South Dakota / Prairie Lakes Hospital
CMS certification 430005 · Watertown, SD · 2 entries in CMS's price-transparency list
Prairie Lakes Hospital: charges and Medicare payments
Prairie Lakes Hospital reported 560 Medicare inpatient stays across 23 DRGs in 2024. Across them it charged 2.25 times what it was paid — among the lower ratios in South Dakota, number 12 of 12 hospitals with at least 100 stays (state median 3.53×, national 4.15×). Its most frequent stay was DRG 871, Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC: 78 stays at an average charge of $22,926, 75% below the national average. It also billed 2,297 outpatient services, charging 3.87 times what Medicare paid.
- 1Medicare inpatient stays 560
- 2Charge ÷ paid, inpatient 2.25×
- 3Rank in SD (highest ratio = 1) 12 of 12
- 4CMS price-transparency actions 2
Inpatient stays
For the 23 DRGs that can be compared with the national average, Prairie Lakes Hospital charged more than the national average in 0 (0%). 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 | 78 | $22,926 | -75% | $15,402 |
| 189 Pulmonary Edema and Respiratory Failure | 47 | $22,129 | -62% | $9,898 |
| 291 Heart Failure and Shock with MCC | 42 | $16,177 | -71% | $10,323 |
| 193 Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with MCC | 37 | $18,170 | -70% | $10,547 |
| 470 Major Hip and Knee Joint Replacement or Reattachment of... | 29 | $62,359 | -33% | $15,073 |
| 641 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and... | 28 | $13,562 | -63% | $6,418 |
| 522 Hip Replacement with Principal Diagnosis of Hip Fracture... | 26 | $53,854 | -47% | $16,710 |
| 378 Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage with CC | 25 | $18,496 | -62% | $8,046 |
| 690 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections without MCC | 25 | $12,332 | -67% | $6,702 |
| 322 Percutaneous Cardiovascular Procedures with Intraluminal... | 21 | $47,834 | -58% | $14,438 |
| 481 Hip and Femur Procedures except Major Joint with CC | 21 | $50,355 | -50% | $16,451 |
| 177 Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with MCC | 18 | $19,677 | -72% | $13,188 |
| 331 Major Small and Large Bowel Procedures without CC/MCC | 18 | $34,599 | -60% | $13,756 |
| 392 Esophagitis, Gastroenteritis and Miscellaneous Digestive... | 18 | $13,619 | -66% | $6,466 |
| 872 Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours without MCC | 18 | $20,063 | -59% | $8,360 |
| 948 Signs and Symptoms without MCC | 18 | $16,811 | -56% | $6,564 |
| 683 Renal Failure with CC | 16 | $14,444 | -65% | $7,547 |
| 330 Major Small and Large Bowel Procedures with CC | 14 | $55,234 | -54% | $21,194 |
| 640 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and... | 14 | $18,506 | -69% | $10,468 |
| 682 Renal Failure with MCC | 13 | $19,943 | -70% | $11,898 |
| 603 Cellulitis without MCC | 12 | $12,610 | -66% | $7,268 |
| 309 Cardiac Arrhythmia and Conduction Disorders with CC | 11 | $9,121 | -75% | $6,098 |
| 552 Medical Back Problems without MCC | 11 | $12,104 | -75% | $7,820 |
Outpatient services
Against the South Dakota average
For Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC (DRG 871), Prairie Lakes Hospital charged $22,926 on average, 66% less than the South Dakota average of $67,007, and was paid $15,402 against a state average of $17,025. For Pulmonary Edema and Respiratory Failure (DRG 189), Prairie Lakes Hospital charged $22,129 on average, 54% less than the South Dakota average of $47,652, and was paid $9,898 against a state average of $11,675. For Heart Failure and Shock with MCC (DRG 291), Prairie Lakes Hospital charged $16,177 on average, 63% less than the South Dakota average of $44,214, and was paid $10,323 against a state average of $11,100. For Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with MCC (DRG 193), Prairie Lakes Hospital charged $18,170 on average, 56% less than the South Dakota average of $41,232, and was paid $10,547 against a state average of $11,334. For Level 1 Intraocular Procedures (outpatient APC 5491), its average charge of $5,971 was 25% below the state average of $7,991. For Level 2 Urology and Related Services (outpatient APC 5372), its average charge of $1,064 was 55% below the state average of $2,357. For Comprehensive Observation Services (outpatient APC 8011), its average charge of $7,539 was 59% below the state average of $18,366. For Level 2 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage (outpatient APC 5072), its average charge of $5,143 was 38% below the state average of $8,333.
Price-transparency record
CMS's enforcement list records these actions for a hospital named Prairie Lakes Hospital in Watertown, SD, under the federal hospital price-transparency rule (45 CFR part 180), which requires hospitals to post their standard charges online:
- Warning Notice — 2024-09-05 (CMS case 2603)
- Closure Notice — 2024-11-14 (CMS case 2603)
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.