Kansas / Southwest Medical Center
CMS certification 170068 · Liberal, KS · 3 entries in CMS's price-transparency list
Southwest Medical Center: charges and Medicare payments
Southwest Medical Center reported 231 Medicare inpatient stays across 9 DRGs in 2024. Across them it charged 2.83 times what it was paid — among the lower ratios in Kansas, number 26 of 36 hospitals with at least 100 stays (state median 3.35×, national 4.15×). Its most frequent stay was DRG 871, Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC: 60 stays at an average charge of $43,788, 52% below the national average. It also billed 302 outpatient services, charging 7.45 times what Medicare paid.
- 1Medicare inpatient stays 231
- 2Charge ÷ paid, inpatient 2.83×
- 3Rank in KS (highest ratio = 1) 26 of 36
- 4CMS price-transparency actions 3
Inpatient stays
For the 9 DRGs that can be compared with the national average, Southwest 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 | 60 | $43,788 | -52% | $19,444 |
| 470 Major Hip and Knee Joint Replacement or Reattachment of... | 34 | $66,237 | -29% | $18,938 |
| 193 Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with MCC | 29 | $44,001 | -26% | $12,971 |
| 291 Heart Failure and Shock with MCC | 26 | $30,317 | -46% | $12,620 |
| 189 Pulmonary Edema and Respiratory Failure | 21 | $53,295 | -7% | $12,071 |
| 872 Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours without MCC | 21 | $25,050 | -49% | $10,760 |
| 177 Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with MCC | 17 | $41,826 | -41% | $16,650 |
| 683 Renal Failure with CC | 12 | $22,509 | -45% | $9,335 |
| 483 Major Joint or Limb Reattachment Procedures of Upper... | 11 | $72,914 | -42% | $24,622 |
Outpatient services
| Service (APC) | Services | Avg charge | Medicare allowed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Comprehensive Observation Services | 81 | $19,055 | $2,503 |
| Level 2 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage | 65 | $9,033 | $1,464 |
| Level 3 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage | 31 | $10,883 | $2,598 |
| Level 4 Musculoskeletal Procedures | 29 | $29,441 | $6,362 |
| Level 1 Laparoscopy and Related Services | 26 | $32,655 | $4,953 |
| Level 3 Musculoskeletal Procedures | 16 | $13,008 | $2,812 |
| Level 1 Nerve Procedures | 16 | $10,234 | $1,765 |
| Level 2 Musculoskeletal Procedures | 14 | $8,966 | $1,461 |
| Level 3 Vascular Procedures | 13 | $17,096 | $2,914 |
| Level 5 Gynecologic Procedures | 11 | $24,402 | $4,548 |
Against the Kansas average
For Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC (DRG 871), Southwest Medical Center charged $43,788 on average, 49% less than the Kansas average of $85,277, and was paid $19,444 against a state average of $15,541. For Major Hip and Knee Joint Replacement or Reattachment of Lower Extremity without MCC (DRG 470), Southwest Medical Center charged $66,237 on average, 12% more than the Kansas average of $58,902, and was paid $18,938 against a state average of $14,067. For Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with MCC (DRG 193), Southwest Medical Center charged $44,001 on average, 21% less than the Kansas average of $55,501, and was paid $12,971 against a state average of $10,625. For Heart Failure and Shock with MCC (DRG 291), Southwest Medical Center charged $30,317 on average, 42% less than the Kansas average of $52,685, and was paid $12,620 against a state average of $10,293. For Comprehensive Observation Services (outpatient APC 8011), its average charge of $19,055 was 16% below the state average of $22,571. For Level 2 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage (outpatient APC 5072), its average charge of $9,033 was 21% below the state average of $11,389. For Level 3 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage (outpatient APC 5073), its average charge of $10,883 was 51% below the state average of $22,283. For Level 4 Musculoskeletal Procedures (outpatient APC 5114), its average charge of $29,441 was 10% below the state average of $32,564.
Price-transparency record
CMS's enforcement list records these actions for a hospital named Southwest Medical Center in Liberal, KS, under the federal hospital price-transparency rule (45 CFR part 180), which requires hospitals to post their standard charges online:
- Warning Notice — 2023-04-24 (CMS case 1411)
- Closure Notice — 2023-08-09 (CMS case 1411)
- Met Requirements — 2026-03-10 (CMS case 7221)
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.