22/100
#2,108 nationally
Highline Medical Center
16251 Sylvester Road Sw, Burien, WA 98166 · (206) 431-5237
Charges far above the national norm
For every $1 of care Medicare actually paid for here, Highline Medical Center billed $6.12 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
- 6.1x
- volume-weighted across all its priced work
- Procedures priced
- 33
- inpatient and outpatient combined
- Rank in WA
- #40
- lower markup ranks higher
- CMS quality stars
- 4/5
- 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 29% of U.S. hospitals.
Better than 17% of U.S. hospitals.
Better than 19% of U.S. hospitals.
Better than 19% 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 |
142 | $87,746 | $17,678 | +34% |
|
Comprehensive Observation Services
APC 8011 · Hospital outpatient visit |
118 | $30,087 | $2,758 | +55% |
|
Level 2 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage
APC 5072 · Hospital outpatient visit |
61 | $9,756 | $1,621 | -3% |
|
Heart Failure (severe)
MS-DRG 291 · Inpatient stay |
54 | $64,451 | $11,815 | +48% |
|
Heart Attack (severe)
MS-DRG 280 · Inpatient stay |
50 | $68,118 | $15,071 | +11% |
|
Level 5 Musculoskeletal Procedures
APC 5115 · Hospital outpatient visit |
35 | $112,850 | $13,082 | +81% |
|
Level 2 Upper GI Procedures
APC 5302 · Hospital outpatient visit |
34 | $16,477 | $1,943 | +40% |
|
Level 1 Laparoscopy and Related Services
APC 5361 · Hospital outpatient visit |
31 | $86,244 | $5,748 | +146% |
|
Respiratory Failure
MS-DRG 189 · Inpatient stay |
30 | $54,216 | $12,350 | +12% |
|
Pneumonia (severe)
MS-DRG 193 · Inpatient stay |
24 | $69,848 | $12,638 | +50% |
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 4 Musculoskeletal Procedures
APC 5114 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$98,497 | $7,029 | +147% |
|
Level 1 Laparoscopy and Related Services
APC 5361 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$86,244 | $5,748 | +146% |
|
Level 6 Musculoskeletal Procedures
APC 5116 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$202,991 | $18,987 | +144% |
|
Level 4 Urology and Related Services
APC 5374 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$48,815 | $3,560 | +136% |
|
Level 5 Urology and Related Services
APC 5375 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$61,672 | $5,284 | +125% |
|
Psychoses
MS-DRG 885 · Inpatient stay |
$73,325 | $17,633 | +103% |
|
Level 5 Musculoskeletal Procedures
APC 5115 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$112,850 | $13,082 | +81% |
|
Respiratory Infection (severe)
MS-DRG 177 · Inpatient stay |
$94,612 | $14,555 | +72% |
Where it charges least relative to everyone else
| Procedure | Charged | Actually paid | vs national |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Infection Needing Surgery (severe)
MS-DRG 853 · Inpatient stay |
$151,018 | $32,122 | -15% |
|
Level 2 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage
APC 5072 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$9,756 | $1,621 | -3% |
|
Diabetes with Major Complications
MS-DRG 637 · Inpatient stay |
$58,723 | $12,848 | +4% |
|
Level 3 Vascular Procedures
APC 5183 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$20,488 | $3,255 | +7% |
|
Kidney or Urinary Disorder (severe)
MS-DRG 698 · Inpatient stay |
$62,245 | $14,474 | +10% |
|
Heart Attack (severe)
MS-DRG 280 · Inpatient stay |
$68,118 | $15,071 | +11% |
|
Respiratory Failure
MS-DRG 189 · Inpatient stay |
$54,216 | $12,350 | +12% |
|
Level 2 Musculoskeletal Procedures
APC 5112 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$13,412 | $1,541 | +19% |
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.