California / Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital
CMS certification 050150 · Grass Valley, CA · 2 entries in CMS's price-transparency list
Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital: charges and Medicare payments
Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital reported 1,290 Medicare inpatient stays across 40 DRGs in 2024. Across them it charged 5.62 times what it was paid — mid-range in California, number 106 of 247 hospitals with at least 100 stays (state median 5.18×, national 4.15×). Its most frequent stay was DRG 871, Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC: 318 stays at an average charge of $99,589, 10% above the national average. It also billed 1,126 outpatient services, charging 7.91 times what Medicare paid.
- 1Medicare inpatient stays 1,290
- 2Charge ÷ paid, inpatient 5.62×
- 3Rank in CA (highest ratio = 1) 106 of 247
- 4CMS price-transparency actions 2
Inpatient stays
For the 40 DRGs that can be compared with the national average, Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital charged more than the national average in 38 (95%). 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 | 318 | $99,589 | +10% | $19,480 |
| 291 Heart Failure and Shock with MCC | 89 | $75,041 | +33% | $12,885 |
| 189 Pulmonary Edema and Respiratory Failure | 74 | $68,804 | +20% | $12,485 |
| 872 Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours without MCC | 61 | $68,604 | +40% | $10,364 |
| 193 Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with MCC | 55 | $75,350 | +26% | $13,206 |
| 177 Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with MCC | 42 | $90,915 | +29% | $16,350 |
| 682 Renal Failure with MCC | 40 | $83,375 | +26% | $14,801 |
| 065 Intracranial Hemorrhage or Cerebral Infarction with CC or... | 33 | $78,276 | +40% | $10,012 |
| 698 Other Kidney and Urinary Tract Diagnoses with MCC | 33 | $83,736 | +14% | $16,386 |
| 481 Hip and Femur Procedures except Major Joint with CC | 29 | $122,749 | +22% | $20,394 |
| 689 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections with MCC | 29 | $71,933 | +40% | $11,896 |
| 853 Infectious and Parasitic Diseases with O.R. Procedures with... | 29 | $181,487 | -21% | $45,084 |
| 683 Renal Failure with CC | 28 | $60,207 | +48% | $9,130 |
| 690 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections without MCC | 28 | $48,381 | +28% | $8,392 |
| 392 Esophagitis, Gastroenteritis and Miscellaneous Digestive... | 27 | $48,810 | +22% | $8,173 |
| 309 Cardiac Arrhythmia and Conduction Disorders with CC | 22 | $63,021 | +75% | $7,670 |
| 064 Intracranial Hemorrhage or Cerebral Infarction with MCC | 21 | $123,762 | +24% | $19,077 |
| 378 Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage with CC | 21 | $65,344 | +35% | $9,890 |
| 389 Gastrointestinal Obstruction with CC | 20 | $48,358 | +24% | $8,336 |
| 603 Cellulitis without MCC | 20 | $54,676 | +47% | $9,151 |
| 330 Major Small and Large Bowel Procedures with CC | 18 | $164,620 | +38% | $22,829 |
| 175 Pulmonary Embolism with MCC or Acute Cor Pulmonale | 17 | $75,000 | +15% | $13,114 |
| 280 Acute Myocardial Infarction, Discharged Alive with MCC | 16 | $75,899 | 0% | $15,452 |
| 377 Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage with MCC | 16 | $95,096 | +11% | $17,054 |
| 917 Poisoning and Toxic Effects of Drugs with MCC | 16 | $116,174 | +55% | $16,302 |
| 312 Syncope and Collapse | 15 | $67,160 | +47% | $8,925 |
| 480 Hip and Femur Procedures except Major Joint with MCC | 15 | $149,948 | +8% | $27,859 |
| 640 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and... | 15 | $84,493 | +40% | $13,498 |
| 951 Other Factors Influencing Health Status | 14 | $43,646 | +71% | $6,099 |
| 308 Cardiac Arrhythmia and Conduction Disorders with MCC | 13 | $65,487 | +16% | $12,125 |
| 641 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and... | 13 | $50,066 | +35% | $8,178 |
| 057 Degenerative Nervous System Disorders without MCC | 12 | $61,404 | +8% | $12,700 |
| 390 Gastrointestinal Obstruction without CC/MCC | 12 | $44,249 | +58% | $5,935 |
| 522 Hip Replacement with Principal Diagnosis of Hip Fracture... | 12 | $152,251 | +49% | $21,091 |
| 638 Diabetes with CC | 12 | $59,520 | +43% | $9,380 |
| 069 Transient Ischemia without Thrombolytic | 11 | $81,020 | +61% | $8,259 |
| 091 Other Disorders of Nervous System with MCC | 11 | $92,521 | +12% | $17,830 |
| 391 Esophagitis, Gastroenteritis and Miscellaneous Digestive... | 11 | $76,106 | +25% | $13,054 |
| 552 Medical Back Problems without MCC | 11 | $55,564 | +14% | $9,697 |
| 602 Cellulitis with MCC | 11 | $72,010 | +20% | $13,391 |
Outpatient services
| Service (APC) | Services | Avg charge | Medicare allowed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Comprehensive Observation Services | 539 | $41,154 | $3,491 |
| Level 2 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage | 154 | $9,258 | $2,057 |
| Level 5 Musculoskeletal Procedures | 121 | $71,068 | $16,773 |
| Level 3 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage | 67 | $12,848 | $3,629 |
| Level 4 Musculoskeletal Procedures | 33 | $37,974 | $9,132 |
| Level 2 Vascular Procedures | 32 | $40,990 | $2,045 |
| Level 6 Musculoskeletal Procedures | 29 | $85,411 | $22,975 |
| Level 3 Vascular Procedures | 27 | $22,631 | $4,071 |
| Level 2 Musculoskeletal Procedures | 25 | $8,939 | $2,053 |
| Level 1 Laparoscopy and Related Services | 24 | $31,226 | $7,369 |
| Level 3 Musculoskeletal Procedures | 22 | $28,180 | $4,134 |
| Level 1 Breast/Lymphatic Surgery and Related Procedures | 18 | $17,788 | $4,868 |
| Level 1 Abdominal/Peritoneal/Biliary and Related Procedures | 13 | $25,570 | $4,418 |
| Level 2 Breast/Lymphatic Surgery and Related Procedures | 11 | $32,223 | $8,327 |
| Level 4 Gynecologic Procedures | 11 | $27,486 | $3,993 |
Against the California average
For Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC (DRG 871), Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital charged $99,589 on average, 30% less than the California average of $143,063, and was paid $19,480 against a state average of $23,020. For Heart Failure and Shock with MCC (DRG 291), Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital charged $75,041 on average, 26% less than the California average of $100,739, and was paid $12,885 against a state average of $15,556. For Pulmonary Edema and Respiratory Failure (DRG 189), Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital charged $68,804 on average, 34% less than the California average of $104,292, and was paid $12,485 against a state average of $15,897. For Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours without MCC (DRG 872), Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital charged $68,604 on average, 10% less than the California average of $76,120, and was paid $10,364 against a state average of $12,552. For Comprehensive Observation Services (outpatient APC 8011), its average charge of $41,154 was 1% below the state average of $41,628. For Level 2 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage (outpatient APC 5072), its average charge of $9,258 was 37% below the state average of $14,749. For Level 5 Musculoskeletal Procedures (outpatient APC 5115), its average charge of $71,068 was 35% below the state average of $109,149. For Level 3 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage (outpatient APC 5073), its average charge of $12,848 was 54% below the state average of $28,125.
Price-transparency record
CMS's enforcement list records these actions for a hospital named Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital in Grass Valley, CA, under the federal hospital price-transparency rule (45 CFR part 180), which requires hospitals to post their standard charges online:
- Met Requirements — 2022-12-15 (CMS case 599)
- Met Requirements — 2025-06-06 (CMS case 4948)
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.