86/100
#176 nationally
The East Alabama Healthcare Authority
2000 Pepperell Parkway, Opelika, AL 36801 · (334) 528-1300
Charges close to what care is actually paid for
For every $1 of care Medicare actually paid for here, The East Alabama Healthcare Authority billed $2.62 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
- 2.6x
- volume-weighted across all its priced work
- Procedures priced
- 93
- inpatient and outpatient combined
- Rank in AL
- #5
- 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 79% of U.S. hospitals.
Better than 95% of U.S. hospitals.
Better than 91% of U.S. hospitals.
Better than 78% 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 |
243 | $7,280 | $2,871 | -71% |
|
Level 1 Intraocular Procedures
APC 5491 · Hospital outpatient visit |
212 | $3,628 | $2,062 | -69% |
|
Hip or Knee Replacement (without major complications)
MS-DRG 470 · Inpatient stay |
160 | $30,586 | $15,074 | -62% |
|
Level 3 Endovascular Procedures
APC 5193 · Hospital outpatient visit |
152 | $29,033 | $9,624 | -57% |
|
Comprehensive Observation Services
APC 8011 · Hospital outpatient visit |
141 | $8,176 | $2,422 | -58% |
|
Level 2 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage
APC 5072 · Hospital outpatient visit |
140 | $5,232 | $973 | -48% |
|
Sepsis (severe)
MS-DRG 871 · Inpatient stay |
132 | $46,368 | $16,182 | -29% |
|
Heart Failure (severe)
MS-DRG 291 · Inpatient stay |
129 | $30,219 | $10,317 | -30% |
|
Level 1 Laparoscopy and Related Services
APC 5361 · Hospital outpatient visit |
125 | $13,428 | $5,007 | -62% |
|
Level 3 Urology and Related Services
APC 5373 · Hospital outpatient visit |
124 | $6,345 | $1,791 | -51% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Infection Needing Surgery (severe)
MS-DRG 853 · Inpatient stay |
$159,497 | $67,644 | -10% |
|
Respiratory Infection (with complications)
MS-DRG 178 · Inpatient stay |
$32,392 | $7,286 | -13% |
|
Sepsis (without major complications)
MS-DRG 872 · Inpatient stay |
$34,158 | $9,983 | -13% |
|
Pneumonia (with complications)
MS-DRG 194 · Inpatient stay |
$27,533 | $6,868 | -13% |
|
Pneumonia (severe)
MS-DRG 193 · Inpatient stay |
$39,094 | $10,403 | -16% |
|
Skin Infection (without major complications)
MS-DRG 603 · Inpatient stay |
$25,382 | $7,146 | -17% |
|
Kidney Failure (severe)
MS-DRG 682 · Inpatient stay |
$42,625 | $10,881 | -19% |
|
Fluid and Electrolyte Disorder (without major complications)
MS-DRG 641 · Inpatient stay |
$24,561 | $8,968 | -20% |
Where it charges least relative to everyone else
| Procedure | Charged | Actually paid | vs national |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Level 2 Neurostimulator and Related Procedures
APC 5462 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$5,191 | $6,051 | -80% |
|
Level 6 Musculoskeletal Procedures
APC 5116 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$22,212 | $15,185 | -73% |
|
Level 4 Neurostimulator and Related Procedures
APC 5464 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$22,384 | $19,309 | -72% |
|
Level 1 Endovascular Procedures
APC 5191 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$7,280 | $2,871 | -71% |
|
Level 6 Urology and Related Services
APC 5376 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$12,954 | $7,965 | -71% |
|
Level 4 Musculoskeletal Procedures
APC 5114 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$12,060 | $6,253 | -70% |
|
Level 1 Intraocular Procedures
APC 5491 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$3,628 | $2,062 | -69% |
|
Level 4 Vascular Procedures
APC 5184 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$11,476 | $4,589 | -68% |
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.