California / Sequoia Hospital
CMS certification 050197 · Redwood City, CA · 2 entries in CMS's price-transparency list
Sequoia Hospital: charges and Medicare payments
Sequoia Hospital reported 830 Medicare inpatient stays across 28 DRGs in 2024. Across them it charged 7.87 times what it was paid — among the higher ratios in California, number 40 of 247 hospitals with at least 100 stays (state median 5.18×, national 4.15×). Its most frequent stay was DRG 470, Major Hip and Knee Joint Replacement or Reattachment of Lower Extremity without MCC: 153 stays at an average charge of $166,386, 79% above the national average. It also billed 2,154 outpatient services, charging 8.46 times what Medicare paid.
- 1Medicare inpatient stays 830
- 2Charge ÷ paid, inpatient 7.87×
- 3Rank in CA (highest ratio = 1) 40 of 247
- 4CMS price-transparency actions 2
Inpatient stays
For the 28 DRGs that can be compared with the national average, Sequoia Hospital charged more than the national average in 28 (100%). Payments follow Medicare's rates, so they usually vary far less than charges.
| DRG | Stays | Avg charge | vs US | Avg paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 470 Major Hip and Knee Joint Replacement or Reattachment of... | 153 | $166,386 | +79% | $20,602 |
| 871 Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC | 137 | $150,302 | +66% | $21,237 |
| 291 Heart Failure and Shock with MCC | 97 | $149,722 | +166% | $14,336 |
| 274 Percutaneous and Other Intracardiac Procedures without MCC | 38 | $255,094 | +63% | $35,604 |
| 177 Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with MCC | 36 | $144,827 | +105% | $17,868 |
| 219 Cardiac Valve and Other Major Cardiothoracic Procedures... | 32 | $555,660 | +39% | $91,776 |
| 872 Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours without MCC | 26 | $102,593 | +109% | $11,998 |
| 193 Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with MCC | 25 | $179,741 | +201% | $16,219 |
| 682 Renal Failure with MCC | 25 | $134,442 | +104% | $15,726 |
| 683 Renal Failure with CC | 20 | $104,598 | +157% | $9,873 |
| 267 Endovascular Cardiac Valve Replacement and Supplement... | 17 | $322,670 | +46% | $52,589 |
| 253 Other Vascular Procedures with CC | 16 | $307,218 | +133% | $32,947 |
| 392 Esophagitis, Gastroenteritis and Miscellaneous Digestive... | 16 | $81,041 | +102% | $8,616 |
| 236 Coronary Bypass without Cardiac Catheterization without MCC | 15 | $476,518 | +126% | $51,183 |
| 698 Other Kidney and Urinary Tract Diagnoses with MCC | 15 | $126,775 | +73% | $17,342 |
| 640 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and... | 14 | $138,498 | +130% | $14,443 |
| 065 Intracranial Hemorrhage or Cerebral Infarction with CC or... | 13 | $132,170 | +137% | $11,211 |
| 308 Cardiac Arrhythmia and Conduction Disorders with MCC | 13 | $104,360 | +84% | $13,189 |
| 309 Cardiac Arrhythmia and Conduction Disorders with CC | 13 | $97,653 | +170% | $8,213 |
| 310 Cardiac Arrhythmia and Conduction Disorders without CC/MCC | 13 | $78,435 | +173% | $6,153 |
| 378 Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage with CC | 13 | $110,054 | +127% | $10,541 |
| 455 Combined Anterior and Posterior Spinal Fusion without CC/MCC | 13 | $218,530 | +8% | $50,484 |
| 690 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections without MCC | 13 | $80,086 | +112% | $8,906 |
| 220 Cardiac Valve and Other Major Cardiothoracic Procedures... | 12 | $491,623 | +78% | $59,444 |
| 389 Gastrointestinal Obstruction with CC | 12 | $89,562 | +130% | $8,788 |
| 190 Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease with MCC | 11 | $130,769 | +158% | $12,038 |
| 273 Percutaneous and Other Intracardiac Procedures with MCC | 11 | $440,202 | +105% | $49,889 |
| 689 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections with MCC | 11 | $104,370 | +103% | $12,138 |
Outpatient services
Against the California average
For Major Hip and Knee Joint Replacement or Reattachment of Lower Extremity without MCC (DRG 470), Sequoia Hospital charged $166,386 on average, 21% more than the California average of $137,972, and was paid $20,602 against a state average of $21,800. For Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC (DRG 871), Sequoia Hospital charged $150,302 on average, 5% more than the California average of $143,063, and was paid $21,237 against a state average of $23,020. For Heart Failure and Shock with MCC (DRG 291), Sequoia Hospital charged $149,722 on average, 49% more than the California average of $100,739, and was paid $14,336 against a state average of $15,556. For Percutaneous and Other Intracardiac Procedures without MCC (DRG 274), Sequoia Hospital charged $255,094 on average, 27% more than the California average of $200,964, and was paid $35,604 against a state average of $35,770. For Level 3 Electrophysiologic Procedures (outpatient APC 5213), its average charge of $292,986 was 43% above the state average of $205,167. For Level 5 Musculoskeletal Procedures (outpatient APC 5115), its average charge of $130,111 was 19% above the state average of $109,149. For Comprehensive Observation Services (outpatient APC 8011), its average charge of $49,237 was 18% above the state average of $41,628. For Level 4 Musculoskeletal Procedures (outpatient APC 5114), its average charge of $75,277 was 8% above the state average of $69,476.
Price-transparency record
CMS's enforcement list records these actions for a hospital named Sequoia Hospital in Redwood City, CA, under the federal hospital price-transparency rule (45 CFR part 180), which requires hospitals to post their standard charges online:
- Met Requirements — 2023-01-19 (CMS case 598)
- Met Requirements — 2025-06-10 (CMS case 4998)
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.