Alabama / St Vincent's St Clair
CMS certification 010130 · Pell City, AL · 6 entries in CMS's price-transparency list
St Vincent's St Clair: charges and Medicare payments
St Vincent's St Clair reported 289 Medicare inpatient stays across 12 DRGs in 2024. Across them it charged 2.64 times what it was paid — among the lower ratios in Alabama, number 40 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: 71 stays at an average charge of $32,444, 64% below the national average. It also billed 324 outpatient services, charging 8.82 times what Medicare paid.
- 1Medicare inpatient stays 289
- 2Charge ÷ paid, inpatient 2.64×
- 3Rank in AL (highest ratio = 1) 40 of 45
- 4CMS price-transparency actions 6
Inpatient stays
For the 12 DRGs that can be compared with the national average, St Vincent's St Clair 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 | 71 | $32,444 | -64% | $13,511 |
| 193 Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with MCC | 37 | $25,649 | -57% | $8,777 |
| 177 Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with MCC | 30 | $25,744 | -64% | $11,496 |
| 291 Heart Failure and Shock with MCC | 27 | $21,509 | -62% | $8,702 |
| 872 Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours without MCC | 24 | $23,943 | -51% | $7,388 |
| 689 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections with MCC | 22 | $25,021 | -51% | $8,169 |
| 690 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections without MCC | 18 | $17,475 | -54% | $5,625 |
| 603 Cellulitis without MCC | 13 | $18,281 | -51% | $6,203 |
| 190 Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease with MCC | 12 | $21,848 | -57% | $7,721 |
| 194 Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with CC | 12 | $24,308 | -37% | $5,801 |
| 280 Acute Myocardial Infarction, Discharged Alive with MCC | 12 | $21,100 | -72% | $10,443 |
| 683 Renal Failure with CC | 11 | $17,550 | -57% | $6,306 |
Outpatient services
| Service (APC) | Services | Avg charge | Medicare allowed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 Intraocular Procedures | 170 | $14,579 | $1,858 |
| Level 3 Vascular Procedures | 37 | $22,846 | $2,550 |
| Comprehensive Observation Services | 33 | $13,443 | $2,128 |
| Level 2 Upper GI Procedures | 27 | $8,704 | $1,589 |
| Level 4 Vascular Procedures | 20 | $25,628 | $4,587 |
| Level 2 Endovascular Procedures | 19 | $22,649 | $4,771 |
| Level 1 Laparoscopy and Related Services | 18 | $27,869 | $4,394 |
Against the Alabama average
For Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC (DRG 871), St Vincent's St Clair charged $32,444 on average, 60% less than the Alabama average of $80,125, and was paid $13,511 against a state average of $14,647. For Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with MCC (DRG 193), St Vincent's St Clair charged $25,649 on average, 49% less than the Alabama average of $50,009, and was paid $8,777 against a state average of $10,124. For Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with MCC (DRG 177), St Vincent's St Clair charged $25,744 on average, 57% less than the Alabama average of $59,377, and was paid $11,496 against a state average of $12,400. For Heart Failure and Shock with MCC (DRG 291), St Vincent's St Clair charged $21,509 on average, 51% less than the Alabama average of $43,997, and was paid $8,702 against a state average of $10,010. For Level 1 Intraocular Procedures (outpatient APC 5491), its average charge of $14,579 was 41% above the state average of $10,352. For Level 3 Vascular Procedures (outpatient APC 5183), its average charge of $22,846 was 4% below the state average of $23,706. For Comprehensive Observation Services (outpatient APC 8011), its average charge of $13,443 was 19% below the state average of $16,650. For Level 2 Upper GI Procedures (outpatient APC 5302), its average charge of $8,704 was 48% below the state average of $16,696.
Price-transparency record
CMS's enforcement list records these actions for a hospital named St Vincent's St Clair in Pell City, AL, under the federal hospital price-transparency rule (45 CFR part 180), which requires hospitals to post their standard charges online:
- Warning Notice — 2022-11-23 (CMS case 1146)
- Closure Notice — 2023-05-08 (CMS case 1146)
- CAP Request — 2025-04-15 (CMS case 3737)
- CAP Request — 2025-07-18 (CMS case 3737)
- CAP Request — 2026-04-09 (CMS case 3737)
- Closure Notice — 2026-04-30 (CMS case 3737)
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.