89/100
#109 nationally
Russell Medical Center
3316 Highway 280, Alexander City, AL 35010 · (256) 329-7100
Charges close to what care is actually paid for
For every $1 of care Medicare actually paid for here, Russell Medical Center billed $3.20 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
- 3.2x
- volume-weighted across all its priced work
- Procedures priced
- 20
- inpatient and outpatient combined
- Rank in AL
- #3
- 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 95% of U.S. hospitals.
Better than 83% of U.S. hospitals.
Better than 93% of U.S. hospitals.
Better than 76% 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 |
201 | $5,830 | $1,864 | -50% |
|
Level 2 Upper GI Procedures
APC 5302 · Hospital outpatient visit |
160 | $4,656 | $1,558 | -60% |
|
Level 1 Endovascular Procedures
APC 5191 · Hospital outpatient visit |
106 | $13,763 | $2,608 | -45% |
|
Comprehensive Observation Services
APC 8011 · Hospital outpatient visit |
69 | $8,039 | $2,264 | -59% |
|
Level 2 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage
APC 5072 · Hospital outpatient visit |
60 | $4,544 | $1,323 | -55% |
|
Sepsis (severe)
MS-DRG 871 · Inpatient stay |
54 | $19,795 | $13,185 | -70% |
|
Level 3 Pacemaker and Similar Procedures
APC 5223 · Hospital outpatient visit |
37 | $47,786 | $8,633 | -7% |
|
Level 3 Endovascular Procedures
APC 5193 · Hospital outpatient visit |
32 | $44,099 | $9,093 | -35% |
|
Level 3 Musculoskeletal Procedures
APC 5113 · Hospital outpatient visit |
30 | $8,787 | $2,677 | -57% |
|
Heart Failure (severe)
MS-DRG 291 · Inpatient stay |
24 | $15,011 | $9,415 | -65% |
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 3 Pacemaker and Similar Procedures
APC 5223 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$47,786 | $8,633 | -7% |
|
Level 2 Pacemaker and Similar Procedures
APC 5222 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$33,654 | $7,026 | -11% |
|
Level 3 Endovascular Procedures
APC 5193 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$44,099 | $9,093 | -35% |
|
Level 2 Endovascular Procedures
APC 5192 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$19,661 | $4,727 | -43% |
|
Level 1 Endovascular Procedures
APC 5191 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$13,763 | $2,608 | -45% |
|
Level 1 Intraocular Procedures
APC 5491 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$5,830 | $1,864 | -50% |
|
Level 3 Vascular Procedures
APC 5183 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$9,370 | $2,636 | -51% |
|
Level 2 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage
APC 5072 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$4,544 | $1,323 | -55% |
Where it charges least relative to everyone else
| Procedure | Charged | Actually paid | vs national |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Digestive Disorder (without major complications)
MS-DRG 392 · Inpatient stay |
$9,764 | $6,888 | -70% |
|
Sepsis (severe)
MS-DRG 871 · Inpatient stay |
$19,795 | $13,185 | -70% |
|
Hip or Knee Replacement (without major complications)
MS-DRG 470 · Inpatient stay |
$27,519 | $14,321 | -66% |
|
Heart Failure (severe)
MS-DRG 291 · Inpatient stay |
$15,011 | $9,415 | -65% |
|
Level 3 Intraocular Procedures
APC 5493 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$9,192 | $4,322 | -62% |
|
Level 4 Musculoskeletal Procedures
APC 5114 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$15,680 | $5,303 | -61% |
|
Level 2 Upper GI Procedures
APC 5302 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$4,656 | $1,558 | -60% |
|
Comprehensive Observation Services
APC 8011 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$8,039 | $2,264 | -59% |
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.