78/100
#417 nationally
Watauga Medical Center
336 Deerfield Road, Boone, NC 28607 · (828) 262-4100
Charges moderately above what care is paid for
For every $1 of care Medicare actually paid for here, Watauga Medical Center billed $3.39 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
- 3.4x
- volume-weighted across all its priced work
- Procedures priced
- 51
- inpatient and outpatient combined
- Rank in NC
- #10
- 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 81% of U.S. hospitals.
Better than 79% of U.S. hospitals.
Better than 73% 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 5 Musculoskeletal Procedures
APC 5115 · Hospital outpatient visit |
247 | $45,451 | $12,163 | -27% |
|
Level 1 Intraocular Procedures
APC 5491 · Hospital outpatient visit |
200 | $7,519 | $2,137 | -36% |
|
Comprehensive Observation Services
APC 8011 · Hospital outpatient visit |
186 | $11,134 | $2,518 | -43% |
|
Level 2 Upper GI Procedures
APC 5302 · Hospital outpatient visit |
89 | $10,902 | $1,726 | -7% |
|
Level 4 Musculoskeletal Procedures
APC 5114 · Hospital outpatient visit |
83 | $32,920 | $6,668 | -17% |
|
Sepsis (severe)
MS-DRG 871 · Inpatient stay |
78 | $37,413 | $18,923 | -43% |
|
Level 2 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage
APC 5072 · Hospital outpatient visit |
75 | $9,927 | $1,511 | about average |
|
Level 1 Endovascular Procedures
APC 5191 · Hospital outpatient visit |
64 | $19,054 | $3,042 | -25% |
|
Level 4 Urology and Related Services
APC 5374 · Hospital outpatient visit |
64 | $14,962 | $3,224 | -28% |
|
Level 1 Laparoscopy and Related Services
APC 5361 · Hospital outpatient visit |
61 | $25,436 | $5,307 | -28% |
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 1 Nerve Procedures
APC 5431 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$11,992 | $1,799 | +6% |
|
Respiratory System Diagnosis with Ventilator Support <=96 Hours
MS-DRG 208 · Inpatient stay |
$118,069 | $32,853 | +4% |
|
Level 2 Pacemaker and Similar Procedures
APC 5222 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$37,710 | $7,918 | about average |
|
Level 2 Breast/lymphatic Surgery and Related Procedures
APC 5092 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$39,118 | $6,078 | about average |
|
Level 2 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage
APC 5072 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$9,927 | $1,511 | about average |
|
Level 3 Musculoskeletal Procedures
APC 5113 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$19,781 | $3,017 | about average |
|
Level 4 Airway Endoscopy
APC 5154 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$21,209 | $3,336 | -7% |
|
Level 2 Upper GI Procedures
APC 5302 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$10,902 | $1,726 | -7% |
Where it charges least relative to everyone else
| Procedure | Charged | Actually paid | vs national |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Urinary Tract Infection (severe)
MS-DRG 689 · Inpatient stay |
$20,211 | $11,104 | -50% |
|
Fluid and Electrolyte Disorder (without major complications)
MS-DRG 641 · Inpatient stay |
$15,296 | $7,494 | -50% |
|
Kidney or Urinary Disorder (severe)
MS-DRG 698 · Inpatient stay |
$28,683 | $15,627 | -50% |
|
Heart Failure (severe)
MS-DRG 291 · Inpatient stay |
$22,548 | $11,893 | -48% |
|
Irregular Heartbeat (severe)
MS-DRG 308 · Inpatient stay |
$24,690 | $11,397 | -48% |
|
Level 3 Urology and Related Services
APC 5373 · Hospital outpatient visit |
$6,857 | $1,898 | -47% |
|
Irregular Heartbeat (with complications)
MS-DRG 309 · Inpatient stay |
$16,567 | $7,082 | -46% |
|
Pneumonia (with complications)
MS-DRG 194 · Inpatient stay |
$17,257 | $7,797 | -46% |
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.