St Francis Community Hospital
34515 9Th Avenue South, Federal Way, WA 98003 · 95 Priced Procedures · 65% Patient Recommendation
Typical commercial prices here are +62% above the fair benchmark (1.62×) even after accounting for local nurse/doctor wages and patient complexity.
3-Star CMS clinical quality rating paired with 1.62× fair market pricing.
Cash-Arbitrage Bifurcated Pricer
St Francis Community Hospital maintains elevated commercial insurance contracts (1.62× Fair BaseRate) while offering direct self-pay cash discounts that beat commercial negotiated medians on 47% of procedures. High-deductible and uninsured patients should always request the self-pay cash rate prior to billing.
Where They're Good (Patient & Payer Edge)
- Bottom-quartile procedures (Q25) price at 1.20× the peer BaseRate benchmark
- Self-pay cash beats commercial insurance on 47% of shoppable procedures (99/100 Cash Honesty)
- 4-Star CMS clinical rating with 65% patient recommendation (67/100 safety score)
- IRS 501(c)(3) charity care provides free care up to 200% FPL and discounted care up to 400% FPL (11.5% 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 1.74× Fair BaseRate (2.3× Medicare), so insured patients should always compare the self-pay cash price before paying.
- Upper-quartile procedures (Q75 2.09×) jump +20% above the median procedure ratio (Q50 1.74×)
- Unnegotiated chargemaster list prices average 16.6× Medicare (14¢ true HCRIS cost per $1 gross)
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 St Francis Community Hospital
High-impact clinical procedures (MRIs, surgeries, inpatient stays, visits) are prioritized first. Use the category pills or search bar to filter all 95 published procedures.
| Procedure & Billing Code | This Hospital | vs. Fair |
|---|---|---|
| Spinal fusion, single level (inpatient stay) MS-DRG Code: 451 | $49,214 | 1.6× |
| Sepsis treatment (inpatient stay) MS-DRG Code: 871 | $33,868 | 1.8× |
| Hip or knee replacement (inpatient stay) MS-DRG Code: 470 | $33,801 | 1.7× |
| Heart stent placement (inpatient stay) MS-DRG Code: 322 | $31,163 | 1.7× |
| Total knee replacement CPT Code: 27447 | $21,833 | 1.6× |
| Total hip replacement CPT Code: 27130 | $20,840 | 1.6× |
| Digestive disorders treatment (inpatient stay) MS-DRG Code: 392 | $14,367 | 1.7× |
| Gallbladder removal (laparoscopic) CPT Code: 47562 | $13,107 | 2.1× |
| Breast lump removal CPT Code: 19120 | $8,311 | 2.1× |
| Inguinal hernia repair CPT Code: 49505 | $7,893 | 2.2× |
| Knee arthroscopy with meniscus repair CPT Code: 29881 | $7,322 | 2.2× |
| Bunion correction surgery CPT Code: 28296 | $7,042 | 2.0× |
| Cataract surgery with lens implant CPT Code: 66984 | $5,210 | 2.1× |
| Trauma team activation HCPCS Code: G0390 | $3,752 | 2.6× |
| Sleep study (overnight, in lab) CPT Code: 95810 | $2,542 | 2.5× |
| Colonoscopy with biopsy CPT Code: 45380 | $2,507 | 2.0× |
| Upper endoscopy with biopsy CPT Code: 43239 | $1,993 | 2.0× |
| Colonoscopy (diagnostic) CPT Code: 45378 | $1,938 | 2.0× |
| Injection procedure for pain management HCPCS Code: G0260 | $1,731 | 2.0× |
| Echocardiogram (heart ultrasound) CPT Code: 93306 | $1,363 | 2.3× |
| Hepatitis B immune globulin HCPCS Code: 90371 | $1,111 | 7.4× |
| Blood transfusion CPT Code: 36430 | $1,091 | 2.2× |
| MRI, brain (with and without contrast) CPT Code: 70553 | $1,055 | unverified |
| CT scan, abdomen and pelvis (with contrast) CPT Code: 74177 | $920 | 2.1× |
| Ultrasound, leg veins (duplex) CPT Code: 93970 | $586 | 2.2× |
Audit a Bill or Quote at St Francis Community Hospital (Zero PHI Required)
Statutory 501(r) AGB Cap Limits Bill to $13,583
At 274% FPL (201%–400% FPL tier), 26 U.S.C. § 501(r)(5) caps FAP-eligible bills at Amounts Generally Billed (11.5% of gross = $13,583).
Compare Prompt-Pay Cash Rate Against Remaining Deductible
Ask St Francis Community Hospital'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 ($118,114) is $87,339 above the denoised Fair BaseRate ($30,775) and 5.0× the $23,504 Medicare rate.
Financial Assistance Policy (FAP) & Amounts Generally Billed (AGB)
Hospital-Specific CMS HCRIS Benchmark (11.5% 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 (649 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 St Francis 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.