Comparing Charges at Montana Hospitals
Spending your health care dollars wisely…
What you should consider when seeking medical care.
Making Informed Choices
This information can help you make informed choices. It is designed to show how health care costs for similar illnesses can vary by hospital. By using this information to let your health care providers know you plan to take an active role, you can make them more aware of the need for affordable, readily available care.
The information comes from the MHA COMPdata program. This data is grouped into illness categories which combined similar diagnoses and treatments. There is a brief description of each category.
The charges are averages based on the number of patients and total charges for that illness category as reported during the stated time frame. How long you are in the hospital, the level of care you receive, complications, special medical services, and fee increases all affect the costs of hospital services. Because these figures are averages, they will be different from what you are actually billed. Please note: these figures do not include Physician’s Professional Fees.
Use this information to talk with your doctor about how to get the best care while keeping costs down.
For more information on Comparing Charges at Montana Hospitals, please contact Roberta at MHA.
January 1, 2017 through December 31, 2017
Average Hospital Charges for Common Diagnoses
| Inpatient Procedures (MS DRG Code) |
Description | Discharges | Avg. Length of Stay | Avg. Charges | Avg. Charge Range Low – High |
| 194 | Pneumonia & Pleurisy with Complications | 790 | 3.56 | $14,385 | $5,425 – $24,815 |
| 292 | Heart Failure | 568 | 3.84 | $15,606 | $6,318 – $27,215 |
| 313 | Chest Pain | 155 | 1.63 | $11,737 | $4,282 – $19,961 |
| 470 | Major Joint Replace/Reattach | 5,578 | 2.39 | $40,152 | $28,706 – $55,068 |
| 639 | Diabetes without Complications | 367 | 1.84 | $10,532 | $4,661 – $17,139 |
| 690 | Kidney & Urinary Tract Infections w/Comp. | 775 | 3.06 | $11,682 | $4,407 – $20,839 |
| 743 | Hysterectomy | 208 | 1.85 | $20,579 | $11,825 – $29,911 |
| 765 | Delivery by Cesarean Section with Complications | 1,339 | 3.96 | $20,496 | $12,115 – $29,675 |
| 766 | Delivery by Cesarean Section without Complications | 1,811 | 2.99 | $16,058 | $10,609 – $23,105 |
| 774 | Normal Delivery with Complications | 964 | 2.38 | $11,763 | $6,017 – $17,915 |
| 775 | Normal Delivery | 6,253 | 1.95 | $9,898 | $5,415 – $14,760 |
| 794 | Newborn with Sig. Problems | 2,544 | 2.35 | $4,514 | $1,673 – $7,098 |
| 795 | Normal Newborn (Baby’s Bill) | 6,642 | 1.79 | $2,905 | $1,418 – $4,928 |
| 885 | Psychoses | 4,392 | 6.08 | $13,872 | $4,648 – $26,052 |
| Outpatient Procedures (CPT Code) |
Description | Discharges | Avg. Length of Stay | Avg. Charge | Avg. Charge Range Low – High |
| 43239 | Upper GI Endoscopy w Biopsy | 9,977 | . | $1,629 | $1,459 – $4,257 |
| 45378 | Diagnostic Colonoscopy | 5,964 | . | $1,751 | $1,134 – $4,044 |
| 45380 | Colonoscopy & Biopsy | 9,917 | . | $1,789 | $1,970 – $4,786 |
| 45385 | Colonoscopy w lesion removal | 9,022 | . | $1,839 | $1,700 – $5,547 |
| 66984 | Cataract Surgery | 5,281 | . | $3,091 | $2,764 – $5,579 |