Minnesota / Sanford Bemidji Medical Center
CMS certification 240100 · Bemidji, MN · 2 entries in CMS's price-transparency list
Sanford Bemidji Medical Center: charges and Medicare payments
Sanford Bemidji Medical Center reported 837 Medicare inpatient stays across 30 DRGs in 2024. Across them it charged 3.69 times what it was paid — among the higher ratios in Minnesota, number 13 of 43 hospitals with at least 100 stays (state median 2.98×, national 4.15×). Its most frequent stay was DRG 871, Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC: 127 stays at an average charge of $49,941, 45% below the national average. It also billed 2,504 outpatient services, charging 4.78 times what Medicare paid.
- 1Medicare inpatient stays 837
- 2Charge ÷ paid, inpatient 3.69×
- 3Rank in MN (highest ratio = 1) 13 of 43
- 4CMS price-transparency actions 2
Inpatient stays
For the 30 DRGs that can be compared with the national average, Sanford Bemidji Medical Center 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 | 127 | $49,941 | -45% | $15,810 |
| 291 Heart Failure and Shock with MCC | 96 | $35,207 | -38% | $10,074 |
| 193 Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with MCC | 46 | $34,360 | -43% | $10,850 |
| 280 Acute Myocardial Infarction, Discharged Alive with MCC | 43 | $42,286 | -44% | $12,342 |
| 177 Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with MCC | 39 | $42,817 | -39% | $12,847 |
| 309 Cardiac Arrhythmia and Conduction Disorders with CC | 35 | $23,596 | -35% | $6,200 |
| 189 Pulmonary Edema and Respiratory Failure | 32 | $44,979 | -22% | $9,702 |
| 287 Circulatory Disorders except AMI, with Cardiac... | 30 | $43,862 | -31% | $8,450 |
| 322 Percutaneous Cardiovascular Procedures with Intraluminal... | 28 | $79,757 | -30% | $14,050 |
| 689 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections with MCC | 27 | $35,694 | -30% | $9,028 |
| 872 Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours without MCC | 23 | $37,243 | -24% | $8,423 |
| 281 Acute Myocardial Infarction, Discharged Alive with CC | 20 | $31,317 | -38% | $7,078 |
| 690 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections without MCC | 20 | $27,624 | -27% | $6,387 |
| 308 Cardiac Arrhythmia and Conduction Disorders with MCC | 19 | $34,089 | -40% | $9,248 |
| 065 Intracranial Hemorrhage or Cerebral Infarction with CC or... | 18 | $35,910 | -36% | $7,828 |
| 321 Percutaneous Cardiovascular Procedures with Intraluminal... | 18 | $92,542 | -43% | $22,459 |
| 640 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and... | 18 | $41,749 | -31% | $10,155 |
| 641 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and... | 18 | $28,006 | -24% | $6,168 |
| 190 Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease with MCC | 17 | $32,293 | -36% | $8,577 |
| 194 Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with CC | 17 | $34,566 | -10% | $6,549 |
| 378 Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage with CC | 17 | $27,386 | -44% | $7,729 |
| 638 Diabetes with CC | 16 | $30,071 | -28% | $7,155 |
| 683 Renal Failure with CC | 16 | $31,062 | -24% | $6,994 |
| 854 Infectious and Parasitic Diseases with O.R. Procedures with... | 16 | $59,993 | -39% | $16,146 |
| 389 Gastrointestinal Obstruction with CC | 15 | $22,969 | -41% | $6,368 |
| 522 Hip Replacement with Principal Diagnosis of Hip Fracture... | 15 | $48,260 | -53% | $17,071 |
| 853 Infectious and Parasitic Diseases with O.R. Procedures with... | 14 | $106,598 | -53% | $37,389 |
| 286 Circulatory Disorders except AMI, with Cardiac... | 13 | $50,371 | -55% | $16,110 |
| 064 Intracranial Hemorrhage or Cerebral Infarction with MCC | 12 | $79,688 | -20% | $21,411 |
| 603 Cellulitis without MCC | 12 | $25,000 | -33% | $6,933 |
Outpatient services
Against the Minnesota average
For Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC (DRG 871), Sanford Bemidji Medical Center charged $49,941 on average, 16% less than the Minnesota average of $59,297, and was paid $15,810 against a state average of $17,952. For Heart Failure and Shock with MCC (DRG 291), Sanford Bemidji Medical Center charged $35,207 on average, 13% less than the Minnesota average of $40,341, and was paid $10,074 against a state average of $11,754. For Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with MCC (DRG 193), Sanford Bemidji Medical Center charged $34,360 on average, 10% less than the Minnesota average of $38,121, and was paid $10,850 against a state average of $12,053. For Acute Myocardial Infarction, Discharged Alive with MCC (DRG 280), Sanford Bemidji Medical Center charged $42,286 on average, 18% less than the Minnesota average of $51,866, and was paid $12,342 against a state average of $14,269. For Level 1 Intraocular Procedures (outpatient APC 5491), its average charge of $9,533 was 2% below the state average of $9,705. For Comprehensive Observation Services (outpatient APC 8011), its average charge of $15,849 was 8% above the state average of $14,738. For Level 1 Endovascular Procedures (outpatient APC 5191), its average charge of $22,688 was 41% above the state average of $16,124. For Level 2 Urology and Related Services (outpatient APC 5372), its average charge of $1,084 was 30% below the state average of $1,551.
Price-transparency record
CMS's enforcement list records these actions for a hospital named Sanford Bemidji Medical Center in Bemidji, MN, under the federal hospital price-transparency rule (45 CFR part 180), which requires hospitals to post their standard charges online:
- Warning Notice — 2025-04-01 (CMS case 3505)
- Closure Notice — 2025-07-03 (CMS case 3505)
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.