77/100
#442 nationally
St Lukes Hospital
915 East 1St Street, Duluth, MN 55805 · (218) 249-2449
Charges moderately above what care is paid for
For every $1 of care Medicare actually paid for here, St Lukes Hospital billed $3.48 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
- 3.5x
- volume-weighted across all its priced work
- Procedures priced
- 133
- inpatient and outpatient combined
- Rank in MN
- #24
- 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 67% of U.S. hospitals.
Better than 85% of U.S. hospitals.
Better than 82% of U.S. hospitals.
Better than 82% 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 |
607 | $6,382 | $2,188 | -46% |
|
Level 2 Urology and Related Services
APC 5372 · Hospital outpatient visit |
598 | $1,615 | $648 | -49% |
|
Level 2 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage
APC 5072 · Hospital outpatient visit |
480 | $6,801 | $1,531 | -33% |
|
Comprehensive Observation Services
APC 8011 · Hospital outpatient visit |
361 | $13,425 | $2,574 | -31% |
|
Level 3 Urology and Related Services
APC 5373 · Hospital outpatient visit |
307 | $3,959 | $1,922 | -69% |
|
Sepsis (severe)
MS-DRG 871 · Inpatient stay |
269 | $44,019 | $14,566 | -33% |
|
Level 5 Musculoskeletal Procedures
APC 5115 · Hospital outpatient visit |
234 | $45,894 | $12,375 | -27% |
|
Level 1 Endovascular Procedures
APC 5191 · Hospital outpatient visit |
195 | $22,157 | $3,085 | -12% |
|
Level 2 Upper GI Procedures
APC 5302 · Hospital outpatient visit |
189 | $7,302 | $1,800 | -38% |
|
Level 5 Urology and Related Services
APC 5375 · Hospital outpatient visit |
157 | $23,655 | $4,884 | -14% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Psychoses
MS-DRG 885 · Inpatient stay |
$54,896 | $11,965 | +52% |
|
Alcohol, Drug Abuse or Dependence without Rehabilitation Therapy with Major Complications
MS-DRG 896 · Inpatient stay |
$65,722 | $15,432 | about average |
|
Level 2 Vascular Procedures
APC 5182 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$8,503 | $1,520 | about average |
|
Level 1 Endovascular Procedures
APC 5191 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$22,157 | $3,085 | -12% |
|
Level 5 Urology and Related Services
APC 5375 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$23,655 | $4,884 | -14% |
|
Level 3 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage
APC 5073 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$15,220 | $2,650 | -14% |
|
Heart Catheter Procedure (severe)
MS-DRG 321 · Inpatient stay |
$123,291 | $25,173 | -14% |
|
Circulatory Disorders Except Heart Attack, with Cardiac Catheterization without Major
MS-DRG 287 · Inpatient stay |
$46,265 | $8,290 | -15% |
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 |
$3,959 | $1,922 | -69% |
|
Level 2 Intraocular Procedures
APC 5492 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$7,184 | $3,857 | -65% |
|
Level 3 Extraocular, Repair, and Plastic Eye Procedures
APC 5503 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$5,457 | $2,166 | -62% |
|
Level 5 Airway Endoscopy
APC 5155 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$14,684 | $6,493 | -62% |
|
Level 2 Neurostimulator and Related Procedures
APC 5462 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$10,442 | $3,785 | -60% |
|
Poisoning and Toxic Effects of Drugs with Major Complications
MS-DRG 917 · Inpatient stay |
$27,261 | $12,213 | -60% |
|
Traumatic Stupor and Coma >1 Hour with Complications
MS-DRG 083 · Inpatient stay |
$24,882 | $10,352 | -58% |
|
Irregular Heartbeat (uncomplicated)
MS-DRG 310 · Inpatient stay |
$10,753 | $4,364 | -57% |
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.