30/100
#1,869 nationally
French Hospital Medical Center
1911 Johnson Ave, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 · (805) 543-5353
Charges far above the national norm
For every $1 of care Medicare actually paid for here, French Hospital Medical Center billed $6.24 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
- 6.2x
- volume-weighted across all its priced work
- Procedures priced
- 78
- inpatient and outpatient combined
- Rank in CA
- #105
- lower markup ranks higher
- CMS quality stars
- 5/5
- 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.
Better than 19% of U.S. hospitals.
Better than 50% of U.S. hospitals.
Better than 21% of U.S. hospitals.
Better than 44% 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 5 Musculoskeletal Procedures
APC 5115 · Hospital outpatient visit |
290 | $100,710 | $16,045 | +61% |
|
Comprehensive Observation Services
APC 8011 · Hospital outpatient visit |
254 | $33,525 | $3,365 | +73% |
|
Level 2 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage
APC 5072 · Hospital outpatient visit |
252 | $11,342 | $1,989 | +13% |
|
Sepsis (severe)
MS-DRG 871 · Inpatient stay |
230 | $119,916 | $18,111 | +84% |
|
Level 1 Endovascular Procedures
APC 5191 · Hospital outpatient visit |
190 | $32,700 | $4,013 | +30% |
|
Level 4 Urology and Related Services
APC 5374 · Hospital outpatient visit |
151 | $26,835 | $4,263 | +30% |
|
Level 3 Electrophysiologic Procedures
APC 5213 · Hospital outpatient visit |
136 | $158,505 | $29,114 | +20% |
|
Heart Failure (severe)
MS-DRG 291 · Inpatient stay |
120 | $68,393 | $11,470 | +58% |
|
Level 2 Upper GI Procedures
APC 5302 · Hospital outpatient visit |
118 | $12,299 | $2,319 | +5% |
|
Level 6 Musculoskeletal Procedures
APC 5116 · Hospital outpatient visit |
107 | $127,114 | $22,851 | +53% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Level 1 Intraocular Procedures
APC 5491 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$25,798 | $2,865 | +119% |
|
Respiratory Infection (severe)
MS-DRG 177 · Inpatient stay |
$111,110 | $15,566 | +102% |
|
Level 2 Intraocular Procedures
APC 5492 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$39,607 | $4,999 | +92% |
|
Level 2 Musculoskeletal Procedures
APC 5112 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$20,908 | $1,976 | +86% |
|
Infection Needing Surgery (severe)
MS-DRG 853 · Inpatient stay |
$331,126 | $47,892 | +86% |
|
Respiratory Failure
MS-DRG 189 · Inpatient stay |
$89,062 | $13,311 | +84% |
|
Sepsis (severe)
MS-DRG 871 · Inpatient stay |
$119,916 | $18,111 | +84% |
|
Gastrointestinal Bleeding (severe)
MS-DRG 377 · Inpatient stay |
$130,294 | $15,655 | +83% |
Where it charges least relative to everyone else
| Procedure | Charged | Actually paid | vs national |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Level 3 Lower GI Procedures
APC 5313 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$13,086 | $3,451 | -21% |
|
Level 2 Vascular Procedures
APC 5182 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$7,784 | $1,969 | -9% |
|
Aortic and Heart Assist Procedures Except Pulsation Balloon without Major Complications
MS-DRG 269 · Inpatient stay |
$163,659 | $39,215 | about average |
|
Level 3 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage
APC 5073 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$17,720 | $3,493 | about average |
|
Level 2 Upper GI Procedures
APC 5302 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$12,299 | $2,319 | +5% |
|
Level 4 Endovascular Procedures
APC 5194 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$100,801 | $20,709 | +6% |
|
Level 3 Vascular Procedures
APC 5183 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$21,261 | $3,919 | +11% |
|
Level 2 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage
APC 5072 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$11,342 | $1,989 | +13% |
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.