CostGrade
B

75/100

#481 nationally

Caldwell Memorial Hospital

321 Mulberry St Sw, Lenoir, NC 28645 · (828) 757-5100

Charges moderately above what care is paid for

For every $1 of care Medicare actually paid for here, Caldwell Memorial Hospital billed $3.75 in list charges. That gap does not change a Medicare patient's bill — but it is where an uninsured or out-of-network bill starts.

Charge-to-payment
3.7x
volume-weighted across all its priced work
Procedures priced
41
inpatient and outpatient combined
Rank in NC
#12
lower markup ranks higher
CMS quality stars
3/5
shown for context, not in the grade

How this grade was reached

Each component is scored against every other U.S. hospital in the same federal files, so the grade is a position in the country, not a pass mark we invented.

Inpatient charge markup 25.2/35

Better than 72% of U.S. hospitals.

Outpatient charge markup 19.6/25

Better than 78% of U.S. hospitals.

Price level vs national median 23.5/30

Better than 78% of U.S. hospitals.

Price consistency 6.9/10

Better than 69% of U.S. hospitals.

What this hospital treats most

The ten procedures it billed Medicare for most often, with its charge beside the national middle.

Procedure Patients Charged Actually paid vs national
Level 2 Endovascular Procedures

APC 5192 · Hospital outpatient visit

219 $15,271 $4,901 -56%
Level 3 Vascular Procedures

APC 5183 · Hospital outpatient visit

119 $16,010 $2,774 -16%
Level 2 Urology and Related Services

APC 5372 · Hospital outpatient visit

107 $1,225 $594 -61%
Sepsis (severe)

MS-DRG 871 · Inpatient stay

80 $33,104 $13,888 -49%
Level 3 Endovascular Procedures

APC 5193 · Hospital outpatient visit

69 $40,330 $9,452 -40%
Level 1 Endovascular Procedures

APC 5191 · Hospital outpatient visit

68 $16,460 $2,720 -35%
Level 4 Musculoskeletal Procedures

APC 5114 · Hospital outpatient visit

60 $31,397 $6,143 -21%
Level 3 Musculoskeletal Procedures

APC 5113 · Hospital outpatient visit

59 $16,809 $2,526 -18%
Level 2 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage

APC 5072 · Hospital outpatient visit

56 $6,268 $1,341 -38%
Level 5 Musculoskeletal Procedures

APC 5115 · Hospital outpatient visit

54 $44,602 $11,257 -29%

Where its charges run furthest above the national middle

Only procedures it performed at least eleven times, so a single unusual case cannot produce the headline.

Procedure Charged Actually paid vs national
Psychoses

MS-DRG 885 · Inpatient stay

$46,922 $10,421 +30%
Level 2 Upper GI Procedures

APC 5302 · Hospital outpatient visit

$13,293 $1,656 +13%
Level 1 Nerve Procedures

APC 5431 · Hospital outpatient visit

$11,283 $1,680 about average
Level 4 Airway Endoscopy

APC 5154 · Hospital outpatient visit

$20,225 $3,259 -11%
Comprehensive Observation Services

APC 8011 · Hospital outpatient visit

$16,468 $2,382 -15%
Level 3 Vascular Procedures

APC 5183 · Hospital outpatient visit

$16,010 $2,774 -16%
Level 3 Musculoskeletal Procedures

APC 5113 · Hospital outpatient visit

$16,809 $2,526 -18%
Level 4 Musculoskeletal Procedures

APC 5114 · Hospital outpatient visit

$31,397 $6,143 -21%

Where it charges least relative to everyone else

Procedure Charged Actually paid vs national
Diabetes (with complications)

MS-DRG 638 · Inpatient stay

$13,352 $7,048 -61%
Level 2 Urology and Related Services

APC 5372 · Hospital outpatient visit

$1,225 $594 -61%
Level 3 Urology and Related Services

APC 5373 · Hospital outpatient visit

$5,504 $1,772 -57%
Level 2 Endovascular Procedures

APC 5192 · Hospital outpatient visit

$15,271 $4,901 -56%
Heart Attack (severe)

MS-DRG 280 · Inpatient stay

$29,513 $9,742 -52%
Respiratory Infection (severe)

MS-DRG 177 · Inpatient stay

$26,528 $11,485 -52%
Kidney Failure (with complications)

MS-DRG 683 · Inpatient stay

$16,280 $7,311 -51%
Sepsis (severe)

MS-DRG 871 · Inpatient stay

$33,104 $13,888 -49%

What this page cannot tell you

  • It is not your bill. These are averages across Medicare patients. What you pay depends on your insurance, your plan's negotiated rate and your own case.
  • It is not a quality rating. A hospital with a high markup may be excellent, and one with a low markup may not be. We checked: across every U.S. hospital, markup and the CMS quality star rating barely move together.
  • A charge is not a cost. Hospitals do not collect their list charges from insured patients. The number matters because it is the opening figure on an uninsured or out-of-network bill.
  • Ask for the real number. Every U.S. hospital must publish a machine-readable price file and give you a written good-faith estimate on request.