90/100
#95 nationally
Prairie Lakes Healthcare System, Inc
401 9Th Avenue Nw Post Office Box 1210, Watertown, SD 57201 · (605) 882-7000
Charges close to what care is actually paid for
For every $1 of care Medicare actually paid for here, Prairie Lakes Healthcare System, Inc billed $2.78 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
- 2.8x
- volume-weighted across all its priced work
- Procedures priced
- 54
- inpatient and outpatient combined
- Rank in SD
- #1
- 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 85% of U.S. hospitals.
Better than 94% of U.S. hospitals.
Better than 92% of U.S. hospitals.
Better than 88% 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 Intraocular Procedures
APC 5491 · Hospital outpatient visit |
489 | $5,971 | $2,332 | -49% |
|
Level 2 Urology and Related Services
APC 5372 · Hospital outpatient visit |
377 | $1,064 | $686 | -66% |
|
Comprehensive Observation Services
APC 8011 · Hospital outpatient visit |
120 | $7,539 | $2,730 | -61% |
|
Level 2 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage
APC 5072 · Hospital outpatient visit |
113 | $5,143 | $1,628 | -49% |
|
Level 5 Musculoskeletal Procedures
APC 5115 · Hospital outpatient visit |
111 | $47,286 | $12,882 | -24% |
|
Level 1 Endovascular Procedures
APC 5191 · Hospital outpatient visit |
88 | $12,074 | $3,277 | -52% |
|
Level 3 Urology and Related Services
APC 5373 · Hospital outpatient visit |
82 | $3,446 | $2,045 | -73% |
|
Sepsis (severe)
MS-DRG 871 · Inpatient stay |
78 | $22,927 | $15,402 | -65% |
|
Level 4 Urology and Related Services
APC 5374 · Hospital outpatient visit |
71 | $7,148 | $3,501 | -65% |
|
Level 1 Laparoscopy and Related Services
APC 5361 · Hospital outpatient visit |
69 | $15,839 | $5,794 | -55% |
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 Musculoskeletal Procedures
APC 5116 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$73,680 | $18,669 | -11% |
|
Level 3 Pacemaker and Similar Procedures
APC 5223 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$43,212 | $10,711 | -16% |
|
Hip or Knee Replacement (without major complications)
MS-DRG 470 · Inpatient stay |
$62,359 | $15,073 | -22% |
|
Level 5 Musculoskeletal Procedures
APC 5115 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$47,286 | $12,882 | -24% |
|
Level 4 Endovascular Procedures
APC 5194 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$67,063 | $16,313 | -30% |
|
Level 4 Musculoskeletal Procedures
APC 5114 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$26,714 | $7,184 | -33% |
|
Level 4 Airway Endoscopy
APC 5154 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$14,784 | $3,760 | -35% |
|
Level 5 Airway Endoscopy
APC 5155 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$24,779 | $6,872 | -36% |
Where it charges least relative to everyone else
| Procedure | Charged | Actually paid | vs national |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Level 3 Urology and Related Services
APC 5373 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$3,446 | $2,045 | -73% |
|
Irregular Heartbeat (with complications)
MS-DRG 309 · Inpatient stay |
$9,121 | $6,098 | -70% |
|
Back Problems (without major complications)
MS-DRG 552 · Inpatient stay |
$12,104 | $7,820 | -69% |
|
Level 2 Urology and Related Services
APC 5372 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$1,064 | $686 | -66% |
|
Level 4 Urology and Related Services
APC 5374 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$7,148 | $3,501 | -65% |
|
Sepsis (severe)
MS-DRG 871 · Inpatient stay |
$22,927 | $15,402 | -65% |
|
Respiratory Infection (severe)
MS-DRG 177 · Inpatient stay |
$19,677 | $13,188 | -64% |
|
Heart Failure (severe)
MS-DRG 291 · Inpatient stay |
$16,177 | $10,323 | -63% |
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.