Kittitas Valley Community Hospital
603 South Chestnut, Ellensburg, WA 98926 · 113 Priced Procedures · 69% Patient Recommendation
Typical commercial prices here are 46% below the fair benchmark (0.54×) after accounting for local nurse/doctor wages and patient complexity.
4-Star CMS clinical quality rating paired with 0.54× fair market pricing.
Uniform Value Leader · Low-Cost Across Departments
Kittitas Valley Community Hospital maintains low, disciplined commercial pricing across both routine shoppable procedures (0.6× Medicare, p50 0.33× Fair BaseRate) and emergency/ancillary services (0.5× Medicare, p75 1.00× Fair BaseRate). Both insured and self-pay patients benefit from below-benchmark rates across departments.
Where They're Good (Patient & Payer Edge)
- Elective shoppable care is priced 46% below peer Fair BaseRate (0.54×)
- Self-pay cash beats commercial insurance on 45% of shoppable procedures (89/100 Cash Honesty)
- 4-Star CMS clinical rating with 69% patient recommendation (73/100 safety score)
- IRS 501(c)(3) charity care provides free care up to 200% FPL and discounted care up to 400% FPL (77.5% AGB cap)
Where You Can Get Burned (Markup Traps)
- Even at low-cost facilities (0.54× Fair BaseRate), out-of-network or unnegotiated chargemaster bills can exceed commercial medians — confirm in-network status or request a self-pay cash quote up front.
- Commercial insurance median sits at 0.33× Fair BaseRate (0.6× Medicare), so insured patients should always compare the self-pay cash price before paying.
- Upper-quartile procedures (Q75 1.00×) jump +203% above the median procedure ratio (Q50 0.33×)
- 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 Kittitas Valley Community Hospital
High-impact clinical procedures (MRIs, surgeries, inpatient stays, visits) are prioritized first. Use the category pills or search bar to filter all 113 published procedures.
| Procedure & Billing Code | This Hospital | vs. Fair |
|---|---|---|
| Hip or knee replacement (inpatient stay) MS-DRG Code: 470 | $50,678 | 2.6× |
| Digestive disorders treatment (inpatient stay) MS-DRG Code: 392 | $19,402 | 2.4× |
| Sepsis treatment (inpatient stay) MS-DRG Code: 871 | $17,043 | 0.9× |
| CT scan, abdomen and pelvis (with contrast) CPT Code: 74177 | $5,449 | 12.2× |
| MRI, brain (with and without contrast) CPT Code: 70553 | $4,879 | 9.5× |
| CT scan, abdomen and pelvis (no contrast) CPT Code: 74176 | $4,505 | 14.9× |
| MRI, knee or other leg joint CPT Code: 73721 | $3,634 | 9.8× |
| C-section delivery (full package) CPT Code: 59510 | $3,536 | 1.2× |
| Total knee replacement CPT Code: 27447 | $3,413 | 0.3× |
| MRI, lower back (no contrast) CPT Code: 72148 | $3,290 | 9.7× |
| MRI, brain (no contrast) CPT Code: 70551 | $3,290 | 9.6× |
| Total hip replacement CPT Code: 27130 | $3,246 | 0.2× |
| Vaginal delivery (full package) CPT Code: 59400 | $3,185 | 1.2× |
| CT scan, head (with and without contrast) CPT Code: 70470 | $3,018 | 11.7× |
| CT scan, lower back (lumbar spine) CPT Code: 72131 | $2,465 | 14.7× |
| CT scan, head (with contrast) CPT Code: 70460 | $2,465 | 10.2× |
| Trauma team activation HCPCS Code: G0390 | $2,440 | 1.7× |
| CT scan, neck (cervical spine) CPT Code: 72125 | $2,304 | 13.6× |
| CT scan, chest (no contrast) CPT Code: 71250 | $2,202 | 13.2× |
| CT scan, pelvis CPT Code: 72192 | $2,054 | 12.6× |
| CT scan, head (no contrast) CPT Code: 70450 | $1,849 | 11.6× |
| CT scan, sinuses CPT Code: 70486 | $1,612 | 9.7× |
| Gallbladder removal (laparoscopic) CPT Code: 47562 | $953 | 0.2× |
| X-ray, lower back CPT Code: 72110 | $884 | 7.9× |
| Knee arthroscopy with meniscus repair CPT Code: 29881 | $783 | 0.2× |
Audit a Bill or Quote at Kittitas Valley Community Hospital (Zero PHI Required)
Statutory 501(r) AGB Cap Limits Bill to $46,219
At 274% FPL (201%–400% FPL tier), 26 U.S.C. § 501(r)(5) caps FAP-eligible bills at Amounts Generally Billed (77.5% of gross = $46,219).
Self-Pay Cash Rate ($50,678) Beats Your Bill
Kittitas Valley Community Hospital's published 45 CFR § 180 self-pay cash rate is $50,678 (vs. $50,678 commercial insurer median). Ask billing to reclassify the visit to prompt-pay self-pay if it beats your deductible.
Negotiate Toward $19,432 Fair BaseRate ($14,044 Medicare)
Your bill ($59,622) is $40,190 above the denoised Fair BaseRate ($19,432) and 4.2× the $14,044 Medicare rate.
Financial Assistance Policy (FAP) & Amounts Generally Billed (AGB)
Hospital-Specific CMS HCRIS Benchmark (77.5% 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
Healthcare-Associated Infections (CDC NHSN / CMS HAI)
1.00 SIR = National Predicted Baseline (Lower Is Safer)Source: CMS Hospital Care Compare (144 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 Kittitas Valley Community Hospital.
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.