North Carolina / Watauga Medical Center
CMS certification 340051 · Boone, NC
Watauga Medical Center: charges and Medicare payments
Watauga Medical Center reported 592 Medicare inpatient stays across 26 DRGs in 2024. Across them it charged 2.55 times what it was paid — among the lower ratios in North Carolina, number 59 of 73 hospitals with at least 100 stays (state median 3.55×, national 4.15×). Its most frequent stay was DRG 871, Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC: 78 stays at an average charge of $37,413, 59% below the national average. It also billed 1,457 outpatient services, charging 5.17 times what Medicare paid.
- 1Medicare inpatient stays 592
- 2Charge ÷ paid, inpatient 2.55×
- 3Rank in NC (highest ratio = 1) 59 of 73
- 4CMS price-transparency actions 0
Inpatient stays
For the 26 DRGs that can be compared with the national average, Watauga Medical Center 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 | 78 | $37,413 | -59% | $18,923 |
| 291 Heart Failure and Shock with MCC | 54 | $22,548 | -60% | $11,893 |
| 470 Major Hip and Knee Joint Replacement or Reattachment of... | 46 | $54,819 | -41% | $17,509 |
| 193 Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with MCC | 35 | $27,936 | -53% | $12,112 |
| 177 Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with MCC | 34 | $35,580 | -50% | $15,777 |
| 065 Intracranial Hemorrhage or Cerebral Infarction with CC or... | 23 | $27,722 | -50% | $9,614 |
| 481 Hip and Femur Procedures except Major Joint with CC | 23 | $55,186 | -45% | $20,066 |
| 522 Hip Replacement with Principal Diagnosis of Hip Fracture... | 23 | $53,118 | -48% | $19,598 |
| 309 Cardiac Arrhythmia and Conduction Disorders with CC | 22 | $16,567 | -54% | $7,082 |
| 194 Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with CC | 19 | $17,257 | -55% | $7,797 |
| 287 Circulatory Disorders except AMI, with Cardiac... | 19 | $31,964 | -50% | $9,989 |
| 322 Percutaneous Cardiovascular Procedures with Intraluminal... | 19 | $57,369 | -50% | $16,706 |
| 308 Cardiac Arrhythmia and Conduction Disorders with MCC | 17 | $24,690 | -56% | $11,397 |
| 178 Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with CC | 16 | $25,682 | -43% | $9,411 |
| 641 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and... | 16 | $15,296 | -59% | $7,494 |
| 690 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections without MCC | 16 | $20,123 | -47% | $7,748 |
| 698 Other Kidney and Urinary Tract Diagnoses with MCC | 16 | $28,683 | -61% | $15,627 |
| 392 Esophagitis, Gastroenteritis and Miscellaneous Digestive... | 15 | $24,304 | -39% | $7,523 |
| 190 Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease with MCC | 14 | $29,962 | -41% | $10,408 |
| 378 Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage with CC | 14 | $24,183 | -50% | $9,088 |
| 689 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections with MCC | 14 | $20,211 | -61% | $11,104 |
| 189 Pulmonary Edema and Respiratory Failure | 12 | $36,319 | -37% | $12,152 |
| 208 Respiratory System Diagnosis with Ventilator Support <=96... | 12 | $118,069 | -13% | $32,853 |
| 280 Acute Myocardial Infarction, Discharged Alive with MCC | 12 | $37,695 | -50% | $14,839 |
| 483 Major Joint or Limb Reattachment Procedures of Upper... | 12 | $82,826 | -34% | $23,218 |
| 603 Cellulitis without MCC | 11 | $19,753 | -47% | $8,556 |
Outpatient services
Against the North Carolina average
For Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC (DRG 871), Watauga Medical Center charged $37,413 on average, 34% less than the North Carolina average of $56,936, and was paid $18,923 against a state average of $16,444. For Heart Failure and Shock with MCC (DRG 291), Watauga Medical Center charged $22,548 on average, 37% less than the North Carolina average of $35,799, and was paid $11,893 against a state average of $11,305. For Major Hip and Knee Joint Replacement or Reattachment of Lower Extremity without MCC (DRG 470), Watauga Medical Center charged $54,819 on average, 23% less than the North Carolina average of $70,932, and was paid $17,509 against a state average of $15,577. For Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with MCC (DRG 193), Watauga Medical Center charged $27,936 on average, 30% less than the North Carolina average of $39,905, and was paid $12,112 against a state average of $11,523. For Level 5 Musculoskeletal Procedures (outpatient APC 5115), its average charge of $45,451 was 26% below the state average of $61,166. For Level 1 Intraocular Procedures (outpatient APC 5491), its average charge of $7,519 was 26% below the state average of $10,153. For Comprehensive Observation Services (outpatient APC 8011), its average charge of $11,134 was 41% below the state average of $18,779. For Level 2 Upper GI Procedures (outpatient APC 5302), its average charge of $10,902 was 3% below the state average of $11,289.
Price-transparency record
No action in CMS's price-transparency enforcement list (July 2026) matches this hospital's exact name, city and state. That can mean CMS has not reviewed it, or that it is listed under a different name.
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.