US Health Care Costs

The Outer Banks Hospital, Inc

4800 South Croatan Highway, Nags Head, NC 27959 · (252) 449-4500

Rural (critical access) hospitalVoluntary non-profit - PrivateEmergency room

The Outer Banks Hospital, Inc is a non-profit rural critical-access hospital in Nags Head, North Carolina (Dare County), with 21 beds. It has an emergency room and holds 4 of 5 stars in CMS's overall quality rating. In CMS's patient survey it scores 4 of 5 stars, and 80% of patients said they would definitely recommend it. It lists $2.58 for every $1 its care costs, less than the typical North Carolina hospital ($4.44).

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★★★★★CMS overall quality rating
★★★★★patients' own rating (289 surveys)
$2.58listed for every $1 its care costs North Carolina typical $4.44
3 h 28 mintypical ER visit US typical 2 h 28 min
21beds

Quality and patient experience

What patients say

★★★★★4 of 5 · 289 surveys

80%would definitely recommend the hospital US typical 71%
78%rated the hospital 9 or 10 out of 10 US typical 72%

Rated by patients

  • Nurses communicated well★★★★★
  • Doctors communicated well★★★★★
  • Staff explained medicines★★★★★
  • Information for going home★★★★★
  • Room was clean★★★★★
  • Quiet at night★★★★★

Emergency room and urgent care

3 h 28 mintypical time in the ER before going home US typical 2 h 28 min
2%left the ER without being seen US typical 1%

ER volume: medium.

Deaths within 30 days of admission lower is better
Heart failure
9.5%
Pneumonia
13.6%
Stroke
10.8%
COPD
9.0%
Back in the hospital within 30 days lower is better
Heart failure
22.5%
Pneumonia
18.5%
Infections and complications lower is better
C. diff intestinal infections
0.55
≈ Same as US

US typical hospital. Infection figures are a ratio: 1.00 means as many infections as expected for a hospital like this one. CMS adjusts these rates for how sick the patients are; a small gap from the typical hospital can be chance, so a verdict is shown only where CMS gives one.

Source: CMS Care Compare, measurement periods ending up to September 2025.

The money

$39what care cost the hospital for every $100 it billed
$30.7Mnet income, all sources
19.0%margin on patient care alone
$1.7Mcost of charity care (2.1% of costs)
$12.9Munpaid bills written off (bad debt)
290full-time staff (equivalent)

From the hospital's Medicare cost report for the year ending September 2024. Non-profit hospitals must have a financial assistance (charity care) policy; ask for it if a bill is hard to pay.

Cash and insurer prices for this hospital haven't been added yet. The hospital publishes them on its own price page.

This hospital has no Medicare stay data for 2024. Medicare data covers mostly patients 65 and older, so psychiatric, children's and very small hospitals often don't appear.

Nearby hospitals

44 miles awaySentara Albemarle Medical CenterElizabeth City, NC★★★★★$4.02 listed per $1 of cost56 miles awayVidant Chowan HospitalEdenton, NC★★★★★$2.89 listed per $1 of cost60 miles awaySentara Princess Anne HospitalVirginia Beach, VA★★★★★$5.10 listed per $1 of cost

Compare with the two closest