Minnesota / St Lukes Hospital
CMS certification 240047 · Duluth, MN · 1 entry in CMS's price-transparency list
St Lukes Hospital: charges and Medicare payments
St Lukes Hospital reported 2,588 Medicare inpatient stays across 87 DRGs in 2024. Across them it charged 3.23 times what it was paid — mid-range in Minnesota, number 18 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: 269 stays at an average charge of $44,019, 51% below the national average. It also billed 4,960 outpatient services, charging 4.69 times what Medicare paid.
- 1Medicare inpatient stays 2,588
- 2Charge ÷ paid, inpatient 3.23×
- 3Rank in MN (highest ratio = 1) 18 of 43
- 4CMS price-transparency actions 1
Inpatient stays
For the 87 DRGs that can be compared with the national average, St Lukes Hospital charged more than the national average in 1 (1%). 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 | 269 | $44,019 | -51% | $14,566 |
| 291 Heart Failure and Shock with MCC | 134 | $32,944 | -42% | $9,917 |
| 177 Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with MCC | 101 | $39,287 | -44% | $12,685 |
| 189 Pulmonary Edema and Respiratory Failure | 96 | $32,524 | -44% | $9,680 |
| 470 Major Hip and Knee Joint Replacement or Reattachment of... | 85 | $49,260 | -47% | $14,357 |
| 885 Psychoses | 75 | $54,896 | +25% | $11,965 |
| 378 Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage with CC | 65 | $22,436 | -54% | $7,786 |
| 193 Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with MCC | 57 | $28,959 | -52% | $10,457 |
| 682 Renal Failure with MCC | 53 | $36,500 | -45% | $11,159 |
| 064 Intracranial Hemorrhage or Cerebral Infarction with MCC | 52 | $47,727 | -52% | $16,351 |
| 853 Infectious and Parasitic Diseases with O.R. Procedures with... | 51 | $112,587 | -51% | $34,814 |
| 065 Intracranial Hemorrhage or Cerebral Infarction with CC or... | 49 | $24,885 | -55% | $7,828 |
| 309 Cardiac Arrhythmia and Conduction Disorders with CC | 43 | $22,941 | -36% | $5,794 |
| 481 Hip and Femur Procedures except Major Joint with CC | 43 | $50,331 | -50% | $15,458 |
| 322 Percutaneous Cardiovascular Procedures with Intraluminal... | 41 | $72,928 | -36% | $14,213 |
| 267 Endovascular Cardiac Valve Replacement and Supplement... | 39 | $110,163 | -50% | $35,823 |
| 683 Renal Failure with CC | 39 | $19,967 | -51% | $7,247 |
| 392 Esophagitis, Gastroenteritis and Miscellaneous Digestive... | 38 | $22,002 | -45% | $6,337 |
| 266 Endovascular Cardiac Valve Replacement and Supplement... | 37 | $132,393 | -54% | $46,213 |
| 280 Acute Myocardial Infarction, Discharged Alive with MCC | 36 | $40,410 | -47% | $12,176 |
| 552 Medical Back Problems without MCC | 36 | $20,487 | -58% | $7,866 |
| 274 Percutaneous and Other Intracardiac Procedures without MCC | 34 | $89,800 | -43% | $23,861 |
| 641 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and... | 34 | $23,760 | -36% | $6,072 |
| 190 Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease with MCC | 32 | $23,300 | -54% | $8,316 |
| 308 Cardiac Arrhythmia and Conduction Disorders with MCC | 32 | $20,528 | -64% | $9,187 |
| 377 Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage with MCC | 30 | $42,088 | -51% | $13,480 |
| 640 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and... | 30 | $27,469 | -54% | $10,093 |
| 690 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections without MCC | 28 | $19,850 | -48% | $6,276 |
| 689 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections with MCC | 27 | $25,037 | -51% | $8,961 |
| 698 Other Kidney and Urinary Tract Diagnoses with MCC | 26 | $36,639 | -50% | $12,190 |
| 281 Acute Myocardial Infarction, Discharged Alive with CC | 24 | $28,590 | -43% | $7,037 |
| 389 Gastrointestinal Obstruction with CC | 24 | $18,819 | -52% | $6,139 |
| 872 Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours without MCC | 24 | $26,142 | -47% | $7,953 |
| 175 Pulmonary Embolism with MCC or Acute Cor Pulmonale | 23 | $26,445 | -59% | $10,704 |
| 330 Major Small and Large Bowel Procedures with CC | 23 | $62,593 | -47% | $18,430 |
| 391 Esophagitis, Gastroenteritis and Miscellaneous Digestive... | 22 | $32,416 | -47% | $9,824 |
| 603 Cellulitis without MCC | 21 | $22,390 | -40% | $6,873 |
| 310 Cardiac Arrhythmia and Conduction Disorders without CC/MCC | 20 | $10,753 | -63% | $4,364 |
| 312 Syncope and Collapse | 20 | $18,574 | -59% | $6,681 |
| 480 Hip and Femur Procedures except Major Joint with MCC | 20 | $61,816 | -55% | $21,246 |
| 483 Major Joint or Limb Reattachment Procedures of Upper... | 20 | $64,755 | -49% | $22,936 |
| 522 Hip Replacement with Principal Diagnosis of Hip Fracture... | 20 | $54,008 | -47% | $15,690 |
| 178 Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with CC | 19 | $21,313 | -53% | $7,492 |
| 418 Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy without C.D.E. with CC | 19 | $48,826 | -48% | $12,432 |
| 467 Revision of Hip or Knee Replacement with CC | 19 | $62,033 | -61% | $25,821 |
| 981 Extensive O.R. Procedures Unrelated To Principal Diagnosis... | 19 | $93,805 | -57% | $33,919 |
| 287 Circulatory Disorders except AMI, with Cardiac... | 17 | $46,265 | -28% | $8,290 |
| 057 Degenerative Nervous System Disorders without MCC | 16 | $36,534 | -35% | $10,781 |
| 066 Intracranial Hemorrhage or Cerebral Infarction without... | 16 | $19,123 | -55% | $5,371 |
| 071 Other Cerebrovascular Disorders with CC | 16 | $32,300 | -36% | $8,222 |
| 305 Hypertension without MCC | 16 | $21,584 | -46% | $5,867 |
| 563 Fracture, Sprain, Strain and Dislocation except Femur, Hip,... | 16 | $17,160 | -60% | $6,943 |
| 660 Kidney and Ureter Procedures for Non-Neoplasm with CC | 16 | $26,483 | -61% | $10,223 |
| 092 Other Disorders of Nervous System with CC | 15 | $28,292 | -45% | $8,061 |
| 286 Circulatory Disorders except AMI, with Cardiac... | 15 | $57,150 | -49% | $16,324 |
| 438 Disorders of Pancreas except Malignancy with MCC | 15 | $45,845 | -42% | $12,797 |
| 811 Red Blood Cell Disorders with MCC | 15 | $33,571 | -51% | $10,729 |
| 329 Major Small and Large Bowel Procedures with MCC | 14 | $93,392 | -57% | $36,546 |
| 394 Other Digestive System Diagnoses with CC | 14 | $24,874 | -47% | $7,699 |
| 812 Red Blood Cell Disorders without MCC | 14 | $19,376 | -56% | $7,050 |
Showing the 60 most frequent of 87 DRGs.
Outpatient services
Against the Minnesota average
For Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC (DRG 871), St Lukes Hospital charged $44,019 on average, 26% less than the Minnesota average of $59,297, and was paid $14,566 against a state average of $17,952. For Heart Failure and Shock with MCC (DRG 291), St Lukes Hospital charged $32,944 on average, 18% less than the Minnesota average of $40,341, and was paid $9,917 against a state average of $11,754. For Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with MCC (DRG 177), St Lukes Hospital charged $39,287 on average, 19% less than the Minnesota average of $48,441, and was paid $12,685 against a state average of $15,547. For Pulmonary Edema and Respiratory Failure (DRG 189), St Lukes Hospital charged $32,524 on average, 22% less than the Minnesota average of $41,872, and was paid $9,680 against a state average of $11,683. For Level 1 Intraocular Procedures (outpatient APC 5491), its average charge of $6,382 was 34% below the state average of $9,705. For Level 2 Urology and Related Services (outpatient APC 5372), its average charge of $1,615 was 4% above the state average of $1,551. For Level 2 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage (outpatient APC 5072), its average charge of $6,801 was 7% below the state average of $7,303. For Comprehensive Observation Services (outpatient APC 8011), its average charge of $13,425 was 9% below the state average of $14,738.
Price-transparency record
CMS's enforcement list records these actions for a hospital named St Lukes Hospital in Duluth, MN, under the federal hospital price-transparency rule (45 CFR part 180), which requires hospitals to post their standard charges online:
- Met Requirements — 2026-03-09 (CMS case 7215)
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.