26/100
#1,999 nationally
Penn State Health St. Joseph
2500 Bernville Road, Reading, PA 19605 · (610) 378-2000
Charges far above the national norm
For every $1 of care Medicare actually paid for here, Penn State Health St. Joseph billed $6.47 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
- 6.5x
- volume-weighted across all its priced work
- Procedures priced
- 74
- inpatient and outpatient combined
- Rank in PA
- #92
- 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.
Better than 31% of U.S. hospitals.
Better than 20% of U.S. hospitals.
Better than 28% of U.S. hospitals.
Better than 17% 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 1 Endovascular Procedures
APC 5191 · Hospital outpatient visit |
209 | $22,269 | $2,936 | -12% |
|
Heart Failure (severe)
MS-DRG 291 · Inpatient stay |
184 | $47,457 | $10,887 | +9% |
|
Comprehensive Observation Services
APC 8011 · Hospital outpatient visit |
153 | $14,699 | $2,419 | -24% |
|
Sepsis (severe)
MS-DRG 871 · Inpatient stay |
142 | $68,489 | $15,604 | +5% |
|
Level 2 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage
APC 5072 · Hospital outpatient visit |
118 | $14,557 | $1,461 | +44% |
|
Level 3 Electrophysiologic Procedures
APC 5213 · Hospital outpatient visit |
90 | $209,629 | $21,601 | +58% |
|
Level 3 Endovascular Procedures
APC 5193 · Hospital outpatient visit |
79 | $93,081 | $9,917 | +38% |
|
Level 3 Vascular Procedures
APC 5183 · Hospital outpatient visit |
72 | $22,812 | $2,856 | +19% |
|
Level 3 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage
APC 5073 · Hospital outpatient visit |
57 | $22,569 | $2,591 | +28% |
|
Level 1 Laparoscopy and Related Services
APC 5361 · Hospital outpatient visit |
57 | $48,121 | $5,188 | +37% |
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 6 Gynecologic Procedures
APC 5416 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$148,842 | $6,890 | +264% |
|
Level 2 Neurostimulator and Related Procedures
APC 5462 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$62,270 | $6,236 | +138% |
|
Level 4 Neurostimulator and Related Procedures
APC 5464 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$189,704 | $19,899 | +135% |
|
Level 2 Breast/lymphatic Surgery and Related Procedures
APC 5092 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$83,313 | $5,946 | +111% |
|
Level 1 Breast/lymphatic Surgery and Related Procedures
APC 5091 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$47,855 | $3,476 | +101% |
|
Level 4 Musculoskeletal Procedures
APC 5114 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$78,531 | $6,523 | +97% |
|
Level 5 Musculoskeletal Procedures
APC 5115 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$118,130 | $11,985 | +89% |
|
Level 2 Icd and Similar Procedures
APC 5232 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$275,206 | $29,909 | +85% |
Where it charges least relative to everyone else
| Procedure | Charged | Actually paid | vs national |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Signs and Symptoms of Musculoskeletal System and Connective Tissue without Major
MS-DRG 556 · Inpatient stay |
$23,713 | $7,059 | -37% |
|
Irregular Heartbeat (severe)
MS-DRG 308 · Inpatient stay |
$35,800 | $9,865 | -24% |
|
Comprehensive Observation Services
APC 8011 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$14,699 | $2,419 | -24% |
|
Hypertension without Major Complications
MS-DRG 305 · Inpatient stay |
$25,660 | $7,066 | -23% |
|
Bronchitis and Asthma with Complications/mcc
MS-DRG 202 · Inpatient stay |
$33,686 | $8,169 | -14% |
|
Circulatory Disorders Except Heart Attack, with Cardiac Catheterization without Major
MS-DRG 287 · Inpatient stay |
$46,923 | $9,227 | -14% |
|
Back Problems (without major complications)
MS-DRG 552 · Inpatient stay |
$33,679 | $8,309 | -14% |
|
Level 2 Endovascular Procedures
APC 5192 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$30,382 | $5,212 | -12% |
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.