Updated April 2026
Cardiac Procedures
4 Medicare DRGs in this category, averaging $14,557 per admission across 2,415,232 reported discharges. Prices range from $10,019 (Heart Failure and Shock with CC) to $22,969 (Percutaneous Cardiovascular Procedure with Drug-Eluting Stent).
Across the CMS inpatient dataset, 4 hospitals report payment data for Cardiac procedures, with an average of $14,557. Cardiac is one of the procedure categories CMS publishes for cross-hospital comparison. The cheapest documented facility for Cardiac in the dataset is Heart Failure and Shock with CC in across the dataset, averaging $10,019. The cost spread across the 4 hospitals reporting Cardiac data is substantial — patients with elective scheduling have real room to choose on price.
These figures come from CMS Inpatient Payment files: actual Medicare payments per DRG code, averaged across discharges. The Medicare baseline is consistent across hospitals; commercial payer rates layer on top, but the Medicare floor is the publicly comparable anchor.
About Cardiac
Cardiovascular DRGs cover heart attack, coronary bypass, valve replacement, vascular surgery, and arrhythmia management. These procedures combine high implant costs with intensive perioperative monitoring, which is why they consistently rank among the most expensive Medicare DRGs.
Within HospitalCostData, every cardiac DRG is sourced from the Medicare Inpatient Prospective Payment System and benchmarked against the national average for that exact DRG. The detail page for each procedure also lists the hospitals at the top and bottom of the price distribution. Quality measures are pulled separately from the CMS Hospital Compare program — risk-adjusted indicators of mortality, readmission, and patient experience that complement the price view.
Cost Range Across the Cardiac Cohort
Average Medicare payment across this cohort is $14,557. The lowest-priced DRG, Heart Failure and Shock with CC, averages $10,019 across 3,226 hospitals. The highest, Percutaneous Cardiovascular Procedure with Drug-Eluting Stent, averages $22,969 across 2,739. The widest hospital-to-hospital spread within the cohort sits at roughly 8× — the cheapest facility for Heart Failure and Shock with MCC reports $3,960 while the most expensive reports $32,426.
Spread that wide is normal in Medicare data and not a sign of price-gouging by itself. Differences come from regional wage indexes, hospital-acquired-complication adjustments, outlier payments, and case-mix complexity within the same DRG. The CMS Hospital Price Transparency Rule publishes machine-readable rate files that allow patient-side comparisons against negotiated and cash-pay rates.
How to Read These Numbers
The averages on this page are based on Medicare-paid discharges only. They do not represent the chargemaster list price (which most patients never pay) or the rate a private insurer negotiates. For privately-insured patients, the relevant figure is usually the negotiated in-network rate published in the hospital's price-transparency file. For uninsured patients, the cash-pay rate is what matters — most large hospitals publish that separately.
Quality measures matter at least as much as price for a planned admission. The CMS Care Compare site publishes hospital-specific mortality, readmission, complication, and patient-experience scores. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) publishes the Patient Safety Indicators and Inpatient Quality Indicators that underlie many of these CMS measures.
HospitalCostData is informational only. Price differences are real and worth understanding, but they are one input alongside surgeon experience, hospital volume, and the specific clinical situation. Always discuss options with your physician before making a decision.
All Cardiac Procedures
Heart Failure and Shock with MCC
Avg: $13K|3,034 hospitals
Heart Failure and Shock with CC
Avg: $10K|3,226 hospitals
Percutaneous Cardiovascular Procedure with Drug-Eluting Stent
Avg: $23K|2,739 hospitals
Cardiac Arrhythmia and Conduction Disorders with MCC
Avg: $12K|2,745 hospitals
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Cardiac category cover on HospitalCostData?
Cardiac groups 4 Medicare DRGs that share clinical or anatomical context. Cardiovascular DRGs cover heart attack, coronary bypass, valve replacement, vascular surgery, and arrhythmia management. These procedures combine high implant costs with intensive perioperative monitoring, which is why they consistently rank among the most expensive Medicare DRGs.
What is the average Medicare payment for cardiac procedures?
Across the 4 DRGs in this category, the average Medicare total payment is $14,557. The lowest-priced DRG is Heart Failure and Shock with CC at $10,019, and the highest is Percutaneous Cardiovascular Procedure with Drug-Eluting Stent at $22,969. These are Medicare averages — actual cost to a privately-insured patient depends on their plan, network, and deductible.
Why do prices vary so widely for the same procedure?
Within a single DRG, hospital-to-hospital prices commonly span 3× to 10× because of regional Medicare wage indexes, case-mix differences, teaching status, and outlier payments for unusually long or complex stays. Even in the same metro, the same DRG can list dramatically different totals — see the CMS Hospital Price Transparency files for negotiated rates.
Where does this data come from?
Procedure-level prices are sourced from the Medicare Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS), which publishes annual DRG-level payment data for every Medicare-participating hospital. Quality measures shown alongside hospitals come from the CMS Hospital Compare program. Both are public domain federal datasets.
Should I pick a hospital based on price alone?
No. HospitalCostData is informational, not a recommendation engine. Procedure cost is one input — quality of care, surgeon experience, facility volume, complication rates, and your own clinical situation matter at least as much. Always discuss options with your physician and consider quality data on Medicare Care Compare alongside any pricing benchmark.
See the methodology page for details on Medicare DRG payment data, scoring weights, and known limitations.
Sources & Citations
- CMS Medicare Inpatient Hospital Payments (IPPS). DRG-level average covered charges, total payments, and Medicare payments per facility. data.cms.gov
- CMS Hospital Compare (Care Compare). Star ratings, mortality, readmission, safety-of-care, and patient-experience measures. medicare.gov/care-compare
- CMS Hospital Price Transparency Rule. Standard charge files required from every Medicare-participating hospital. cms.gov/hospital-price-transparency
- Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). National benchmarks, quality indicators, and clinical context for hospital outcome measures. ahrq.gov
Dataset last refreshed: April 2026. Underlying CMS files are public domain. Suggested citation: “HospitalCostData, hospitalcostdata.com, accessed May 14, 2026.”
This page is informational only and does not constitute medical, legal, or financial advice. Care decisions should be made with a licensed physician.
Source: CMS Hospital Price Transparency, 2026.