Sepsis Cost in Iowa — Compare All Hospitals
Hospitalization for septicemia or severe sepsis (no extended ventilator) without major complications.
What this hospital charge usually covers
The gross-charge number above is the hospital's facility bill for sepsis. Here's what's typically inside that price (typical inpatient stay: 5–7 days):
Included in the hospital bill
- Emergency department evaluation and sepsis workup
- Inpatient room and continuous monitoring
- IV antibiotics and fluids (often broad-spectrum until culture results return)
- Blood cultures, lactate, and serial labs
- Source-control procedures if needed (drainage, etc.)
Usually billed separately
- Hospitalist, infectious-disease, and any specialty consultant fees
- Outpatient antibiotics after discharge
- Home health for any IV antibiotic continuation
- Long-term rehab if sepsis caused weakness
Quality signals to check before picking a hospital
Price alone won't tell you which hospital does sepsis best. These are the CMS quality measures that matter most for this specific procedure. Click any hospital below for its full profile, then look for these:
Sepsis Care Bundle (SEP-1)
The headline sepsis metric — measures how often hospitals deliver evidence-based sepsis care within strict time windows (antibiotics, fluids, repeat lactate).
Septic Shock 3-Hour Bundle
For the sickest sepsis patients, faster bundle completion saves lives.
Hospital-wide Mortality
Sepsis is the leading cause of in-hospital death. A hospital with strong overall mortality numbers is usually doing the right things for sepsis.
C. diff Infection Ratio
Sepsis treatment requires broad-spectrum antibiotics, which raises C. diff risk. Hospitals with low SIR control this better.
When the cheapest hospital may not be the best fit
The list below sorts by price. For sepsis, the lowest price isn't automatically the best fit — these are situations where it's worth weighing additional factors against price. None of the below is medical advice; talk to your doctor about what applies to your specific situation.
- Sepsis admissions aren't shoppable in real time — the nearest hospital is typically the right call during an acute episode. This page is more useful for chronic-condition planning or evaluating where care was delivered.
- For elderly patients or those with chronic disease, the hospital with the best SEP-1 compliance score may be worth additional travel time when distances are comparable.
Questions to ask your hospital or insurer
The gross charge is the starting point. These are the procedure-specific questions to ask before you commit:
- During acute illness: skip this list and call 911. Sepsis worsens by the hour.
- After discharge: what outpatient antibiotic continuation is needed? Is it covered?
- Is post-sepsis rehab or follow-up recommended? Where will it happen?
Hospitals ranked by gross charge
- 1
Audubon County Memorial Hospital
Audubon, IA
Gross charge $5,245 - 2
Buena Vista Regional Medical Center
Storm Lake, IA
Gross charge $6,628Cash pay $5,302 - 3
Montgomery County Memorial Hospital + Clinics
Red Oak, IA
Gross charge $6,760Cash pay $4,732 - 4
Orange City Area Health System (OCAHS)
Orange City, IA
Gross charge $8,137Cash pay $6,510 - 5
Boone County Hospital
Boone, IA
Gross charge $9,521Cash pay $7,617 - 6
Wayne County Hospital
Corydon, IA
Gross charge $9,884 - 7
Adair County Memorial Hospital
Greenfield, IA
Gross charge $10,491Cash pay $7,868 - 8
Virginia Gay Hospital
Vinton, IA
Gross charge $11,441Cash pay $9,153 - 9
Madison County Health Care System
Winterset, IA
Gross charge $11,472Cash pay $9,177 - 10
Myrtue Medical Center
Harlan, IA
Gross charge $11,884Cash pay $6,892 - 11
Cass County Memorial Hospital
Atlantic, IA
Gross charge $11,906Cash pay $8,334 - 12
Mitchell County Regional Health Center
Osage, IA
Gross charge $11,944Cash pay $10,749 - 13
Davis County Hospital & Clinics
Bloomfield, IA
Gross charge $14,163 - 14
Washington County Hospital and Clinics
Washington, IA
Gross charge $14,230Cash pay $10,673 - 15
Winnmed
Decorah, IA
Gross charge $18,843Cash pay $13,190 - 16
Mahaska Health
Oskaloosa, IA
Gross charge $19,257Cash pay $16,368 - 17
Jefferson County Health Center
Fairfield, IA
Gross charge $22,412Cash pay $13,447 - 18
Spencer Municipal Hospital
Spencer, IA
Gross charge $22,615Cash pay $16,961Medicare pays (avg) $7,299 - 19
MercyOne Newton Medical Center
Newton, IA
Gross charge $25,604Cash pay $16,642 - 20
MercyOne Genesis Davenport Medical Center
Davenport, IA
Gross charge $25,604Cash pay $16,642Medicare pays (avg) $5,999 - 21
MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center (Acute Care)
Mason City, IA
Gross charge $25,604Cash pay $16,642Medicare pays (avg) $6,723 - 22
MercyOne Waterloo Medical Center
Waterloo, IA
Gross charge $25,604Cash pay $16,642Medicare pays (avg) $6,420 - 23
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center (Acute Care)
Dubuque, IA
Gross charge $25,604Cash pay $16,642Medicare pays (avg) $5,843 - 24
Mercyone Clinton Medical Center
Clinton, IA
Gross charge $25,604Cash pay $16,642Medicare pays (avg) $6,902 - 25
Mercyone Siouxland Medical Center
Sioux City, IA
Gross charge $25,604Cash pay $16,642Medicare pays (avg) $6,163 - 26
Hancock County Health System
Britt, IA
Gross charge $25,604Cash pay $16,642 - 27
Franklin General Hospital
Hampton, IA
Gross charge $25,604Cash pay $16,642 - 28
MercyOne Genesis DeWitt Medical Center
Dewitt, IA
Gross charge $25,604Cash pay $16,642 - 29
MercyOne Elkader Medical Center
Elkader, IA
Gross charge $25,604Cash pay $16,642 - 30
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center
New Hampton, IA
Gross charge $25,604Cash pay $16,642 - 31
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center
Oelwein, IA
Gross charge $25,604Cash pay $16,642 - 32
Mercyone Centerville Medical Center
Centerville, IA
Gross charge $25,604Cash pay $16,642 - 33
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center
Dyersville, IA
Gross charge $25,604Cash pay $16,642 - 34
Hansen Family Hospital
Iowa Falls, IA
Gross charge $25,604Cash pay $16,642 - 35
St Anthony Regional Hospital
Carroll, IA
Gross charge $26,558 - 36
Floyd County Medical Center
Charles City, IA
Gross charge $26,610Cash pay $10,644 - 37
Ottumwa Regional Health Center (Acute Care)
Ottumwa, IA
Gross charge $37,301Cash pay $14,921Medicare pays (avg) $7,336 - 38
Mercy Medical Center Cedar Rapids (Acute Care)
Cedar Rapids, IA
Gross charge $42,353Cash pay $27,529Medicare pays (avg) $6,208 - 39
Iowa Specialty Hospital - Clarion
Clarion, IA
Gross charge $58,926Cash pay $35,355 - 40
Iowa Specialty Hospital - Belmond
Belmond, IA
Gross charge $59,606Cash pay $35,764 - 41
UnityPoint Health - Marshalltown Hospital
Marshalltown, IA
Gross charge —Medicare pays (avg) $7,428 - 42
Trinity Muscatine
Muscatine, IA
Gross charge —Medicare pays (avg) $7,920 - 43
Trinity Regional Medical Center
Fort Dodge, IA
Gross charge —Medicare pays (avg) $6,090 - 44
Chi Health Mercy Council Bluffs
Council Bluffs, IA
Gross charge —Medicare pays (avg) $7,001 - 45
University of Iowa Health Care Medical Center Downtown
Iowa City, IA
Gross charge —Medicare pays (avg) $5,673 - 46
St Lukes Hospital (Acute Care)
Cedar Rapids, IA
Gross charge —Medicare pays (avg) $5,264 - 47
UnityPoint Health - Iowa Methodist Medical Center
Des Moines, IA
Gross charge —Medicare pays (avg) $5,901 - 48
UnityPoint Health - Trinity Bettendorf Hospital
Bettendorf, IA
Gross charge —Medicare pays (avg) $4,797 - 49
Allen Hospital
Waterloo, IA
Gross charge —Medicare pays (avg) $5,730 - 50
Finley Hospital
Dubuque, IA
Gross charge —Medicare pays (avg) $4,945 - 51
UnityPoint Health - Grinnell Regional Medical Center
Grinnell, IA
Gross charge —Medicare pays (avg) $5,424 - 52
Grundy County Memorial Hospital
Grundy Center, IA
Gross charge — - 53
Chi Health - Mercy Corning
Corning, IA
Gross charge — - 54Gross charge —
- 55
Chi Health Missouri Valley
Missouri Valley, IA
Gross charge — - 56
Clarke County Hospital
Osceola, IA
Gross charge — - 57
Henry County Health Center
Mount Pleasant, IA
Gross charge — - 58
St Lukes Regional Medical Center
Sioux City, IA
Gross charge —Medicare pays (avg) $5,815 - 59
Community Memorial Hospital Medical Center
Sumner, IA
Gross charge — - 60
Sioux Center Health
Sioux Center, IA
Gross charge — - 61
Avera Holy Family Hospital
Estherville, IA
Gross charge —
Iowa hospitals price sepsis (Medicare DRG 872) anywhere from $5,245 to $59,606 — a $54,361 gap between the cheapest and most expensive option. The cheapest is Audubon County Memorial Hospital in Audubon; the most expensive is Iowa Specialty Hospital - Belmond in Belmond. The state average sits at $22,196.
Gross charges are list prices, not what most patients pay. Insurance plans negotiate substantial discounts, Medicare and Medicaid pay fixed federal rates, and uninsured patients can usually qualify for a cash-pay discount. But the gross charge still works as a useful benchmark: a hospital that lists sepsis at twice the price of another typically negotiates higher rates with insurers too, and quotes more for uninsured patients.
You usually don't choose a hospital during an urgent sepsis admission. This page is for the planning side: patients with chronic conditions weighing their options, caregivers picking ahead of time, or employers comparing in-network facilities. Click any hospital name for its full quality profile — CMS overall star rating, mortality and readmission rates, patient-experience scores. When two nearby hospitals look similar on quality, the one with lower published charges is the safer default for routine medical admissions.
Pricing comes from each hospital's Machine-Readable File (MRF), published under the federal Hospital Price Transparency Rule. Iowa hospitals missing from the list either don't perform sepsis in volume, haven't published a usable price for DRG 872 in their most recent MRF, or fell below our data-quality thresholds (we filter out clearly erroneous entries like $0 charges). The list refreshes as hospitals update their files.