CostGrade
D

35/100

#1,730 nationally

Charleston Area Medical Center

501 Morris Street, Charleston, WV 25301 · (304) 388-5432

Charges far above the national norm

For every $1 of care Medicare actually paid for here, Charleston Area Medical Center billed $5.50 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
5.5x
volume-weighted across all its priced work
Procedures priced
201
inpatient and outpatient combined
Rank in WV
#20
lower markup ranks higher
CMS quality stars
2/5
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 10.1/35

Better than 29% of U.S. hospitals.

Outpatient charge markup 8.9/25

Better than 36% of U.S. hospitals.

Price level vs national median 11.0/30

Better than 37% of U.S. hospitals.

Price consistency 5.1/10

Better than 51% 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
Sepsis (severe)

MS-DRG 871 · Inpatient stay

785 $79,694 $18,057 +22%
Comprehensive Observation Services

APC 8011 · Hospital outpatient visit

700 $21,340 $2,261 +10%
Level 3 Urology and Related Services

APC 5373 · Hospital outpatient visit

476 $10,700 $1,632 -17%
Level 1 Endovascular Procedures

APC 5191 · Hospital outpatient visit

453 $20,536 $2,716 -19%
Level 2 Urology and Related Services

APC 5372 · Hospital outpatient visit

442 $3,156 $541 about average
Level 2 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage

APC 5072 · Hospital outpatient visit

430 $8,390 $1,342 -17%
Heart Failure (severe)

MS-DRG 291 · Inpatient stay

281 $59,281 $12,561 +37%
Level 5 Urology and Related Services

APC 5375 · Hospital outpatient visit

223 $30,467 $4,325 +11%
Level 1 Intraocular Procedures

APC 5491 · Hospital outpatient visit

217 $14,519 $1,928 +24%
Level 4 Urology and Related Services

APC 5374 · Hospital outpatient visit

208 $17,354 $2,913 -16%

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

$95,252 $22,798 +164%
Kidney or Urinary Disorder (with complications)

MS-DRG 699 · Inpatient stay

$68,388 $10,830 +81%
Kidney and Urinary Tract Signs and Symptoms without Major Complications

MS-DRG 696 · Inpatient stay

$44,076 $7,288 +80%
Level 4 Neurostimulator and Related Procedures

APC 5464 · Hospital outpatient visit

$131,909 $18,501 +63%
Extracranial Procedures without Complications/mcc

MS-DRG 039 · Inpatient stay

$86,694 $9,988 +63%
Level 4 ENT Procedures

APC 5164 · Hospital outpatient visit

$30,358 $2,672 +60%
Level 5 Neurostimulator and Related Procedures

APC 5465 · Hospital outpatient visit

$180,554 $25,649 +60%
Postoperative or Post-traumatic Infections with Operating Room Procedures with

MS-DRG 857 · Inpatient stay

$154,291 $23,623 +59%

Where it charges least relative to everyone else

Procedure Charged Actually paid vs national
Traumatic Stupor and Coma <1 Hour without Complications/mcc

MS-DRG 087 · Inpatient stay

$30,559 $7,683 -45%
Tracheostomy with Mechanical Ventilation >96 Hours or Principal Diagnosis Except Face

MS-DRG 004 · Inpatient stay

$333,593 $101,574 -38%
Level 2 Vascular Procedures

APC 5182 · Hospital outpatient visit

$5,837 $1,340 -32%
ECMO or Tracheostomy with Mechanical Ventilation >96 Hours or Principal Diagnosis Except

MS-DRG 003 · Inpatient stay

$602,977 $112,380 -31%
Level 3 Pacemaker and Similar Procedures

APC 5223 · Hospital outpatient visit

$35,499 $9,048 -31%
Poisoning and Toxic Effects of Drugs with Major Complications

MS-DRG 917 · Inpatient stay

$49,650 $12,163 -27%
Other Cerebrovascular Disorders with Complications

MS-DRG 071 · Inpatient stay

$32,598 $8,286 -27%
Traumatic Stupor and Coma <1 Hour with Complications

MS-DRG 086 · Inpatient stay

$43,205 $11,213 -24%

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.