Georgia / Wellstar West Georgia Medical Center
CMS certification 110016 · Lagrange, GA · 2 entries in CMS's price-transparency list
Wellstar West Georgia Medical Center: charges and Medicare payments
Wellstar West Georgia Medical Center reported 1,026 Medicare inpatient stays across 33 DRGs in 2024. Across them it charged 5.6 times what it was paid — among the higher ratios in Georgia, number 20 of 74 hospitals with at least 100 stays (state median 4.44×, national 4.15×). Its most frequent stay was DRG 871, Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC: 255 stays at an average charge of $101,295, 12% above the national average. It also billed 683 outpatient services, charging 11.38 times what Medicare paid.
- 1Medicare inpatient stays 1,026
- 2Charge ÷ paid, inpatient 5.6×
- 3Rank in GA (highest ratio = 1) 20 of 74
- 4CMS price-transparency actions 2
Inpatient stays
For the 33 DRGs that can be compared with the national average, Wellstar West Georgia Medical Center charged more than the national average in 23 (70%). 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 | 255 | $101,295 | +12% | $16,961 |
| 291 Heart Failure and Shock with MCC | 109 | $72,627 | +29% | $10,959 |
| 872 Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours without MCC | 44 | $57,328 | +17% | $9,528 |
| 640 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and... | 42 | $76,159 | +26% | $13,059 |
| 280 Acute Myocardial Infarction, Discharged Alive with MCC | 33 | $87,533 | +15% | $16,611 |
| 689 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections with MCC | 33 | $48,314 | -6% | $10,135 |
| 853 Infectious and Parasitic Diseases with O.R. Procedures with... | 33 | $201,087 | -12% | $54,066 |
| 177 Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with MCC | 28 | $74,578 | +6% | $13,627 |
| 683 Renal Failure with CC | 28 | $47,665 | +17% | $9,400 |
| 682 Renal Failure with MCC | 27 | $72,933 | +11% | $12,270 |
| 064 Intracranial Hemorrhage or Cerebral Infarction with MCC | 26 | $90,047 | -10% | $18,543 |
| 378 Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage with CC | 24 | $59,436 | +22% | $11,590 |
| 641 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and... | 24 | $43,948 | +19% | $8,343 |
| 698 Other Kidney and Urinary Tract Diagnoses with MCC | 24 | $88,048 | +20% | $12,994 |
| 189 Pulmonary Edema and Respiratory Failure | 22 | $59,704 | +4% | $10,600 |
| 193 Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with MCC | 22 | $64,676 | +8% | $10,969 |
| 690 Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections without MCC | 22 | $36,710 | -3% | $8,250 |
| 287 Circulatory Disorders except AMI, with Cardiac... | 20 | $55,834 | -13% | $9,361 |
| 308 Cardiac Arrhythmia and Conduction Disorders with MCC | 19 | $75,477 | +33% | $12,309 |
| 312 Syncope and Collapse | 19 | $51,221 | +12% | $8,139 |
| 392 Esophagitis, Gastroenteritis and Miscellaneous Digestive... | 19 | $53,432 | +33% | $8,461 |
| 309 Cardiac Arrhythmia and Conduction Disorders with CC | 18 | $47,303 | +31% | $8,370 |
| 069 Transient Ischemia without Thrombolytic | 14 | $50,468 | 0% | $7,715 |
| 190 Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease with MCC | 14 | $50,501 | 0% | $9,743 |
| 377 Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage with MCC | 14 | $119,809 | +40% | $14,274 |
| 884 Organic Disturbances and Intellectual Disability | 14 | $50,527 | -19% | $13,660 |
| 065 Intracranial Hemorrhage or Cerebral Infarction with CC or... | 12 | $60,216 | +8% | $10,813 |
| 637 Diabetes with MCC | 12 | $95,210 | +43% | $11,863 |
| 281 Acute Myocardial Infarction, Discharged Alive with CC | 11 | $71,202 | +41% | $8,430 |
| 310 Cardiac Arrhythmia and Conduction Disorders without CC/MCC | 11 | $49,516 | +72% | $6,076 |
| 389 Gastrointestinal Obstruction with CC | 11 | $44,280 | +14% | $9,974 |
| 603 Cellulitis without MCC | 11 | $31,826 | -15% | $7,989 |
| 659 Kidney and Ureter Procedures for Non-Neoplasm with MCC | 11 | $97,955 | -18% | $19,205 |
Outpatient services
Against the Georgia average
For Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC (DRG 871), Wellstar West Georgia Medical Center charged $101,295 on average, 19% more than the Georgia average of $85,396, and was paid $16,961 against a state average of $17,147. For Heart Failure and Shock with MCC (DRG 291), Wellstar West Georgia Medical Center charged $72,627 on average, 38% more than the Georgia average of $52,781, and was paid $10,959 against a state average of $12,005. For Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours without MCC (DRG 872), Wellstar West Georgia Medical Center charged $57,328 on average, 32% more than the Georgia average of $43,563, and was paid $9,528 against a state average of $9,785. For Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and Electrolytes with MCC (DRG 640), Wellstar West Georgia Medical Center charged $76,159 on average, 35% more than the Georgia average of $56,443, and was paid $13,059 against a state average of $12,676. For Level 1 Endovascular Procedures (outpatient APC 5191), its average charge of $30,995 was 15% above the state average of $26,927. For Level 2 Upper GI Procedures (outpatient APC 5302), its average charge of $25,670 was 72% above the state average of $14,925. For Comprehensive Observation Services (outpatient APC 8011), its average charge of $30,688 was 47% above the state average of $20,900. For Level 5 Urology and Related Services (outpatient APC 5375), its average charge of $37,337 was 6% above the state average of $35,322.
Price-transparency record
CMS's enforcement list records these actions for a hospital named Wellstar West Georgia Medical Center in Lagrange, GA, under the federal hospital price-transparency rule (45 CFR part 180), which requires hospitals to post their standard charges online:
- Warning Notice — 2024-03-08 (CMS case 1602)
- Closure Notice — 2024-04-19 (CMS case 1602)
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.