Avala
67252 Industry Lane, Covington, LA 70433 · 61 Priced Procedures · 90% Patient Recommendation
Typical commercial prices here are +3% above the fair benchmark (1.03×) even after accounting for local nurse/doctor wages and patient complexity.
5-Star CMS clinical quality rating paired with 1.03× fair market pricing.
Aligned Regional Benchmark Peer
Avala prices shoppable and inpatient services (1.5× to 1.0× Medicare, divergence 0.67×) in alignment with regional hospital peers (1.03× Fair BaseRate). Reviewing plan-specific negotiated rates and cash discounts helps lock in the lowest out-of-pocket tier.
Where They're Good (Patient & Payer Edge)
- Bottom-quartile procedures (Q25) price at 0.90× the peer BaseRate benchmark
- Self-pay cash beats commercial insurance on 23% of shoppable procedures (99/100 Cash Honesty)
- 5-Star CMS clinical rating with 90% patient recommendation (79/100 safety score)
- Binding Good Faith Estimate rights under 45 CFR § 149.610 protect self-pay patients before scheduling
Where You Can Get Burned (Markup Traps)
- Outpatient surgery & OR suites carry a 1.1× markup over Medicare rates
- Commercial insurance median sits at 1.01× Fair BaseRate (1.5× Medicare), so insured patients should always compare the self-pay cash price before paying.
- Specialty infusion drugs (J-codes) average 1.7× Medicare — verify per-unit billing on itemized statements
- Consolidated metro market (HHI 3,279) 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 Avala
High-impact clinical procedures (MRIs, surgeries, inpatient stays, visits) are prioritized first. Use the category pills or search bar to filter all 61 published procedures.
| Procedure & Billing Code | This Hospital | vs. Fair |
|---|---|---|
| Spinal fusion, single level (inpatient stay) MS-DRG Code: 451 | $24,708 | 0.8× |
| Hip or knee replacement (inpatient stay) MS-DRG Code: 470 | $21,894 | 1.1× |
| Knee arthroscopy with meniscus repair CPT Code: 29881 | $2,969 | 0.9× |
| Cataract surgery with lens implant CPT Code: 66984 | $2,918 | 1.1× |
| MRI, brain (with and without contrast) CPT Code: 70553 | $594 | 1.2× |
| CT scan, chest (no contrast) CPT Code: 71250 | $594 | unverified |
| MRI, lower back (no contrast) CPT Code: 72148 | $594 | unverified |
| MRI, knee or other leg joint CPT Code: 73721 | $594 | unverified |
| CT scan, abdomen and pelvis (with contrast) CPT Code: 74177 | $504 | 1.1× |
| CT scan, head (with contrast) CPT Code: 70460 | $425 | 1.8× |
| CT scan, abdomen and pelvis (no contrast) CPT Code: 74176 | $423 | 1.4× |
| CT scan, head (no contrast) CPT Code: 70450 | $373 | unverified |
| CT scan, neck (cervical spine) CPT Code: 72125 | $267 | 1.6× |
| MRI, brain (no contrast) CPT Code: 70551 | $253 | 0.7× |
| CT scan, lower back (lumbar spine) CPT Code: 72131 | $267 | unverified |
| CT scan, head (with and without contrast) CPT Code: 70470 | $198 | 0.8× |
| Ultrasound, leg veins (duplex) CPT Code: 93970 | $200 | 0.7× |
| X-ray, shoulder CPT Code: 73030 | $111 | 1.2× |
| Breathing treatment (nebulizer) CPT Code: 94640 | $125 | 0.6× |
| X-ray, chest (single view) CPT Code: 71045 | $99 | 1.1× |
| X-ray, foot CPT Code: 73630 | $99 | 1.1× |
| X-ray, ankle CPT Code: 73610 | $99 | 1.1× |
| X-ray, pelvis CPT Code: 72170 | $111 | 1.0× |
| X-ray, lower back CPT Code: 72110 | $111 | 1.0× |
| Ultrasound, abdomen (limited) CPT Code: 76705 | $116 | 0.9× |
Audit a Bill or Quote at Avala (Zero PHI Required)
Above Standard 400% FPL Financial-Assistance Ceiling
At 274% FPL, you exceed the standard 400% FPL tier, though medical-hardship caps (when bills exceed 10% of annual income) may still apply.
Self-Pay Cash Rate ($51,951) Beats Your Bill
Avala's published 45 CFR § 180 self-pay cash rate is $51,951 (vs. $24,708 commercial insurer median). Ask billing to reclassify the visit to prompt-pay self-pay if it beats your deductible.
Negotiate Toward $30,775 Fair BaseRate ($23,504 Medicare)
Your bill ($78,816) is $48,041 above the denoised Fair BaseRate ($30,775) and 3.4× the $23,504 Medicare rate.
Financial Assistance Policy (FAP) & Amounts Generally Billed (AGB)
Public IRS & CMS ownership records classify Avala as a non-501(c)(3) facility. Federal 26 U.S.C. § 501(r) statutory charity-care caps apply specifically to tax-exempt nonprofit hospitals, though state hospital fair-pricing statutes and prompt-pay self-pay discounts may still apply.
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 Avala. Prior administrative notices do not necessarily reflect current compliance status.
- 2026-03-26·administrative_or_closure
Closure Notice
Recorded - 2025-12-18·cap_corrective_action
CAP Request
Recorded - 2025-09-10·warning_notice
Warning Notice
Recorded
Source: CMS Hospital Care Compare (343 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 Avala.
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.