $13,521 |
| 641 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and... | 36 | $28,268 | -24% | $6,791 |
| 193 Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with MCC | 31 | $63,070 | +6% | $11,826 |
| 287 Circulatory Disorders except AMI, with Cardiac... | 28 | $46,923 | -27% | $9,227 |
| 322 Percutaneous Cardiovascular Procedures with Intraluminal... | 27 | $128,579 | +12% | $18,188 |
| 267 Endovascular Cardiac Valve Replacement and Supplement... | 26 | $178,257 | -19% | $36,864 |
| 312 Syncope and Collapse | 26 | $35,587 | -22% | $7,123 |
| 689 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections with MCC | 26 | $45,644 | -11% | $9,932 |
| 065 Intracranial Hemorrhage or Cerebral Infarction with CC or... | 25 | $55,648 | 0% | $8,705 |
| 194 Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with CC | 25 | $31,824 | -17% | $7,034 |
| 274 Percutaneous and Other Intracardiac Procedures without MCC | 24 | $144,222 | -8% | $24,683 |
| 280 Acute Myocardial Infarction, Discharged Alive with MCC | 24 | $66,572 | -12% | $13,053 |
| 309 Cardiac Arrhythmia and Conduction Disorders with CC | 23 | $30,422 | -16% | $6,475 |
| 682 Renal Failure with MCC | 21 | $85,378 | +29% | $14,373 |
| 683 Renal Failure with CC | 21 | $38,145 | -6% | $7,809 |
| 286 Circulatory Disorders except AMI, with Cardiac... | 19 | $94,400 | -16% | $17,799 |
| 310 Cardiac Arrhythmia and Conduction Disorders without CC/MCC | 16 | $24,440 | -15% | $4,958 |
| 321 Percutaneous Cardiovascular Procedures with Intraluminal... | 16 | $206,100 | +26% | $27,414 |
| 377 Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage with MCC | 16 | $101,039 | +18% | $14,089 |
| 853 Infectious and Parasitic Diseases with O.R. Procedures with... | 15 | $169,020 | -26% | $35,963 |
| 064 Intracranial Hemorrhage or Cerebral Infarction with MCC | 14 | $69,237 | -31% | $14,602 |
| 305 Hypertension without MCC | 13 | $25,660 | -36% | $7,066 |
| 552 Medical Back Problems without MCC | 13 | $33,679 | -31% | $8,309 |
| 556 Signs and Symptoms of Musculoskeletal System and Connective... | 13 | $23,713 | -41% | $7,059 |
| 175 Pulmonary Embolism with MCC or Acute Cor Pulmonale | 12 | $49,797 | -24% | $11,496 |
| 202 Bronchitis and Asthma with CC/MCC | 12 | $33,686 | -27% | $8,169 |
| 308 Cardiac Arrhythmia and Conduction Disorders with MCC | 12 | $35,800 | -37% | $9,865 |
| 481 Hip and Femur Procedures except Major Joint with CC | 12 | $76,758 | -24% | $16,435 |
| 281 Acute Myocardial Infarction, Discharged Alive with CC | 11 | $56,059 | +11% | $7,746 |
| 602 Cellulitis with MCC | 11 | $54,033 | -10% | $11,908 |
| 638 Diabetes with CC | 11 | $37,247 | -11% | $7,858 |
| 660 Kidney and Ureter Procedures for Non-Neoplasm with CC | 11 | $74,895 | +11% | $11,071 |
| 812 Red Blood Cell Disorders without MCC | 11 | $54,313 | +22% | $7,816 |
Outpatient services
Against the Pennsylvania average
For Heart Failure and Shock with MCC (DRG 291), Penn State Health St. Joseph charged $47,457 on average, 17% less than the Pennsylvania average of $57,362, and was paid $10,887 against a state average of $11,112. For Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC (DRG 871), Penn State Health St. Joseph charged $68,489 on average, 22% less than the Pennsylvania average of $88,167, and was paid $15,604 against a state average of $16,881. For Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours without MCC (DRG 872), Penn State Health St. Joseph charged $36,885 on average, 26% less than the Pennsylvania average of $49,758, and was paid $8,355 against a state average of $9,077. For Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage with CC (DRG 378), Penn State Health St. Joseph charged $56,801 on average, 8% more than the Pennsylvania average of $52,595, and was paid $8,345 against a state average of $8,780. For Level 1 Endovascular Procedures (outpatient APC 5191), its average charge of $22,269 was 22% below the state average of $28,496. For Comprehensive Observation Services (outpatient APC 8011), its average charge of $14,699 was 32% below the state average of $21,732. For Level 2 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage (outpatient APC 5072), its average charge of $14,557 was 7% above the state average of $13,651. For Level 3 Electrophysiologic Procedures (outpatient APC 5213), its average charge of $209,629 was 16% above the state average of $181,283.
Price-transparency record
No action in CMS's price-transparency enforcement list (July 2026) matches this hospital's exact name, city and state. That can mean CMS has not reviewed it, or that it is listed under a different name.
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.