US Health Care Costs

Lung infection, with complications in Georgia

MS-DRG 178: Respiratory infections and inflammations with cc

$37,393typical hospital bill
$8,971typical amount paid
$6,740–$16,548range paid across 23 hospitals

Georgia hospitals billed Medicare a typical $37,393 for this stay in 2024, about 4.2 times what was actually paid. Medicare's payment depends mostly on the hospital's location and teaching role; the bill depends on the hospital's own price list, so bills vary far more than payments.

Billed (list price)Actually paid (Medicare + patient)

HospitalCityMedicare staysBilledPaid
St Joseph's Hospital - SavannahSavannah13$34,236$6,740
Union General HospitalBlairsville22$27,883$7,357
Saint Joseph's Hospital of Atlanta, IncAtlanta39$28,354$7,443
Piedmont Mountainside Hospital IncJasper12$36,227$7,619
Emory Houston Hospital Warner RobinsWarner Robins15$28,789$7,822
Sgmc HealthValdosta42$22,399$8,047
Northside Hospital ForsythCumming33$56,338$8,048
Emory Johns Creek HospitalJohns Creek22$27,634$8,083
Northside Hospital CherokeeCanton25$68,630$8,288
Candler HospitalSavannah13$30,268$8,579
Piedmont Athens Regional Medical CenterAthens28$37,393$8,751
Tift Regional Medical CenterTifton13$38,422$8,971
St Mary's HospitalAthens11$27,130$9,006
Colquitt Regional Medical CenterMoultrie12$27,776$9,109
Phoebe Putney Memorial HospitalAlbany13$29,757$9,643
Wellstar Cobb Medical CenterAustell14$82,648$9,679
Northeast Georgia Medical Center, IncGainesville37$45,794$9,841
Piedmont Augusta HospitalAugusta17$47,521$10,377
Northside Hospital GwinnettLawrenceville23$46,365$10,784
Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical CenterMarietta38$57,849$11,194
Northside HospitalAtlanta30$54,294$11,980
Piedmont Hospital, IncAtlanta12$40,767$12,778
Emory University HospitalAtlanta25$58,747$16,548

Medicare: CMS, 2024 (hospitals with 11 or more Medicare stays). Cash and insurer prices: hospitals' own price files, where read; insurer figures are commercial plans only, median and 10th–90th percentile across plans.