CostGrade
C

58/100

#1,028 nationally

University Health System

4502 Medical Dr, San Antonio, TX 78229 · (210) 358-2000

Charges well above the national norm

For every $1 of care Medicare actually paid for here, University Health System billed $2.88 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
2.9x
volume-weighted across all its priced work
Procedures priced
152
inpatient and outpatient combined
Rank in TX
#38
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.

Inpatient charge markup 27.5/35

Better than 79% of U.S. hospitals.

Outpatient charge markup 14.4/25

Better than 58% of U.S. hospitals.

Price level vs national median 12.4/30

Better than 41% of U.S. hospitals.

Price consistency 4.0/10

Better than 40% 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
Sepsis (severe)

MS-DRG 871 · Inpatient stay

340 $98,890 $36,037 +52%
Level 2 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage

APC 5072 · Hospital outpatient visit

323 $10,233 $1,376 about average
Level 1 Intraocular Procedures

APC 5491 · Hospital outpatient visit

305 $10,570 $1,973 -10%
Level 2 Upper GI Procedures

APC 5302 · Hospital outpatient visit

202 $6,474 $1,615 -45%
Level 3 Vascular Procedures

APC 5183 · Hospital outpatient visit

135 $14,736 $2,766 -23%
Level 1 Endovascular Procedures

APC 5191 · Hospital outpatient visit

122 $18,456 $2,799 -27%
Level 3 Urology and Related Services

APC 5373 · Hospital outpatient visit

112 $9,145 $1,746 -29%
Level 3 Airway Endoscopy

APC 5153 · Hospital outpatient visit

88 $13,001 $1,459 +14%
Level 1 Laparoscopy and Related Services

APC 5361 · Hospital outpatient visit

88 $31,407 $4,916 -11%
Level 5 Urology and Related Services

APC 5375 · Hospital outpatient visit

83 $23,993 $4,490 -13%

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
Red Blood Cell Disorders without Major Complications

MS-DRG 812 · Inpatient stay

$72,326 $30,368 +94%
Transient Ischemia without Thrombolytic

MS-DRG 069 · Inpatient stay

$78,070 $25,603 +89%
Other Cerebrovascular Disorders with Major Complications

MS-DRG 070 · Inpatient stay

$116,896 $32,259 +77%
Malignancy of Hepatobiliary System or Pancreas with Major Complications

MS-DRG 435 · Inpatient stay

$139,596 $48,150 +71%
Major Small and Large Bowel Procedures with Major Complications

MS-DRG 329 · Inpatient stay

$296,444 $86,865 +65%
Pneumonia (severe)

MS-DRG 193 · Inpatient stay

$76,436 $29,559 +64%
Stroke (with complications)

MS-DRG 065 · Inpatient stay

$71,058 $24,139 +56%
Cirrhosis and Alcoholic Hepatitis with Complications

MS-DRG 433 · Inpatient stay

$69,406 $23,069 +52%

Where it charges least relative to everyone else

Procedure Charged Actually paid vs national
Complex GI Procedures

APC 5331 · Hospital outpatient visit

$14,261 $4,945 -52%
Level 2 Upper GI Procedures

APC 5302 · Hospital outpatient visit

$6,474 $1,615 -45%
Liver Transplant with Major Complications or Intestinal Transplant

MS-DRG 005 · Inpatient stay

$414,832 $140,274 -42%
Level 3 Upper GI Procedures

APC 5303 · Hospital outpatient visit

$12,778 $3,323 -42%
Kidney Transplant

MS-DRG 652 · Inpatient stay

$174,985 $63,877 -41%
Percutaneous and Other Intracardiac Procedures without Major Complications

MS-DRG 274 · Inpatient stay

$75,934 $41,129 -39%
Coronary Bypass without Cardiac Catheterization with Major Complications

MS-DRG 235 · Inpatient stay

$149,124 $58,042 -38%
Other Circulatory System Diagnoses with Major Complications

MS-DRG 314 · Inpatient stay

$48,921 $33,262 -38%

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.