4/100
#2,556 nationally
Valley Baptist Medical Center- Brownsville
1040 W Jefferson St, Brownsville, TX 78520 · (956) 544-1400
Among the highest charge markups in the country
For every $1 of care Medicare actually paid for here, Valley Baptist Medical Center- Brownsville billed $13.70 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
- 13.7x
- volume-weighted across all its priced work
- Procedures priced
- 25
- inpatient and outpatient combined
- Rank in TX
- #193
- 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 2% of U.S. hospitals.
Better than 5% of U.S. hospitals.
Better than 4% of U.S. hospitals.
Better than 11% 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 |
166 | $204,630 | $15,322 | +214% |
|
Level 1 Intraocular Procedures
APC 5491 · Hospital outpatient visit |
63 | $42,550 | $1,920 | +262% |
|
Comprehensive Observation Services
APC 8011 · Hospital outpatient visit |
58 | $46,053 | $2,302 | +137% |
|
Heart Failure (severe)
MS-DRG 291 · Inpatient stay |
53 | $135,163 | $10,723 | +211% |
|
Kidney or Urinary Disorder (severe)
MS-DRG 698 · Inpatient stay |
35 | $204,367 | $13,758 | +260% |
|
Sepsis (without major complications)
MS-DRG 872 · Inpatient stay |
34 | $117,930 | $9,134 | +201% |
|
Level 4 Musculoskeletal Procedures
APC 5114 · Hospital outpatient visit |
24 | $95,803 | $6,208 | +140% |
|
Level 5 Musculoskeletal Procedures
APC 5115 · Hospital outpatient visit |
24 | $143,448 | $10,999 | +130% |
|
Gastrointestinal Bleeding (severe)
MS-DRG 377 · Inpatient stay |
22 | $241,807 | $14,485 | +240% |
|
Fluid and Electrolyte Disorder (severe)
MS-DRG 640 · Inpatient stay |
21 | $105,355 | $10,922 | +117% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Pneumonia (severe)
MS-DRG 193 · Inpatient stay |
$182,287 | $11,370 | +291% |
|
Level 1 Intraocular Procedures
APC 5491 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$42,550 | $1,920 | +262% |
|
Kidney or Urinary Disorder (severe)
MS-DRG 698 · Inpatient stay |
$204,367 | $13,758 | +260% |
|
Gastrointestinal Bleeding (severe)
MS-DRG 377 · Inpatient stay |
$241,807 | $14,485 | +240% |
|
Level 3 Musculoskeletal Procedures
APC 5113 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$68,082 | $2,809 | +234% |
|
Kidney Failure (severe)
MS-DRG 682 · Inpatient stay |
$167,218 | $13,044 | +216% |
|
Sepsis (severe)
MS-DRG 871 · Inpatient stay |
$204,630 | $15,322 | +214% |
|
Heart Failure (severe)
MS-DRG 291 · Inpatient stay |
$135,163 | $10,723 | +211% |
Where it charges least relative to everyone else
| Procedure | Charged | Actually paid | vs national |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Level 3 Endovascular Procedures
APC 5193 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$125,357 | $9,539 | +85% |
|
Level 2 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage
APC 5072 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$19,396 | $1,407 | +92% |
|
Level 3 Vascular Procedures
APC 5183 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$40,387 | $2,766 | +111% |
|
Level 1 Endovascular Procedures
APC 5191 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$53,832 | $2,832 | +113% |
|
Fluid and Electrolyte Disorder (severe)
MS-DRG 640 · Inpatient stay |
$105,355 | $10,922 | +117% |
|
Level 5 Musculoskeletal Procedures
APC 5115 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$143,448 | $10,999 | +130% |
|
Respiratory Infection (severe)
MS-DRG 177 · Inpatient stay |
$127,671 | $13,272 | +132% |
|
Comprehensive Observation Services
APC 8011 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$46,053 | $2,302 | +137% |
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.