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Hospital Profile Acute Care Hospital Proprietary 81 Beds · rural Updated: 7/14/2026

Southern Tennessee Regional Health System Pulaski

1265 E College St, Pulaski, TN 38478 · 14 Priced Procedures · 51% Patient Recommendation

CMS Overall Rating 3 / 5 Stars
Pillar 1 · The BaseRate™ CompositeHow 1.00× Fair BaseRate Works: Raw price averages unfairly penalize hospitals in high-wage cities or trauma centers treating sicker patients. We adjust for local CMS hospital wage levels and patient complexity first. A 1.00× score means right at the fair price average, 0.85× means 15% cheaper than fair market, and 1.30× means 30% above fair market.Above Fair Market · Negotiate
1.19×vs. Fair Market Price
Position vs. 1.00× Fair Price+19% Above Fair Price 1.00× (center of the bar) is the U.S. fair price average after accounting for local hospital wages and patient complexity. Left of center (<1.00×) is below fair price; right of center (>1.00×) is above fair price.

Typical commercial prices here are +19% above the fair benchmark (1.19×) even after accounting for local nurse/doctor wages and patient complexity.

Pillar 2 · VeriRate™ Data TrustHow VeriRate™ (0–100) Works: Hospitals are legally required to publish machine-readable price files, but some bury fake $0.01 numbers or omit cash discounts. VeriRate audits each file across 5 checks (hover any badge below to see what it tests).57/100 · Caution
57/100Self-Pay Cash Beats Insurance 0% of the Time
File Completeness50Provenance (File Completeness): Checks whether the hospital published a complete, up-to-date machine-readable price file with valid CPT and MS-DRG billing codes instead of leaving blanks.
Price Logic100Coherence (Price Logic): Checks whether the hospital’s numbers make basic sense — e.g., self-pay cash price is lower than gross list price, with no fake $0.01 or $999,999 placeholder numbers.
Peer Alignment57Concordance (Peer Alignment): Checks whether reported prices sit in a realistic range compared to Medicare and nearby hospitals rather than wild 100× unit errors.
Clean Billing13Regularity (Clean Billing): Checks whether rates are structured consistently across procedures without erratic statistical spikes or hidden unbundled facility fees.
Real Cash Discount50Cash Honesty (Real Cash Discount): Checks whether the hospital offers a genuine self-pay cash discount that beats or matches commercial insurance rates instead of billing full sticker price.
Pillar 3 · Clinical Quality & ER SpeedChecks whether higher hospital prices actually buy better clinical quality — combining CMS Star Ratings, hospital safety scores, and emergency room wait times.Regional Benchmark Tier
CMS Star Rating2/5 StarsOfficial CMS Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating (1 to 5 stars) summarizing mortality, safety of care, readmissions, and patient experience.
Safety Score56/100Composite patient safety score (0–100) derived from CMS hospital-acquired infection rates (CLABSI, CAUTI, MRSA, C. diff), surgical complications, and HCAHPS surveys.
Typical ER Wait126 minMedian minutes patients spent in the emergency department before leaving from the visit, as reported to CMS Timely and Effective Care.

2-Star CMS clinical quality rating paired with 1.19× fair market pricing.

Behavioral Pricing FingerprintUpper-Quartile Spread · +43% Tail Jump

Wide Procedure Spread · Upper-Quartile Skew Pricer

Southern Tennessee Regional Health System Pulaski prices routine shoppable procedures at 1.3× Medicare (median 1.08× Fair BaseRate) while upper-quartile commercial rates jump +43% to 1.54× Fair BaseRate. Self-pay cash discounts and comparing specific CPT procedure codes before scheduling yield the strongest savings.

#71 of 84 in TN · 83rd State Percentile#1,984 of 3,385 in U.S. · 58th National Percentile
Advantage

Where They're Good (Patient & Payer Edge)

  • Bottom-quartile procedures (Q25) price at 0.81× the peer BaseRate benchmark
  • Self-pay cash beats commercial insurance on 0% of shoppable procedures (50/100 Cash Honesty)
  • CMS clinical safety score (56/100 safety score) with 51% patient recommendation
  • Binding Good Faith Estimate rights under 45 CFR § 149.610 protect self-pay patients before scheduling
Watchout

Where You Can Get Burned (Markup Traps)

  • Outpatient surgery & OR suites carry a 1.6× markup over Medicare rates
  • Commercial insurance median sits at 1.08× Fair BaseRate (1.3× Medicare), so insured patients should always compare the self-pay cash price before paying.
  • Upper-quartile procedures (Q75 1.54×) jump +43% above the median procedure ratio (Q50 1.08×)
  • Unnegotiated chargemaster list prices average 3.8× Medicare (26¢ true HCRIS cost per $1 gross)
Front-Door ShoppableElective / Imaging
1.3× Medicare

Pre-scheduled outpatient procedures where patients can comparison-shop.

Back-Door Captive & ER0.85× Divergence
1.1× Medicare

Emergency, inpatient DRG, lab, and specialty drug lines billed after admission.

Quantile Tail Spread+43% Upper Tail
Q25 0.81× · Q50 1.08× · Q75 1.54×

Detects median-gaming when upper-quartile codes spike above the p50 median.

Select any lens to inspect department markups, federal cost accounting, or insurer discounts.
Department & Integrity Multiples (vs. CMS Medicare Cost Anchor) Green ≤1.3× · Teal 1.3–1.8× · Amber 1.8–2.5× · Rose >2.5×
Front-Door Shoppable CareFront-Door Shoppable
1.3× MedicareGood
Outpatient Surgery & ORBack-Door Captive
1.6× MedicareGood
Diagnostic Imaging (CT/MRI)Front-Door Shoppable
1.4× MedicareGood
Back-Door Captive ER VisitsBack-Door Captive
1.9× MedicareGood
Inpatient Lab & PathologyBack-Door Captive
1.7× MedicareGood
Specialty & Infusion Drugs (J-Codes)Back-Door Captive
1.5× MedicareGood
Self-Pay Cash Honesty & 501(r)Integrity & Outcomes
0% Cash Edge · 50/100Elevated
CMS Clinical Safety & Star ValueIntegrity & Outcomes
3 CMS · 56/100Elevated

Procedure Prices at Southern Tennessee Regional Health System Pulaski

High-impact clinical procedures (MRIs, surgeries, inpatient stays, visits) are prioritized first. Use the category pills or search bar to filter all 14 published procedures.

Sort:
Audit a Bill & 501(r) Cap ↓
Procedure & Billing Code This Hospital vs. Fair
Sepsis treatment (inpatient stay)
MS-DRG Code: 871
 $16,301 0.9×
Hip or knee replacement (inpatient stay)
MS-DRG Code: 470
 $15,819 0.8×
Digestive disorders treatment (inpatient stay)
MS-DRG Code: 392
 $6,483 0.8×
Gallbladder removal (laparoscopic)
CPT Code: 47562
 $5,773 0.9×
Total knee replacement
CPT Code: 27447
 $4,327 0.3×
Total hip replacement
CPT Code: 27130
 $3,449 0.3×
Cataract surgery with lens implant
CPT Code: 66984
 $3,071 1.2×
Knee arthroscopy with meniscus repair
CPT Code: 29881
 $2,737 0.8×
Colonoscopy (diagnostic)
CPT Code: 45378
 $1,937 2.0×
Upper endoscopy with biopsy
CPT Code: 43239
 $1,937 2.0×
Colonoscopy with biopsy
CPT Code: 45380
 $1,937 1.5×
Injection procedure for pain management
HCPCS Code: G0260
 $1,447 1.7×
Blood transfusion
CPT Code: 36430
 $769 1.5×
Hospital observation (per hour)
HCPCS Code: G0378
 $116 1.3×
Inline Bill X-Ray & 501(r) Calculator For-Profit Facility · Cash & Fair BaseRate Audit

Audit a Bill or Quote at Southern Tennessee Regional Health System Pulaski (Zero PHI Required)

CMS CCN: 440020
CPT 871
Fair BaseRate™ $19,087
Medicare Rate $14,117
Self-Pay Cash Request Quote
Insurer Median $16,301
Pre-filled with Southern Tennessee Regional Health System Pulaski’s charged/list benchmark
Screened against 2026 HHS Federal Poverty Guidelines
2026 FPL: $15,650 + $5,500 per additional person
Step 1 · 501(r) Charity Care Check 274% of 2026 FPL

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.

Step 2 · Cash vs. Insurance Arbitrage Request Prompt-Pay Quote

Compare Prompt-Pay Cash Rate Against Remaining Deductible

Ask Southern Tennessee Regional Health System Pulaski's billing desk for their written 45 CFR § 180 discounted self-pay cash price and Good Faith Estimate under the No Surprises Act.

Step 3 · Fair BaseRate Target +$20,035 Above Fair BaseRate

Negotiate Toward $19,087 Fair BaseRate ($14,117 Medicare)

Your bill ($39,122) is $20,035 above the denoised Fair BaseRate ($19,087) and 2.8× the $14,117 Medicare rate.

1-Click Factual Dispute Summary: Copy a citation-backed benchmark memo (with CMS CCN, CPT code, Medicare reference, Fair BaseRate, and 26 U.S.C. § 501(r) calculations) to paste into patient-portal messages or billing appeals.
IRS Form 990 Schedule H & 26 U.S.C. § 501(r) For-Profit / Non-501(c)(3)

Financial Assistance Policy (FAP) & Amounts Generally Billed (AGB)

EIN: 621762382

Public IRS & CMS ownership records classify Southern Tennessee Regional Health System Pulaski 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.

Screen your household size, income, and itemized CPT codes against 2026 HHS Federal Poverty Guidelines: Calculate Your 501(r) Cap Above ↑
CMS Care Compare Public Quality Record

Clinical Quality, Patient Experience & Infection Benchmarks

CMS Overall2/5 Stars (2/5)
Safety Composite56/100
Would Recommend51%
Rated 9 or 10 (HCAHPS)54%
Median ER Wait126 min
Left ER Before Seen1%
30-Day Mortality vs U.S.same
Unplanned Readmissionsame
Hip/Knee Complication Rate3.6%

Healthcare-Associated Infections (CDC NHSN / CMS HAI)

1.00 SIR = National Predicted Baseline (Lower Is Safer)
C. diff Hospital-Onset Infectionsame

CMS Price Transparency Administrative Enforcement Log

Factual public administrative actions published by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services regarding 45 CFR § 180 compliance at Southern Tennessee Regional Health System Pulaski. Prior administrative notices do not necessarily reflect current compliance status.

  • 2025-06-20·administrative_or_closure

    Met Requirements

    Recorded
  • 2025-02-18·administrative_or_closure

    Met Requirements

    Recorded

Source: CMS Hospital Care Compare (116 completed HCAHPS patient surveys). Clinical quality metrics summarize historical facility-wide cohorts and are not medical advice for individual care decisions.

Care-Setting Arbitrage, Bilateral SVD Insurer Leverage & Regional Alternatives

How to Pay Less Nearby: Freestanding Centers, Insurer Leverage & Outpatient Savings

Regional Quality & Price Benchmark

2D regional comparison of commercial negotiated price index against CMS clinical quality composite for Southern Tennessee Regional Health System Pulaski.

Price Index: 0.68× regional baseline
Quality: 41/100 CMS composite
Median Household Income$61,476U.S. Census ACS
Local Uninsured Share8.7%Regional ACS estimate
200% FPL (1 Person)$31,920Common free-care ceiling
400% FPL (Family of 4)$128,600Common AGB cap ceiling
45 CFR § 180 Primary-Source Lineage & Federal Verification VeriRate 57/100 · Caution CMS CCN 440020 EIN 621762382

Verify the Raw Data: Official Hospital MRF, CMS Medicare.gov & Federal Filings

Download Official Hospital MRF ↗ Verify on CMS Medicare.gov (CCN 440020) ↗ Verify IRS Form 990 (EIN 621762382) ↗ CMS HCRIS Cost Reports ↗
Published MRF File621762382_strhs-pulaski_standardcharges.csv
Publication / Vintage7/14/2026 · 14.93 MB
Validated Rate Rows84 (CMS v3.0.0)
File Integrity DigestVerified · CCN 440020

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.

Submit MRF Update Correction Policy