South Carolina / Tidelands Waccamaw Community Hospital
CMS certification 420098 · Murrells Inlet, SC · 1 entry in CMS's price-transparency list
Tidelands Waccamaw Community Hospital: charges and Medicare payments
Tidelands Waccamaw Community Hospital reported 1,698 Medicare inpatient stays across 58 DRGs in 2024. Across them it charged 3.41 times what it was paid — among the lower ratios in South Carolina, number 35 of 45 hospitals with at least 100 stays (state median 4.13×, national 4.15×). Its most frequent stay was DRG 871, Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC: 176 stays at an average charge of $39,936, 56% below the national average. It also billed 2,495 outpatient services, charging 6.87 times what Medicare paid.
- 1Medicare inpatient stays 1,698
- 2Charge ÷ paid, inpatient 3.41×
- 3Rank in SC (highest ratio = 1) 35 of 45
- 4CMS price-transparency actions 1
Inpatient stays
For the 58 DRGs that can be compared with the national average, Tidelands Waccamaw Community Hospital charged more than the national average in 1 (2%). 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 | 176 | $39,936 | -56% | $13,877 |
| 291 Heart Failure and Shock with MCC | 137 | $26,917 | -52% | $9,433 |
| 193 Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with MCC | 86 | $31,910 | -47% | $9,878 |
| 177 Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with MCC | 73 | $41,044 | -42% | $11,824 |
| 378 Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage with CC | 65 | $28,185 | -42% | $7,509 |
| 190 Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease with MCC | 47 | $25,594 | -49% | $8,861 |
| 641 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and... | 47 | $18,423 | -50% | $6,147 |
| 309 Cardiac Arrhythmia and Conduction Disorders with CC | 45 | $20,975 | -42% | $5,950 |
| 640 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and... | 44 | $27,299 | -55% | $9,507 |
| 690 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections without MCC | 40 | $22,042 | -42% | $6,608 |
| 689 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections with MCC | 39 | $27,714 | -46% | $8,775 |
| 392 Esophagitis, Gastroenteritis and Miscellaneous Digestive... | 36 | $23,148 | -42% | $6,309 |
| 377 Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage with MCC | 35 | $45,116 | -47% | $12,908 |
| 522 Hip Replacement with Principal Diagnosis of Hip Fracture... | 34 | $56,248 | -45% | $15,042 |
| 698 Other Kidney and Urinary Tract Diagnoses with MCC | 33 | $31,954 | -56% | $11,541 |
| 481 Hip and Femur Procedures except Major Joint with CC | 32 | $56,159 | -44% | $14,870 |
| 682 Renal Failure with MCC | 31 | $30,507 | -54% | $10,678 |
| 308 Cardiac Arrhythmia and Conduction Disorders with MCC | 30 | $30,036 | -47% | $8,761 |
| 287 Circulatory Disorders except AMI, with Cardiac... | 28 | $29,283 | -54% | $9,029 |
| 683 Renal Failure with CC | 28 | $22,288 | -45% | $6,901 |
| 872 Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours without MCC | 27 | $22,811 | -53% | $7,744 |
| 065 Intracranial Hemorrhage or Cerebral Infarction with CC or... | 25 | $32,466 | -42% | $7,423 |
| 281 Acute Myocardial Infarction, Discharged Alive with CC | 25 | $17,579 | -65% | $6,499 |
| 280 Acute Myocardial Infarction, Discharged Alive with MCC | 23 | $33,635 | -56% | $11,217 |
| 194 Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with CC | 22 | $21,664 | -44% | $6,454 |
| 470 Major Hip and Knee Joint Replacement or Reattachment of... | 22 | $60,039 | -36% | $13,748 |
| 312 Syncope and Collapse | 21 | $23,735 | -48% | $6,884 |
| 057 Degenerative Nervous System Disorders without MCC | 20 | $16,226 | -71% | $9,214 |
| 286 Circulatory Disorders except AMI, with Cardiac... | 20 | $42,463 | -62% | $17,127 |
| 603 Cellulitis without MCC | 20 | $20,279 | -46% | $7,749 |
| 064 Intracranial Hemorrhage or Cerebral Infarction with MCC | 19 | $36,654 | -63% | $12,889 |
| 853 Infectious and Parasitic Diseases with O.R. Procedures with... | 19 | $114,196 | -50% | $31,479 |
| 389 Gastrointestinal Obstruction with CC | 18 | $19,779 | -49% | $6,312 |
| 460 Spinal Fusion except Cervical without MCC | 18 | $99,721 | -41% | $25,032 |
| 178 Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with CC | 17 | $24,768 | -45% | $7,450 |
| 552 Medical Back Problems without MCC | 17 | $26,557 | -46% | $7,309 |
| 189 Pulmonary Edema and Respiratory Failure | 15 | $31,610 | -45% | $9,504 |
| 372 Major Gastrointestinal Disorders and Peritoneal Infections... | 15 | $30,111 | -37% | $8,636 |
| 390 Gastrointestinal Obstruction without CC/MCC | 15 | $16,846 | -40% | $5,072 |
| 394 Other Digestive System Diagnoses with CC | 15 | $23,865 | -49% | $7,205 |
| 039 Extracranial Procedures without CC/MCC | 14 | $66,804 | +5% | $8,493 |
| 243 Permanent Cardiac Pacemaker Implant with CC | 14 | $56,032 | -50% | $16,189 |
| 330 Major Small and Large Bowel Procedures with CC | 14 | $70,471 | -41% | $17,453 |
| 472 Cervical Spinal Fusion with CC | 14 | $111,777 | -22% | $20,875 |
| 482 Hip and Femur Procedures except Major Joint without CC/MCC | 14 | $42,071 | -46% | $11,363 |
| 516 Other Musculoskeletal System and Connective Tissue O.R.... | 13 | $55,570 | -45% | $14,179 |
| 066 Intracranial Hemorrhage or Cerebral Infarction without... | 12 | $22,916 | -46% | $5,590 |
| 468 Revision of Hip or Knee Replacement without CC/MCC | 12 | $71,459 | -42% | $18,854 |
| 644 Endocrine Disorders with CC | 12 | $29,486 | -39% | $8,355 |
| 699 Other Kidney and Urinary Tract Diagnoses with CC | 12 | $24,633 | -48% | $9,296 |
| 025 Craniotomy and Endovascular Intracranial Procedures with MCC | 11 | $163,761 | -29% | $30,364 |
| 033 Ventricular Shunt Procedures without CC/MCC | 11 | $54,076 | -38% | $11,700 |
| 253 Other Vascular Procedures with CC | 11 | $103,774 | -21% | $21,835 |
| 329 Major Small and Large Bowel Procedures with MCC | 11 | $112,257 | -48% | $30,143 |
| 455 Combined Anterior and Posterior Spinal Fusion without CC/MCC | 11 | $126,327 | -38% | $32,229 |
| 467 Revision of Hip or Knee Replacement with CC | 11 | $92,070 | -42% | $24,118 |
| 638 Diabetes with CC | 11 | $25,898 | -38% | $7,297 |
| 812 Red Blood Cell Disorders without MCC | 11 | $24,459 | -45% | $7,037 |
Outpatient services
Against the South Carolina average
For Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC (DRG 871), Tidelands Waccamaw Community Hospital charged $39,936 on average, 48% less than the South Carolina average of $76,532, and was paid $13,877 against a state average of $16,014. For Heart Failure and Shock with MCC (DRG 291), Tidelands Waccamaw Community Hospital charged $26,917 on average, 41% less than the South Carolina average of $45,682, and was paid $9,433 against a state average of $10,696. For Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with MCC (DRG 193), Tidelands Waccamaw Community Hospital charged $31,910 on average, 40% less than the South Carolina average of $53,401, and was paid $9,878 against a state average of $11,120. For Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with MCC (DRG 177), Tidelands Waccamaw Community Hospital charged $41,044 on average, 34% less than the South Carolina average of $62,241, and was paid $11,824 against a state average of $13,455. For Comprehensive Observation Services (outpatient APC 8011), its average charge of $14,896 was 28% below the state average of $20,764. For Level 2 Upper GI Procedures (outpatient APC 5302), its average charge of $11,460 was 18% below the state average of $14,055. For Level 3 Lower GI Procedures (outpatient APC 5313), its average charge of $16,779 was 18% below the state average of $20,405. For Level 5 Musculoskeletal Procedures (outpatient APC 5115), its average charge of $48,426 was 40% below the state average of $80,461.
Price-transparency record
CMS's enforcement list records these actions for a hospital named Tidelands Waccamaw Community Hospital in Murrells Inlet, SC, under the federal hospital price-transparency rule (45 CFR part 180), which requires hospitals to post their standard charges online:
- Met Requirements — 2026-03-11 (CMS case 7245)
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.