Murrells Inlet, SC 29576 · CMS Certification Number 420098. What Medicare pays this hospital for knee, hip and shoulder replacement, what it lists, how it compares, and what a surgery center nearby is paid.
| Operation | Inpatient paid | List price | List ÷ paid | Outpatient allowed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hip or knee replacement | $13,748 | $60,039 | 4.4× | $11,259 |
| Shoulder replacement | — | — | — | $15,929 |
| Hip replacement after a fracture (DRG 522) | $15,042 | $56,248 | 3.7× | — |
Complications after hip or knee replacement: 3.8% (no different from the national rate). Readmissions: 6.1%. Overall Care Compare rating: 4 of 5 stars. Nonprofit · Acute · 124 beds
South Carolina has a certificate-of-need program that does not cover surgery centers.
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In 2024 Medicare paid Tidelands Waccamaw Community Hospital an average of $13,748 per inpatient hip or knee replacement stay (MS-DRG 470, 22 stays) and $11,259 per outpatient case (APC 5115, 180 cases).
The hospital's average list (chargemaster) price for an inpatient hip or knee replacement was $60,039, 4.4× what Medicare paid. Almost nobody pays the list price; it matters for uninsured bills and percent-of-charge contracts.
Yes for Medicare facility payments. Carolina Coast Surgery Center, an orthopedic surgery center same ZIP away, is paid about $8,192 by Medicare for a knee replacement (CPT 27447), $5,556 less than an inpatient stay at Tidelands Waccamaw Community Hospital. Not every patient is a surgery-center candidate.
Medicare paid Tidelands Waccamaw Community Hospital more than 53% of the 19 South Carolina hospitals that report inpatient hip or knee replacement.