Sterling Regional Medcenter
615 Fairhurst St, Sterling, CO 80751 · 87 Priced Procedures · 57% Patient Recommendation
Typical commercial prices here are +289% above the fair benchmark (3.89×) even after accounting for local nurse/doctor wages and patient complexity.
4-Star CMS clinical quality rating paired with 3.89× fair market pricing.
Wide Procedure Spread · Upper-Quartile Skew Pricer
Sterling Regional Medcenter prices routine shoppable procedures at 7.0× Medicare (median 3.46× Fair BaseRate) while upper-quartile commercial rates jump +60% to 5.53× Fair BaseRate. Self-pay cash discounts and comparing specific CPT procedure codes before scheduling yield the strongest savings.
Where They're Good (Patient & Payer Edge)
- Bottom-quartile procedures (Q25) price at 1.99× the peer BaseRate benchmark
- Self-pay cash beats commercial insurance on 86% of shoppable procedures (99/100 Cash Honesty)
- CMS clinical safety score (71/100 safety score) with 57% patient recommendation
- IRS 501(c)(3) charity care provides free care up to 200% FPL and discounted care up to 400% FPL (72.5% AGB cap)
Where You Can Get Burned (Markup Traps)
- Outpatient surgery & OR suites carry a 2.9× markup over Medicare rates
- Commercial insurance median sits at 3.46× Fair BaseRate (7.0× Medicare), so insured patients should always compare the self-pay cash price before paying.
- Upper-quartile procedures (Q75 5.53×) jump +60% above the median procedure ratio (Q50 3.46×)
- Consolidated metro market (HHI 10,000) limits in-network hospital competition (Highly Concentrated Monopoly (>2,500))
Pre-scheduled outpatient procedures where patients can comparison-shop.
Emergency, inpatient DRG, lab, and specialty drug lines billed after admission.
Detects median-gaming when upper-quartile codes spike above the p50 median.
Procedure Prices at Sterling Regional Medcenter
High-impact clinical procedures (MRIs, surgeries, inpatient stays, visits) are prioritized first. Use the category pills or search bar to filter all 87 published procedures.
| Procedure & Billing Code | This Hospital | vs. Fair |
|---|---|---|
| Spinal fusion, single level (inpatient stay) MS-DRG Code: 451 | $33,254 | 1.1× |
| Sepsis treatment (inpatient stay) MS-DRG Code: 871 | $19,996 | 1.0× |
| Hip or knee replacement (inpatient stay) MS-DRG Code: 470 | $19,856 | 1.0× |
| Heart stent placement (inpatient stay) MS-DRG Code: 322 | $18,149 | 1.0× |
| Digestive disorders treatment (inpatient stay) MS-DRG Code: 392 | $8,025 | 1.0× |
| Sleep study (overnight, in lab) CPT Code: 95810 | $3,077 | 3.0× |
| Trauma team activation HCPCS Code: G0390 | $2,815 | 1.9× |
| MRI, brain (with and without contrast) CPT Code: 70553 | $1,956 | unverified |
| MRI, lower back (no contrast) CPT Code: 72148 | $1,956 | unverified |
| MRI, knee or other leg joint CPT Code: 73721 | $1,956 | unverified |
| MRI, brain (no contrast) CPT Code: 70551 | $1,865 | unverified |
| CT scan, head (with contrast) CPT Code: 70460 | $1,677 | unverified |
| CT scan, head (with and without contrast) CPT Code: 70470 | $1,677 | unverified |
| CT scan, sinuses CPT Code: 70486 | $1,677 | unverified |
| CT scan, neck (cervical spine) CPT Code: 72125 | $1,677 | unverified |
| CT scan, lower back (lumbar spine) CPT Code: 72131 | $1,677 | unverified |
| CT scan, abdomen and pelvis (no contrast) CPT Code: 74176 | $1,677 | unverified |
| CT scan, abdomen and pelvis (with contrast) CPT Code: 74177 | $1,677 | unverified |
| Echocardiogram (heart ultrasound) CPT Code: 93306 | $1,627 | 2.8× |
| CT scan, head (no contrast) CPT Code: 70450 | $1,499 | unverified |
| CT scan, chest (no contrast) CPT Code: 71250 | $1,519 | unverified |
| Blood transfusion CPT Code: 36430 | $918 | 1.8× |
| CT scan, pelvis CPT Code: 72192 | $604 | unverified |
| Diagnostic mammogram (both breasts) CPT Code: 77066 | $543 | unverified |
| Office visit, established patient (30-39 min) CPT Code: 99214 | $472 | 3.8× |
Audit a Bill or Quote at Sterling Regional Medcenter (Zero PHI Required)
Statutory 501(r) AGB Cap Limits Bill to $57,846
At 274% FPL (201%–400% FPL tier), 26 U.S.C. § 501(r)(5) caps FAP-eligible bills at Amounts Generally Billed (72.5% of gross = $57,846).
Compare Prompt-Pay Cash Rate Against Remaining Deductible
Ask Sterling Regional Medcenter's billing desk for their written 45 CFR § 180 discounted self-pay cash price and Good Faith Estimate under the No Surprises Act.
Negotiate Toward $30,775 Fair BaseRate ($23,504 Medicare)
Your bill ($79,810) is $49,035 above the denoised Fair BaseRate ($30,775) and 3.4× the $23,504 Medicare rate.
Financial Assistance Policy (FAP) & Amounts Generally Billed (AGB)
Hospital-Specific CMS HCRIS Benchmark (72.5% of gross charges)
Under 26 U.S.C. § 501(r)(5), a tax-exempt hospital organization may not bill FAP-eligible patients more than Amounts Generally Billed (AGB) to individuals with insurance covering emergency or medically necessary care. Derived from this facility’s reported CMS HCRIS cost-to-charge & insurer allowance filings. Verify your exact Financial Assistance Policy (FAP) determination directly with the billing office.
Clinical Quality, Patient Experience & Infection Benchmarks
CMS Price Transparency Administrative Enforcement Log
Factual public administrative actions published by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services regarding 45 CFR § 180 compliance at Sterling Regional Medcenter. Prior administrative notices do not necessarily reflect current compliance status.
- 2025-07-23·administrative_or_closure
Met Requirements
Recorded
Source: CMS Hospital Care Compare (129 completed HCAHPS patient surveys). Clinical quality metrics summarize historical facility-wide cohorts and are not medical advice for individual care decisions.
How to Pay Less Nearby: Freestanding Centers, Insurer Leverage & Outpatient Savings
2D regional comparison of commercial negotiated price index against CMS clinical quality composite for Sterling Regional Medcenter.
Verify the Raw Data: Official Hospital MRF, CMS Medicare.gov & Federal Filings
Safe-Harbor Data Corrections: Parsed directly from public 45 CFR § 180 hospital filings, CMS Care Compare, and CMS HCRIS cost reports. Hospital compliance officers may submit updated MRF URLs or rate tables for verification.