Alabama / St Vincent's East
CMS certification 010011 · Birmingham, AL · 7 entries in CMS's price-transparency list
St Vincent's East: charges and Medicare payments
St Vincent's East reported 1,495 Medicare inpatient stays across 51 DRGs in 2024. Across them it charged 4.24 times what it was paid — mid-range in Alabama, number 23 of 45 hospitals with at least 100 stays (state median 4.24×, national 4.15×). Its most frequent stay was DRG 871, Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC: 170 stays at an average charge of $64,538, 29% below the national average. It also billed 927 outpatient services, charging 9.91 times what Medicare paid.
- 1Medicare inpatient stays 1,495
- 2Charge ÷ paid, inpatient 4.24×
- 3Rank in AL (highest ratio = 1) 23 of 45
- 4CMS price-transparency actions 7
Inpatient stays
For the 51 DRGs that can be compared with the national average, St Vincent's East charged more than the national average in 3 (6%). 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 | 170 | $64,538 | -29% | $14,359 |
| 291 Heart Failure and Shock with MCC | 100 | $38,133 | -32% | $10,301 |
| 885 Psychoses | 84 | $40,749 | -7% | $11,243 |
| 177 Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with MCC | 82 | $52,683 | -25% | $12,831 |
| 274 Percutaneous and Other Intracardiac Procedures without MCC | 82 | $74,465 | -52% | $21,769 |
| 193 Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with MCC | 58 | $49,034 | -18% | $11,135 |
| 280 Acute Myocardial Infarction, Discharged Alive with MCC | 42 | $49,464 | -35% | $12,977 |
| 392 Esophagitis, Gastroenteritis and Miscellaneous Digestive... | 39 | $27,868 | -31% | $7,135 |
| 640 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and... | 36 | $42,214 | -30% | $10,693 |
| 689 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections with MCC | 36 | $39,888 | -22% | $10,516 |
| 312 Syncope and Collapse | 32 | $29,529 | -35% | $7,308 |
| 853 Infectious and Parasitic Diseases with O.R. Procedures with... | 32 | $160,546 | -30% | $31,867 |
| 690 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections without MCC | 31 | $22,896 | -39% | $7,165 |
| 189 Pulmonary Edema and Respiratory Failure | 30 | $42,078 | -27% | $9,903 |
| 682 Renal Failure with MCC | 29 | $46,474 | -30% | $11,719 |
| 683 Renal Failure with CC | 27 | $27,209 | -33% | $7,498 |
| 872 Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours without MCC | 26 | $27,123 | -45% | $8,753 |
| 884 Organic Disturbances and Intellectual Disability | 25 | $38,984 | -38% | $13,358 |
| 309 Cardiac Arrhythmia and Conduction Disorders with CC | 24 | $31,853 | -12% | $6,728 |
| 322 Percutaneous Cardiovascular Procedures with Intraluminal... | 24 | $123,324 | +8% | $13,701 |
| 378 Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage with CC | 24 | $34,918 | -28% | $7,916 |
| 190 Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease with MCC | 23 | $33,341 | -34% | $9,551 |
| 194 Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with CC | 22 | $23,303 | -39% | $7,260 |
| 308 Cardiac Arrhythmia and Conduction Disorders with MCC | 22 | $33,684 | -41% | $10,172 |
| 036 Carotid Artery Stent Procedures without CC/MCC | 20 | $138,774 | +57% | $13,071 |
| 391 Esophagitis, Gastroenteritis and Miscellaneous Digestive... | 20 | $44,655 | -27% | $10,848 |
| 310 Cardiac Arrhythmia and Conduction Disorders without CC/MCC | 19 | $21,314 | -26% | $5,675 |
| 522 Hip Replacement with Principal Diagnosis of Hip Fracture... | 18 | $56,817 | -44% | $15,433 |
| 603 Cellulitis without MCC | 18 | $18,393 | -51% | $7,741 |
| 065 Intracranial Hemorrhage or Cerebral Infarction with CC or... | 17 | $38,982 | -30% | $8,537 |
| 377 Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage with MCC | 17 | $75,073 | -12% | $13,237 |
| 641 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and... | 17 | $20,127 | -46% | $6,929 |
| 698 Other Kidney and Urinary Tract Diagnoses with MCC | 17 | $36,690 | -50% | $12,644 |
| 481 Hip and Femur Procedures except Major Joint with CC | 16 | $55,453 | -45% | $15,146 |
| 064 Intracranial Hemorrhage or Cerebral Infarction with MCC | 15 | $62,040 | -38% | $12,960 |
| 305 Hypertension without MCC | 15 | $26,448 | -34% | $6,318 |
| 321 Percutaneous Cardiovascular Procedures with Intraluminal... | 15 | $182,929 | +12% | $21,923 |
| 638 Diabetes with CC | 15 | $29,862 | -28% | $7,866 |
| 870 Septicemia or Severe Sepsis with MV >96 Hours | 15 | $171,362 | -47% | $46,060 |
| 178 Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with CC | 13 | $25,311 | -44% | $8,444 |
| 287 Circulatory Disorders except AMI, with Cardiac... | 13 | $59,510 | -7% | $8,875 |
| 267 Endovascular Cardiac Valve Replacement and Supplement... | 12 | $154,465 | -30% | $32,536 |
| 273 Percutaneous and Other Intracardiac Procedures with MCC | 12 | $85,721 | -60% | $25,862 |
| 286 Circulatory Disorders except AMI, with Cardiac... | 12 | $84,510 | -25% | $16,363 |
| 331 Major Small and Large Bowel Procedures without CC/MCC | 12 | $66,298 | -23% | $12,163 |
| 394 Other Digestive System Diagnoses with CC | 12 | $23,431 | -50% | $8,011 |
| 208 Respiratory System Diagnosis with Ventilator Support <=96... | 11 | $77,976 | -43% | $19,842 |
| 313 Chest Pain | 11 | $20,731 | -48% | $6,387 |
| 314 Other Circulatory System Diagnoses with MCC | 11 | $63,810 | -33% | $17,125 |
| 389 Gastrointestinal Obstruction with CC | 11 | $18,132 | -53% | $6,916 |
| 521 Hip Replacement with Principal Diagnosis of Hip Fracture... | 11 | $73,099 | -46% | $20,380 |
Outpatient services
Against the Alabama average
For Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC (DRG 871), St Vincent's East charged $64,538 on average, 19% less than the Alabama average of $80,125, and was paid $14,359 against a state average of $14,647. For Heart Failure and Shock with MCC (DRG 291), St Vincent's East charged $38,133 on average, 13% less than the Alabama average of $43,997, and was paid $10,301 against a state average of $10,010. For Psychoses (DRG 885), St Vincent's East charged $40,749 on average, 27% less than the Alabama average of $56,180, and was paid $11,243 against a state average of $10,889. For Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with MCC (DRG 177), St Vincent's East charged $52,683 on average, 11% less than the Alabama average of $59,377, and was paid $12,831 against a state average of $12,400. For Level 1 Endovascular Procedures (outpatient APC 5191), its average charge of $47,086 was 56% above the state average of $30,210. For Level 3 Electrophysiologic Procedures (outpatient APC 5213), its average charge of $93,587 was 48% below the state average of $180,164. For Level 1 Laparoscopy and Related Services (outpatient APC 5361), its average charge of $38,025 was 20% below the state average of $47,318. For Level 3 Endovascular Procedures (outpatient APC 5193), its average charge of $99,133 was 18% above the state average of $84,104.
Price-transparency record
CMS's enforcement list records these actions for a hospital named St Vincent's East in Birmingham, AL, under the federal hospital price-transparency rule (45 CFR part 180), which requires hospitals to post their standard charges online:
- Warning Notice — 2022-11-29 (CMS case 1144)
- CAP Request — 2023-03-03 (CMS case 1144)
- Closure Notice — 2023-04-18 (CMS case 1144)
- CAP Request — 2025-04-14 (CMS case 3739)
- CAP Request — 2025-07-18 (CMS case 3739)
- CAP Request — 2026-04-13 (CMS case 3739)
- Closure Notice — 2026-04-30 (CMS case 3739)
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.