Washington / St Clare Hospital
CMS certification 500021 · Lakewood, WA · 2 entries in CMS's price-transparency list
St Clare Hospital: charges and Medicare payments
St Clare Hospital reported 756 Medicare inpatient stays across 28 DRGs in 2024. Across them it charged 6 times what it was paid — among the higher ratios in Washington, number 4 of 43 hospitals with at least 100 stays (state median 4.37×, national 4.15×). Its most frequent stay was DRG 871, Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC: 190 stays at an average charge of $101,895, 13% above the national average. It also billed 633 outpatient services, charging 9.5 times what Medicare paid.
- 1Medicare inpatient stays 756
- 2Charge ÷ paid, inpatient 6×
- 3Rank in WA (highest ratio = 1) 4 of 43
- 4CMS price-transparency actions 2
Inpatient stays
For the 28 DRGs that can be compared with the national average, St Clare Hospital charged more than the national average in 24 (86%). 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 | 190 | $101,895 | +13% | $16,844 |
| 291 Heart Failure and Shock with MCC | 58 | $73,295 | +30% | $11,060 |
| 280 Acute Myocardial Infarction, Discharged Alive with MCC | 37 | $86,620 | +14% | $15,641 |
| 189 Pulmonary Edema and Respiratory Failure | 35 | $74,076 | +29% | $10,458 |
| 193 Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with MCC | 33 | $81,917 | +37% | $11,609 |
| 177 Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with MCC | 32 | $88,633 | +26% | $14,925 |
| 698 Other Kidney and Urinary Tract Diagnoses with MCC | 31 | $68,731 | -6% | $13,932 |
| 872 Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours without MCC | 31 | $67,248 | +37% | $10,258 |
| 640 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and... | 30 | $69,568 | +15% | $12,263 |
| 853 Infectious and Parasitic Diseases with O.R. Procedures with... | 23 | $179,818 | -21% | $44,040 |
| 683 Renal Failure with CC | 21 | $52,659 | +29% | $8,459 |
| 378 Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage with CC | 19 | $47,293 | -3% | $9,847 |
| 690 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections without MCC | 19 | $52,520 | +39% | $7,428 |
| 312 Syncope and Collapse | 16 | $53,563 | +18% | $7,634 |
| 689 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections with MCC | 16 | $68,794 | +34% | $9,665 |
| 377 Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage with MCC | 15 | $92,030 | +8% | $15,184 |
| 641 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and... | 15 | $49,614 | +34% | $6,938 |
| 470 Major Hip and Knee Joint Replacement or Reattachment of... | 14 | $116,850 | +25% | $17,946 |
| 951 Other Factors Influencing Health Status | 14 | $34,018 | +33% | $5,340 |
| 392 Esophagitis, Gastroenteritis and Miscellaneous Digestive... | 13 | $64,109 | +60% | $6,947 |
| 481 Hip and Femur Procedures except Major Joint with CC | 13 | $110,418 | +10% | $16,965 |
| 603 Cellulitis without MCC | 13 | $56,639 | +52% | $7,840 |
| 552 Medical Back Problems without MCC | 12 | $60,698 | +24% | $9,225 |
| 885 Psychoses | 12 | $49,414 | +12% | $11,623 |
| 065 Intracranial Hemorrhage or Cerebral Infarction with CC or... | 11 | $51,544 | -8% | $8,938 |
| 305 Hypertension without MCC | 11 | $42,618 | +6% | $6,741 |
| 391 Esophagitis, Gastroenteritis and Miscellaneous Digestive... | 11 | $81,884 | +34% | $10,631 |
| 682 Renal Failure with MCC | 11 | $96,786 | +47% | $12,874 |
Outpatient services
| Service (APC) | Services | Avg charge | Medicare allowed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 5 Musculoskeletal Procedures | 193 | $94,369 | $13,291 |
| Comprehensive Observation Services | 71 | $32,671 | $2,758 |
| Level 2 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage | 43 | $17,354 | $1,670 |
| Level 1 Nerve Procedures | 39 | $12,723 | $1,964 |
| Level 3 Musculoskeletal Procedures | 33 | $37,009 | $3,093 |
| Level 5 Urology and Related Services | 30 | $65,286 | $5,331 |
| Level 3 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage | 27 | $36,453 | $2,928 |
| Level 1 Laparoscopy and Related Services | 25 | $60,662 | $5,755 |
| Level 5 ENT Procedures | 24 | $61,488 | $5,833 |
| Level 4 Urology and Related Services | 24 | $39,983 | $3,592 |
| Level 2 Upper GI Procedures | 20 | $15,920 | $1,882 |
| Level 4 Musculoskeletal Procedures | 18 | $64,418 | $7,371 |
| Level 3 Vascular Procedures | 18 | $14,823 | $3,139 |
| Level 3 Urology and Related Services | 16 | $21,432 | $1,994 |
| Level 2 Musculoskeletal Procedures | 15 | $15,500 | $1,656 |
| Level 6 Musculoskeletal Procedures | 13 | $123,505 | $19,155 |
| Level 2 Vascular Procedures | 13 | $12,370 | $1,650 |
| Level 2 Neurostimulator and Related Procedures | 11 | $35,971 | $7,046 |
Against the Washington average
For Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC (DRG 871), St Clare Hospital charged $101,895 on average, 29% more than the Washington average of $78,715, and was paid $16,844 against a state average of $18,304. For Heart Failure and Shock with MCC (DRG 291), St Clare Hospital charged $73,295 on average, 37% more than the Washington average of $53,424, and was paid $11,060 against a state average of $12,124. For Acute Myocardial Infarction, Discharged Alive with MCC (DRG 280), St Clare Hospital charged $86,620 on average, 30% more than the Washington average of $66,804, and was paid $15,641 against a state average of $14,507. For Pulmonary Edema and Respiratory Failure (DRG 189), St Clare Hospital charged $74,076 on average, 29% more than the Washington average of $57,551, and was paid $10,458 against a state average of $11,854. For Level 5 Musculoskeletal Procedures (outpatient APC 5115), its average charge of $94,369 was 35% above the state average of $69,838. For Comprehensive Observation Services (outpatient APC 8011), its average charge of $32,671 was 46% above the state average of $22,427. For Level 2 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage (outpatient APC 5072), its average charge of $17,354 was 79% above the state average of $9,672. For Level 1 Nerve Procedures (outpatient APC 5431), its average charge of $12,723 was 9% above the state average of $11,648.
Price-transparency record
CMS's enforcement list records these actions for a hospital named St Clare Hospital in Lakewood, WA, under the federal hospital price-transparency rule (45 CFR part 180), which requires hospitals to post their standard charges online:
- Met Requirements — 2023-04-20 (CMS case 1549)
- Met Requirements — 2025-05-29 (CMS case 4756)
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.