Texas / Valley Regional Medical Center
CMS certification 450662 · Brownsville, TX · 2 entries in CMS's price-transparency list
Valley Regional Medical Center: charges and Medicare payments
Valley Regional Medical Center reported 477 Medicare inpatient stays across 19 DRGs in 2024. Across them it charged 11.76 times what it was paid — among the higher ratios in Texas, number 16 of 190 hospitals with at least 100 stays (state median 5.35×, national 4.15×). Its most frequent stay was DRG 871, Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC: 124 stays at an average charge of $216,821, 140% above the national average. It also billed 197 outpatient services, charging 28.24 times what Medicare paid.
- 1Medicare inpatient stays 477
- 2Charge ÷ paid, inpatient 11.76×
- 3Rank in TX (highest ratio = 1) 16 of 190
- 4CMS price-transparency actions 2
Inpatient stays
For the 19 DRGs that can be compared with the national average, Valley Regional Medical Center charged more than the national average in 19 (100%). 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 | 124 | $216,821 | +140% | $15,892 |
| 291 Heart Failure and Shock with MCC | 33 | $126,483 | +124% | $10,606 |
| 682 Renal Failure with MCC | 33 | $100,010 | +52% | $13,585 |
| 280 Acute Myocardial Infarction, Discharged Alive with MCC | 30 | $145,273 | +92% | $12,515 |
| 640 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and... | 30 | $103,630 | +72% | $11,253 |
| 432 Cirrhosis and Alcoholic Hepatitis with MCC | 24 | $104,225 | +9% | $15,170 |
| 193 Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with MCC | 21 | $128,850 | +116% | $10,980 |
| 377 Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage with MCC | 20 | $148,884 | +74% | $13,862 |
| 853 Infectious and Parasitic Diseases with O.R. Procedures with... | 19 | $474,341 | +107% | $35,996 |
| 872 Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours without MCC | 19 | $107,429 | +119% | $9,480 |
| 064 Intracranial Hemorrhage or Cerebral Infarction with MCC | 17 | $224,262 | +125% | $15,169 |
| 177 Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with MCC | 16 | $195,266 | +177% | $13,207 |
| 394 Other Digestive System Diagnoses with CC | 16 | $86,199 | +83% | $8,742 |
| 683 Renal Failure with CC | 14 | $70,510 | +73% | $8,046 |
| 698 Other Kidney and Urinary Tract Diagnoses with MCC | 14 | $162,418 | +121% | $12,957 |
| 673 Other Kidney and Urinary Tract Procedures with MCC | 13 | $301,594 | +74% | $33,464 |
| 689 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections with MCC | 12 | $112,614 | +119% | $9,651 |
| 100 Seizures with MCC | 11 | $134,673 | +43% | $14,752 |
| 870 Septicemia or Severe Sepsis with MV >96 Hours | 11 | $559,527 | +73% | $39,806 |
Outpatient services
| Service (APC) | Services | Avg charge | Medicare allowed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Comprehensive Observation Services | 68 | $47,270 | $2,320 |
| Level 3 Vascular Procedures | 34 | $65,235 | $2,701 |
| Level 2 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage | 22 | $40,833 | $1,407 |
| Level 1 Laparoscopy and Related Services | 19 | $115,402 | $5,007 |
| Level 1 Endovascular Procedures | 17 | $93,835 | $2,832 |
| Level 2 Vascular Procedures | 13 | $19,357 | $1,390 |
| Level 2 Upper GI Procedures | 13 | $31,046 | $1,651 |
| Level 3 Endovascular Procedures | 11 | $176,542 | $9,540 |
Against the Texas average
For Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC (DRG 871), Valley Regional Medical Center charged $216,821 on average, 95% more than the Texas average of $111,133, and was paid $15,892 against a state average of $16,694. For Heart Failure and Shock with MCC (DRG 291), Valley Regional Medical Center charged $126,483 on average, 86% more than the Texas average of $67,944, and was paid $10,606 against a state average of $11,820. For Renal Failure with MCC (DRG 682), Valley Regional Medical Center charged $100,010 on average, 29% more than the Texas average of $77,512, and was paid $13,585 against a state average of $12,864. For Acute Myocardial Infarction, Discharged Alive with MCC (DRG 280), Valley Regional Medical Center charged $145,273 on average, 57% more than the Texas average of $92,713, and was paid $12,515 against a state average of $13,694. For Comprehensive Observation Services (outpatient APC 8011), its average charge of $47,270 was 69% above the state average of $27,955. For Level 3 Vascular Procedures (outpatient APC 5183), its average charge of $65,235 was 131% above the state average of $28,214. For Level 2 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage (outpatient APC 5072), its average charge of $40,833 was 190% above the state average of $14,089. For Level 1 Laparoscopy and Related Services (outpatient APC 5361), its average charge of $115,402 was 126% above the state average of $50,995.
Price-transparency record
CMS's enforcement list records these actions for a hospital named Valley Regional Medical Center in Brownsville, TX, under the federal hospital price-transparency rule (45 CFR part 180), which requires hospitals to post their standard charges online:
- Met Requirements — 2024-02-14 (CMS case 1872)
- Met Requirements — 2025-05-06 (CMS case 4331)
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.