Short Term Acute Care HospitalGovernment - Local

Watauga Medical Center

Appalachian Regional Healthcare System · Boone, NC

336 Deerfield Road, Boone, NC 28607(828) 263-1211

3 of 5

CMS star rating

121

Beds

4,365

Inpatient discharges a year

$211.1M

Net patient revenue a year

In-network payers

About this hospital

Watauga Medical Center is a 121-bed government - local hospital in Boone, NC, affiliated with Appalachian Regional Healthcare System. Below you'll find publicly disclosed negotiated rates and facility details, including 32 in-network payers and 294 disclosed rate categories.

Sole community hospital
Rural referral center
Disproportionate share hospital
Helipad

CCN: 340051
NPI: 1205859766
Health system: Appalachian Regional Healthcare System
Teaching: Teaching hospital
County: Watauga County
Metro area: Boone, NC MicroSA
Medicare contractor: Jurisdiction M, Palmetto GBA (11501)
In Medicare since: 1966
Last CMS survey: 1994

Negotiated Rates

The data below comes from CMS-mandated price transparency data. Learn more.

Book a call about hospital compliance MRFs

Payer	Category	Code Type & Group	Contract Type	vs. State Average
Aetna	Outpatient	CPT Anesthesia Range: 00100 - 01999	Negotiated	High
Aetna	Outpatient	CPT Anesthesia Range: 00100 - 01999	Percentage of Bill Charged	-
Aetna	Outpatient	CPT Category II Codes Range: 0001F - 9007F	Percentage of Bill Charged	-
Aetna	Outpatient	CPT Category III Codes Range: 0042T - 0810T	Percentage of Bill Charged	-
Aetna	Outpatient	CPT Category III Codes Range: 0042T - 0810T	Negotiated	Very Low
Aetna	Outpatient	CPT Evaluation and Management Range: 99091 - 99499	Negotiated	Very Low
Aetna	Outpatient	CPT Evaluation and Management Range: 99091 - 99499	Percentage of Bill Charged	-
Aetna	Outpatient	CPT Medicine Services and Procedures Range: 90281 - 99607	Negotiated	Very Low
Aetna	Outpatient	CPT Medicine Services and Procedures Range: 90281 - 99607	Percentage of Bill Charged	-
Aetna	Outpatient	CPT Multianalyte Assay Range: 0002M - 0018M	Percentage of Bill Charged	-

Rates shown are negotiated amounts between this hospital and insurance providers. Actual patient costs depend on your insurance plan and coverage details.

Showing 1 - 10 of 294

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Insurance Accepted

Acceptance varies by plan and service. Confirm coverage with your insurer or the hospital's billing department.

Ameri HealthAspirus Health PlanAvera Health PlansBanner HealthCenteneEMI Health

More about this hospital

Quality
3 of 5 stars
- 192 min in the ER before going home (US median 148)
- Medicare readmissions penalty (-0.49%)
See quality ratings
Doctors and services
Accredited by The Joint Commission
- Teaching hospital
- 32 services, including trauma care
- 418 affiliated clinicians
See doctors and services
Finances
$211.1M net patient revenue
- Operating margin on patient care 4.9%
- $8.4M unreimbursed and uncompensated care
- $20M net income
See finances
Ownership and leadership
Owned by Appalachian Regional Healthcare System Inc
- Local
See ownership and leadership

Tax IDs and NPIs insurers list

The employer identification numbers (EINs) health plans and networks list for Watauga Medical Center in the in-network rate files they publish, with the organization NPIs billed under each.

Tax ID (EIN)	Plans and networks listing it	Organization NPIs
56-0510824Watauga Medical Center INC	55Aetna, Cigna, United Healthcare (incl Optum, Rocky Mountain, Health Plan of Nevada, Sierra Health), Allied Benefit Systems, Ambetter and 50 more	1205859766 Watauga Medical Center Inc1336215821 Watauga Medical Center Inc1255120184 Watauga Medical Center Incand 22 more

Source: PayerPrice analysis of insurers' Transparency in Coverage in-network files. An EIN can cover several hospitals and clinics in a health system, and insurers sometimes list other organizations' NPIs under it.

Location

336 Deerfield Road, Boone, NC 28607

(828) 263-1211

Get directions

Quality ratings (CMS Care Compare)

How Watauga Medical Center compares with other US facilities on the measures CMS publishes, mostly from Medicare patients.

Overall star rating
3 of 5
Lower than 42% of US hospitals
Combines death rates, safety, readmissions, patient experience and timely care
Death rates
No different on 7 measures
0 better, 7 no different, 0 worse than the US rate
Deaths within 30 days, such as after a heart attack, pneumonia or stroke
Safety
Better on 1 of 6 measures
1 better, 5 no different, 0 worse than the US rate
Infections, surgical complications and other harm in the hospital
Readmissions
Worse on 1 of 10 measures
0 better, 9 no different, 1 worse than the US rate
Patients back in the hospital or ER soon after leaving
Patient survey rating
4 of 5
Higher than 60% of US hospitals
From the HCAHPS survey of recent inpatients
Would definitely recommend
77%
Higher than 69% of US hospitals
US median: 71%
Surveyed patients who would definitely recommend the hospital
Hospital-acquired condition penalty
Not penalized
Not among the worst-performing 25%
Medicare cuts payments 1% for the worst-performing 25% of hospitals on infections and injuries acquired in the hospital
Serious complications (PSI 90)
0.96
Lower than 53% of US hospitals
US median: 0.96
Risk-adjusted composite of complications such as bedsores, falls with hip fracture and blood clots after surgery; lower is better
Time in the ER before going home
192 min
Higher than 77% of US hospitals
US median: 148 min
Median minutes from arrival to leaving for ER patients who were sent home; lower is better
Sepsis care
44%
Lower than 88% of US hospitals
US median: 65%
Patients with severe sepsis or septic shock who got every step of the recommended early treatment; higher is better

Measure details and reporting periods

Measure	Result	Period
Overall star ratingCMS: Overall hospital quality star rating	3 of 5
Death rates	No different on 7 measures
Safety	Better on 1 of 6 measures
Readmissions	Worse on 1 of 10 measures
Patient survey ratingCMS: Summary star rating	4 of 5	2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30
Would definitely recommendCMS: "YES", patients would definitely recommend the hospital	77%	2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30
Hospital-acquired condition penaltyCMS: HAC Reduction Program payment reduction	Not penalized	2026
Serious complications (PSI 90)CMS: Patient safety and adverse events composite (PSI 90)	0.96	2022-07-01 to 2024-06-30
Time in the ER before going homeCMS: Average (median) time patients spent in the emergency department before leaving from the visit, excluding patients transferred to another facility or psychiatric care/mental health patients. A lower number of minutes is better	192 min	2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30
Sepsis careCMS: Appropriate care for severe sepsis and septic shock	44%	2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30

Source: CMS Provider Data Catalog, released 2026-08-13. US comparisons rank this facility among every facility CMS reports for each measure. See Medicare Care Compare.

Medicare quality penalties and bonuses

How Medicare adjusts Watauga Medical Center's inpatient payments for its readmissions, quality and cost results.

-0.49% on Medicare payments
Readmissions penalty
Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program adjustment for excess readmissions, as estimated in the FY 2027 IPPS final rule.
+0.47% on Medicare payments
Value-based purchasing
Hospital Value-Based Purchasing bonus or reduction for quality and cost, as estimated in the FY 2027 IPPS final rule.

Source: CMS IPPS final rule Impact File (FY 2027).

Every CMS quality measure

Each result CMS publishes for Watauga Medical Center, beside the US median and the average of NC hospitals. The rank says what share of US hospitals the result is better or worse than; counts and confidence limits are not ranked.

Deaths and complications19 measures

Risk-adjusted 30-day death rates and surgical complications; lower is better.

Measure	Watauga Medical Center	US median	NC average	CMS comparison	US rank
Rate of complications for hip/knee replacement patients2023-04-01 to 2025-03-31 · 114 cases	3.6	4.1	4.042		Better than 72% of US hospitals
Hybrid Hospital-Wide All-Cause Risk Standardized Mortality Rate2024-07-01 to 2025-06-30 · 1,359 cases	3.5	3.9	3.99		Better than 74% of US hospitals
Death rate for heart attack patients2022-07-01 to 2025-06-30 · 114 cases	11.9	11.8	11.93		Worse than 53% of US hospitals
Death rate for CABG surgery patients2022-07-01 to 2025-06-30	Not Available		2.5
Death rate for COPD patients2022-07-01 to 2025-06-30 · 73 cases	9.8	8.5	8.754		Worse than 81% of US hospitals
Death rate for heart failure patients2022-07-01 to 2025-06-30 · 151 cases	9.3	11	11.28		Better than 81% of US hospitals
Death rate for pneumonia patients2022-07-01 to 2025-06-30 · 211 cases	17.8	15.2	15.37		Worse than 84% of US hospitals
Death rate for stroke patients2023-07-01 to 2025-06-30 · 119 cases	10.6	11.6	12.32		Better than 68% of US hospitals
Pressure ulcer rate2022-07-01 to 2024-06-30 · 1,880 cases	0.34	0.51	0.6392	No Different Than the National Rate	Better than 75% of US hospitals
Death rate among surgical inpatients with serious treatable complications2022-07-01 to 2024-06-30 · 27 cases	153	173	178	No Different Than the National Rate	Better than 83% of US hospitals
Iatrogenic pneumothorax rate2022-07-01 to 2024-06-30 · 2,502 cases	0.18	0.2	0.2025	No Different Than the National Rate	Better than 76% of US hospitals
In-hospital fall-associated fracture rate2022-07-01 to 2024-06-30 · 2,365 cases	0.25	0.27	0.2734	No Different Than the National Rate	Better than 71% of US hospitals
Postoperative hemorrhage or hematoma rate2022-07-01 to 2024-06-30 · 571 cases	2.47	2.29	2.327	No Different Than the National Rate	Worse than 73% of US hospitals
Postoperative acute kidney injury requiring dialysis rate2022-07-01 to 2024-06-30 · 191 cases	1.6	1.63	1.616	No Different Than the National Rate	Better than 61% of US hospitals
Postoperative respiratory failure rate2022-07-01 to 2024-06-30 · 180 cases	9.24	8.88	9.086	No Different Than the National Rate	Worse than 58% of US hospitals
Perioperative pulmonary embolism or deep vein thrombosis rate2022-07-01 to 2024-06-30 · 603 cases	4.38	3.4	3.731	No Different Than the National Rate	Worse than 90% of US hospitals
Postoperative sepsis rate2022-07-01 to 2024-06-30 · 166 cases	5.76	5.105	4.934	No Different Than the National Rate	Worse than 74% of US hospitals
Postoperative wound dehiscence rate2022-07-01 to 2024-06-30 · 77 cases	1.72	1.72	1.74	No Different Than the National Rate	Better than 48% of US hospitals
Abdominopelvic accidental puncture or laceration rate2022-07-01 to 2024-06-30 · 277 cases	0.98	1.02	1.018	No Different Than the National Rate	Better than 64% of US hospitals

Readmissions and return visits14 measures

Unplanned returns to a hospital after a stay or an outpatient procedure; lower is better.

Measure	Watauga Medical Center	US median	NC average	CMS comparison	US rank
Hospital return days for heart attack patients2022-07-01 to 2025-06-30 · 98 cases	-33.1	4.2	2.516		Better than 96% of US hospitals
Hospital return days for heart failure patients2022-07-01 to 2025-06-30 · 162 cases	-13.1	1.25	4.059		Better than 70% of US hospitals
Hospital return days for pneumonia patients2022-07-01 to 2025-06-30 · 214 cases	28.5	3.85	4.357		Worse than 80% of US hospitals
Hybrid Hospital-Wide All-Cause Readmission Measure (HWR)2024-07-01 to 2025-06-30	Not Available
Rate of unplanned hospital visits after colonoscopy (per 1,000 colonoscopies)2022-01-01 to 2024-12-31 · 1,683 cases	12.1	12.9	12.92	No Different Than the National Rate	Better than 89% of US hospitals
Rate of inpatient admissions for patients receiving outpatient chemotherapy2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31 · 105 cases	9.1	10.7	10.53	No Different Than the National Rate	Better than 93% of US hospitals
Rate of emergency department (ED) visits for patients receiving outpatient chemotherapy2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31 · 105 cases	6.8	5.3	5.411	No Different Than the National Rate	Worse than 95% of US hospitals
Ratio of unplanned hospital visits after hospital outpatient surgery2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31 · 543 cases	0.9	1	0.979	No Different than expected	Better than 68% of US hospitals
Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI) 30-Day Readmission Rate2023-07-01 to 2025-06-30 · 110 cases	13.4	14.4	14.22		Better than 89% of US hospitals
Rate of readmission for CABG2023-07-01 to 2025-06-30	Not Available		10.9
Rate of readmission for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients2023-07-01 to 2025-06-30 · 110 cases	20.6	19.8	19.82		Worse than 79% of US hospitals
Heart failure (HF) 30-Day Readmission Rate2023-07-01 to 2025-06-30 · 242 cases	20.9	21.3	21.37		Better than 63% of US hospitals
Rate of readmission after hip/knee replacement2023-07-01 to 2025-06-30 · 115 cases	5.1	5.8	5.698		Better than 87% of US hospitals
Pneumonia (PN) 30-Day Readmission Rate2023-07-01 to 2025-06-30 · 322 cases	18	17.2	17.06		Worse than 76% of US hospitals

Infections36 measures

Standardized infection ratios (1 is the US baseline) and the counts behind them; lower is better.

Measure	Watauga Medical Center	US median	NC average	CMS comparison	US rank
Central Line Associated Bloodstream Infection (ICU + select Wards): Lower Confidence Limit2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30	Not Available		0.3158	No Different than National Benchmark
Central Line Associated Bloodstream Infection (ICU + select Wards): Upper Confidence Limit2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30	2.928	1.504	2.089	No Different than National Benchmark
Central Line Associated Bloodstream Infection: Number of Device Days2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30	1,143	1,370	6,107	No Different than National Benchmark
Central Line Associated Bloodstream Infection (ICU + select Wards): Predicted Cases2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30	1.023	0.9835	6.392	No Different than National Benchmark
Central Line Associated Bloodstream Infection (ICU + select Wards): Observed Cases2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30	0	0	4.212	No Different than National Benchmark
Central Line Associated Bloodstream Infection (ICU + select Wards)2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30	0	0.484	0.6593	No Different than National Benchmark	The best result, shared by 21% of US hospitals
Catheter Associated Urinary Tract Infections (ICU + select Wards): Lower Confidence Limit2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30	Not Available		0.2172	No Different than National Benchmark
Catheter Associated Urinary Tract Infections (ICU + select Wards): Upper Confidence Limit2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30	2.093	1.392	2.008	No Different than National Benchmark
Catheter Associated Urinary Tract Infections (ICU + select Wards): Number of Urinary Catheter Days2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30	1,409	1,799	5,404	No Different than National Benchmark
Catheter Associated Urinary Tract Infections (ICU + select Wards): Predicted Cases2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30	1.431	1.377	7.041	No Different than National Benchmark
Catheter Associated Urinary Tract Infections (ICU + select Wards): Observed Cases2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30	0	0	3.354	No Different than National Benchmark
Catheter Associated Urinary Tract Infections (ICU + select Wards)2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30	0	0.399	0.5489	No Different than National Benchmark	The best result, shared by 24% of US hospitals
SSI - Colon Surgery: Lower Confidence Limit2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30	Not Available		0.4264
SSI - Colon Surgery: Upper Confidence Limit2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30	Not Available		2.632
SSI - Colon Surgery: Number of Procedures2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30	40	61	148
SSI - Colon Surgery: Predicted Cases2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30	0.967	1.591	3.971
SSI - Colon Surgery: Observed Cases2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30	1	1	3.869
SSI - Colon Surgery2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30	Not Available		0.9259
SSI - Abdominal Hysterectomy: Lower Confidence Limit2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30	Not Available		0.3213
SSI - Abdominal Hysterectomy: Upper Confidence Limit2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30	Not Available		3.699
SSI - Abdominal Hysterectomy: Number of Procedures2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30	13	38	81.85
SSI - Abdominal Hysterectomy: Predicted Cases2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30	0.108	0.328	0.7343
SSI - Abdominal Hysterectomy: Observed Cases2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30	0	0	0.9
SSI - Abdominal Hysterectomy2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30	Not Available		1.267
MRSA Bacteremia: Lower Confidence Limit2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30	Not Available		0.2893	No Different than National Benchmark
MRSA Bacteremia: Upper Confidence Limit2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30	2.438	1.855	2.314	No Different than National Benchmark
MRSA Bacteremia: Patient Days2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30	22,349	14,451	62,217	No Different than National Benchmark
MRSA Bacteremia: Predicted Cases2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30	1.229	0.567	4.657	No Different than National Benchmark
MRSA Bacteremia: Observed Cases2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30	0	0	2.863	No Different than National Benchmark
MRSA Bacteremia2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30	0	0.597	0.742	No Different than National Benchmark	The best result, shared by 18% of US hospitals
Clostridium Difficile (C.Diff): Lower Confidence Limit2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30	0.074	0.127	0.1478	Better than the National Benchmark
Clostridium Difficile (C.Diff): Upper Confidence Limit2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30	0.788	0.747	1.095	Better than the National Benchmark
Clostridium Difficile (C.Diff): Patient Days2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30	21,446	13,646	56,214	Better than the National Benchmark
Clostridium Difficile (C.Diff): Predicted Cases2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30	10.36	5.683	32.99	Better than the National Benchmark
Clostridium Difficile (C.Diff): Observed Cases2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30	3	2	9.258	Better than the National Benchmark
Clostridium Difficile (C.Diff)2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30	0.289	0.279	0.3119	Better than the National Benchmark	Worse than 51% of US hospitals

Patient survey (HCAHPS)68 measures

How recent inpatients answered each survey question, with CMS's star rating per topic.

Measure	Watauga Medical Center	US median	NC average	US rank
Room was "always" clean2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	68	73	71.37	Worse than 71% of US hospitals
Room was "sometimes" or "never" clean2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	13	8	9.762	Worse than 81% of US hospitals
Room was "usually" clean2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	19	18	18.87
Cleanliness - linear mean score2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	84	87	85.7	Worse than 71% of US hospitals
Cleanliness - star rating2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	3	4	3.269	Worse than 53% of US hospitals
Nurses "always" communicated well2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	83	80	80.26	Better than 69% of US hospitals
Nurse communication - linear mean score2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	93	91	91.65	Better than 69% of US hospitals
Nurses "sometimes" or "never" communicated well2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	2	4	4.218	Better than 76% of US hospitals
Nurse communication - star rating2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	4	3	3.591	Better than 51% of US hospitals
Nurses "usually" communicated well2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	15	16	15.52
Doctors "always" communicated well2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	84	79	80.9	Better than 76% of US hospitals
Doctor communication - linear mean score2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	93	91	91.66	Better than 77% of US hospitals
Doctors "sometimes" or "never" communicated well2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	3	5	5.01	Better than 77% of US hospitals
Doctor communication - star rating2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	4	3	3.452	Better than 63% of US hospitals
Doctors "usually" communicated well2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	13	16	14.09
Staff "always" explained2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	66	61	62.62	Better than 72% of US hospitals
Communication about medicines - linear mean score2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	81	77	77.77	Better than 79% of US hospitals
Staff "sometimes" or "never" explained2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	16	19	18.97	Better than 69% of US hospitals
Communication about medicines - star rating2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	4	3	2.839	Better than 79% of US hospitals
Staff "usually" explained2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	18	19	18.41
Discharge information - linear mean score2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	89	86	86.12	Better than 78% of US hospitals
No, staff "did not" give patients this information2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	11	13	13.33	Better than 68% of US hospitals
Discharge information - star rating2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	4	3	3.441	Better than 55% of US hospitals
Yes, staff "did" give patients this information2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	89	87	86.67	Better than 68% of US hospitals
No, staff "did not" give patients information about help after discharge2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	10	14	14.2	Better than 83% of US hospitals
Yes, staff "did" give patients information about help after discharge2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	90	86	85.8	Better than 83% of US hospitals
Doctors "always" explained things so they could understand2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	80	74	76.04	Better than 82% of US hospitals
Doctors "sometimes" or "never" explained things so they could understand2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	4	7	6.586	Better than 81% of US hospitals
Doctors "usually" explained things so they could understand2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	16	19	17.37
Doctors "always" listened carefully2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	82	77	79.47	Better than 76% of US hospitals
Doctors "sometimes" or "never" listened carefully2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	4	6	5.475	Better than 70% of US hospitals
Doctors "usually" listened carefully2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	14	17	15.05
Doctors "always" treated them with courtesy and respect2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	89	85	86.33	Better than 77% of US hospitals
Doctors "sometimes" or "never" treated them with courtesy and respect2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	2	3	3.465	Better than 75% of US hospitals
Doctors "usually" treated them with courtesy and respect2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	9	11	10.2
Patients who gave a rating of "6" or lower (low)2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	7	8	8.446	Better than 52% of US hospitals
Patients who gave a rating of "7" or "8" (medium)2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	16	20	20.15
Patients who gave a rating of "9" or "10" (high)2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	77	72	71.41	Better than 70% of US hospitals
Overall hospital rating - linear mean score2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	90	88	88.02	Better than 66% of US hospitals
Overall hospital rating - star rating2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	4	3	3.323	Better than 55% of US hospitals
Staff "always" explained new medications2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	81	74	75.25	Better than 84% of US hospitals
Staff "sometimes" or "never" explained new medications2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	4	9	9.232	Better than 90% of US hospitals
Staff "usually" explained new medications2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	15	16	15.52
Nurses "always" explained things so they could understand2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	77	75	75.79	Better than 63% of US hospitals
Nurses "sometimes" or "never" explained things so they could understand2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	3	5	5.697	Better than 81% of US hospitals
Nurses "usually" explained things so they could understand2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	20	20	18.52
Nurses "always" listened carefully2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	82	77	77.57	Better than 79% of US hospitals
Nurses "sometimes" or "never" listened carefully2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	2	4	4.424	Better than 80% of US hospitals
Nurses "usually" listened carefully2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	16	19	18.01
Nurses "always" treated them with courtesy and respect2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	89	86	86.24	Better than 70% of US hospitals
Nurses "sometimes" or "never" treated them with courtesy and respect2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	2	3	2.859	Better than 50% of US hospitals
Nurses "usually" treated them with courtesy and respect2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	9	11	10.9
"Always" quiet at night2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	60	59	60.2	Better than 51% of US hospitals
"Sometimes" or "never" quiet at night2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	9	9	9.109	Worse than 47% of US hospitals
"Usually" quiet at night2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	31	31	30.69
Quietness - linear mean score2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	83	82	82.46	Better than 56% of US hospitals
Quietness - star rating2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	4	3	3.419	Better than 56% of US hospitals
"NO", patients would not recommend the hospital (they probably would not or definitely would not recommend it)2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	3	5	5.683	Better than 70% of US hospitals
"YES", patients would definitely recommend the hospital2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	77	71	70.04	Better than 69% of US hospitals
Recommend hospital - linear mean score2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	91	87	86.94	Better than 76% of US hospitals
"YES", patients would probably recommend the hospital2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	20	23	24.28
Recommend hospital - star rating2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	5	4	3.656	The top rating, shared by 24% of US hospitals
Staff "always" explained possible side effects2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	52	47	49.27	Better than 72% of US hospitals
Staff "sometimes" or "never" explained possible side effects2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	27	30	29.43	Better than 65% of US hospitals
Staff "usually" explained possible side effects2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	21	22	21.29
Summary star rating2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	4	3	3.387	Better than 60% of US hospitals
No, staff "did not" give patients information about possible symptoms2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	12	12	12.81	Better than 48% of US hospitals
Yes, staff "did" give patients information about possible symptoms2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 597 cases	88	88	87.19	Better than 48% of US hospitals

Timely and effective care30 measures

How often the hospital gave recommended care, and how fast.

Measure	Watauga Medical Center	US median	NC average	US rank
Emergency department volume2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31	medium
Global Malnutrition Composite Score2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31	Not Available
Global Malnutrition Composite Score: Malnutrition Diagnosis Documented2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31	Not Available
Global Malnutrition Composite Score: Malnutrition Risk Screening2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31	Not Available
Global Malnutrition Composite Score: Nutrition Assessment2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31	Not Available
Global Malnutrition Composite Score: Nutritional Care Plan2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31	Not Available
Hospital Harm - Severe Hyperglycemia2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31	Not Available		8.179
Hospital Harm - Severe Hypoglycemia2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31	Not Available		1.182
Hospital Harm - Opioid Related Adverse Events2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31 · 2,199 cases	0	0	0.1154	The best result, shared by 84% of US hospitals
Healthcare workers given influenza vaccination2024-10-01 to 2025-03-31 · 1,168 cases	92	79	85.95	Better than 77% of US hospitals
Average (median) time all patients spent in the emergency department before leaving from the visit, including psychiatric/mental health patients and patients who were transferred to another facility. A lower number of minutes is better2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 395 cases	197	154	190	Worse than 76% of US hospitals
Average (median) time patients spent in the emergency department before leaving from the visit, excluding patients transferred to another facility or psychiatric care/mental health patients. A lower number of minutes is better2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 371 cases	192	148	183	Worse than 77% of US hospitals
Average (median) time psychiatric/mental health patients spent in the emergency department before leaving from the visit. A lower number of minutes is better2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 13 cases	211	247	389	Better than 64% of US hospitals
Average (median) time patients spent in the emergency department before being transferred to another facility. A lower number of minutes is better2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 11 cases	453	293	427	Worse than 91% of US hospitals
Left before being seen2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31 · 23,682 cases	1	1	2.253	Better than 42% of US hospitals
Head CT results2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 15 cases	60	74	72.17	Worse than 75% of US hospitals
Endoscopy/polyp surveillance: appropriate follow-up interval for normal colonoscopy in average risk patients2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31 · 104 cases	97	97	93.75	Better than 46% of US hospitals
Improvement in Patient's Visual Function within 90 Days Following Cataract Surgery2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31	Not Available
ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI)2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31	Not Available		54.25
Safe Use of Opioids - Concurrent Prescribing2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31 · 1,249 cases	15	15	16.55	Worse than 48% of US hospitals
Appropriate care for severe sepsis and septic shock2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 210 cases	44	65	63.49	Worse than 88% of US hospitals
Septic Shock 3-Hour Bundle2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 67 cases	42	73	72.19	Worse than 94% of US hospitals
Septic Shock 6-Hour Bundle2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 23 cases	91	88	81.33	Better than 57% of US hospitals
Severe Sepsis 3-Hour Bundle2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 210 cases	71	82	80.49	Worse than 83% of US hospitals
Severe Sepsis 6-Hour Bundle2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30 · 100 cases	89	94	94.21	Worse than 76% of US hospitals
Discharged on Antithrombotic Therapy2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31 · 75 cases	97	98	96.77	Worse than 51% of US hospitals
Anticoagulation Therapy for Atrial Fibrillation/Flutter2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31	Not Available		71.33
Antithrombotic Therapy by End of Hospital Day 22024-01-01 to 2024-12-31 · 73 cases	92	94	93.39	Worse than 63% of US hospitals
Venous Thromboembolism Prophylaxis2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31	Not Available		88.42
Intensive Care Unit Venous Thromboembolism Prophylaxis2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31	Not Available		96.08

Outpatient imaging2 measures

How often scans were ordered when they may not be needed; lower is better.

Measure	Watauga Medical Center	US median	NC average	CMS comparison	US rank
Abdomen CT Use of Contrast Material2024-07-01 to 2025-06-30	1.9	5	4.658		Better than 86% of US hospitals
Breast Cancer Screening Recall Rates2024-07-01 to 2025-06-30	5.8	6.6	6.699		Better than 60% of US hospitals

Medicare spending per patient1 measure

Medicare spending around an inpatient stay compared with the US (1 is the US median).

Measure	Watauga Medical Center	US median	NC average	CMS comparison	US rank
Medicare hospital spending per patient (Medicare Spending per Beneficiary)2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31	0.95	0.99	0.9478		Better than 68% of US hospitals

Value-based purchasing scores9 measures

The scores Medicare uses to raise or lower inpatient payments; higher is better.

Measure	Watauga Medical Center	US median	NC average	US rank
VBP clinical outcomes domain scoreFY 2026	10	20	20.53	Worse than 70% of US hospitals
VBP clinical outcomes weighted domain scoreFY 2026	2.5	5	5.133	Worse than 70% of US hospitals
VBP efficiency and cost reduction domain scoreFY 2026	30	10	27.67	Better than 68% of US hospitals
VBP efficiency and cost reduction weighted domain scoreFY 2026	7.5	2.5	7.066	Better than 68% of US hospitals
VBP person and community engagement domain scoreFY 2026	71	34	42.34	Better than 93% of US hospitals
VBP person and community engagement weighted domain scoreFY 2026	17.75	8.75	10.67	Better than 92% of US hospitals
VBP safety domain scoreFY 2026	32	40	39.99	Worse than 65% of US hospitals
VBP safety weighted domain scoreFY 2026	8	10	10.21	Worse than 65% of US hospitals
VBP total performance scoreFY 2026	35.75	29.5	32.71	Better than 71% of US hospitals

By fiscal year	FY 2021	FY 2022	FY 2023	FY 2024	FY 2025	FY 2026
VBP clinical outcomes domain score	54	64	57.5	18	18	10
VBP clinical outcomes weighted domain score	18	16	14.38	4.5	4.5	2.5
VBP efficiency and cost reduction domain score	30	Not Available	20	20	40	30
VBP efficiency and cost reduction weighted domain score	10	Not Available	5	5	10	7.5
VBP person and community engagement domain score	41	Not Available	Not Available	22	46	71
VBP person and community engagement weighted domain score	13.67	Not Available	Not Available	5.5	11.5	17.75
VBP safety domain score	Not Available	Not Available	Not Available	40	27.5	32
VBP safety weighted domain score	Not Available	Not Available	Not Available	10	6.875	8
VBP total performance score	41.67	Not Available	Not Available	25	32.88	35.75

Readmissions Reduction Program6 measures

Excess readmission ratios by condition; above 1 means more readmissions than expected.

Measure	Watauga Medical Center	US median	NC average	US rank
READM-30-AMI-HRRP2021-07-01 to 2024-06-30 · 117 cases	0.9585	0.9995	0.987	Better than 76% of US hospitals
READM-30-CABG-HRRP2021-07-01 to 2024-06-30	N/A		0.9572
READM-30-COPD-HRRP2021-07-01 to 2024-06-30 · 84 cases	0.9903	0.9969	0.9983	Better than 56% of US hospitals
READM-30-HF-HRRP2021-07-01 to 2024-06-30 · 165 cases	1.03	0.9983	0.9982	Worse than 69% of US hospitals
READM-30-HIP-KNEE-HRRP2021-07-01 to 2024-06-30	1.122	0.9916	1.01	Worse than 81% of US hospitals
READM-30-PN-HRRP2021-07-01 to 2024-06-30 · 180 cases	1.005	0.9955	0.989	Worse than 56% of US hospitals

By fiscal year	FY 2021	FY 2022	FY 2023	FY 2024	FY 2025	FY 2026
READM-30-AMI-HRRP	0.9446	0.9307	1.029	1.092	1.062	0.9585
READM-30-CABG-HRRP	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
READM-30-COPD-HRRP	1.007	1.007	1.005	0.9558	0.9324	0.9903
READM-30-HF-HRRP	0.9639	0.9483	0.9787	1.056	1.032	1.03
READM-30-HIP-KNEE-HRRP	0.8038	0.9057	1.072	1.176	1.07	1.122
READM-30-PN-HRRP	0.9914	1.007	0.9749	0.9905	1.032	1.005

Hospital-Acquired Condition Reduction Program8 measures

Infection ratios, the PSI 90 composite and the total score Medicare ranks hospitals on; lower is better.

Measure	Watauga Medical Center	US median	NC average	US rank
CAUTI standardized infection ratio2023-01-01 to 2024-12-31	0.578	0.489	0.6937	Worse than 59% of US hospitals
CDI standardized infection ratio2023-01-01 to 2024-12-31	0.373	0.346	0.3392	Worse than 54% of US hospitals
CLABSI standardized infection ratio2023-01-01 to 2024-12-31	0.806	0.559	0.6866	Worse than 71% of US hospitals
HAC Reduction Program payment reductionFY 2026	No
MRSA standardized infection ratio2023-01-01 to 2024-12-31	1.303	0.6405	0.9073	Worse than 87% of US hospitals
Patient safety and adverse events composite (PSI 90)2022-07-01 to 2024-06-30	0.9553	0.9628	0.9914	Better than 53% of US hospitals
SSI standardized infection ratio2023-01-01 to 2024-12-31	0.926	0.7945	0.9227	Worse than 59% of US hospitals
Total HAC scoreFY 2026	0.2806	-0.0453	0.09972	Worse than 69% of US hospitals

By fiscal year	FY 2021	FY 2022	FY 2023	FY 2024	FY 2025	FY 2026
HAC Reduction Program payment reduction	Yes	Yes	N/A	No	No	No
Total HAC score	0.5596	0.4757	0	-0.0142	0.2952	0.2806

Source: CMS Care Compare hospital files, latest release 2026-09-30, with program results for earlier fiscal years from CMS's archived snapshots. US medians and ranks count every hospital CMS reports; state averages are plain means of the state's reporting hospitals, not CMS's patient-weighted state rates.

Accreditation and services

The Joint Commission (since 2003)
Accreditation
None
Medical school affiliation
Local
Ownership type
117
Medicare-certified beds
115
Registered nurses (full-time equivalent)
1966
In Medicare since

33 services at Watauga Medical Center

Emergency and trauma: Shock trauma servicesDesignated Trauma CenterEmergency Department
Intensive care: Coronary Care UnitSurgical ICU (Medical Surgical Intensive Care Unit)
Heart: Cardiac Thoracic Surgery
Surgery: AnesthesiaInpatient SurgicalOR (Operating Room)Outpatient SurgeryPostoperative Recovery Room
Imaging: Diagnostic RadiologyNuclear MedicineTherapeutic Radiology
Transplant and dialysis: Acute Renal DialysisOrgan Transplantation
Women and children: Clinical LaboratoryNeonatal NurseryObstetrics / Child BirthPediatric Care
Behavioral health: Adult Inpatient Psychiatric CareAlcohol and/or Drug Service
Rehabilitation and therapy: OT (Occupational Therapy)PT (Physical Therapy)Respiratory CareSpeech Pathology
Other services: Burn Care UnitDental CareDietary CareOptometricOutpatientPharmacySocial Care

Source: CMS Provider of Services file, as reported by the hospital and state surveyors.

Size and patient volume

What Watauga Medical Center reported to Medicare in its latest cost report, covering Jul 1, 2024 to Jun 30, 2025.

4,365
Inpatient discharges
Medicare 29%, Medicaid 3%
16,892
Inpatient days
38% of available bed days used
650
Employees (full-time equivalent)
18
Interns and residents (full-time equivalent)

Source: CMS cost report (HCRIS) (report 842770). Figures cover the reporting period, which is not always 12 months, and are self-reported.

Utilization by payer and unit

Inpatient days and discharges Watauga Medical Center reported by payer. Medicare and Medicaid include their managed care plans, shown separately below.

	Medicare	Medicaid	Other	Total
Inpatient days	5,191	356	11,345	16,892
Discharges	1,250	115	3,000	4,365
Average length of stay	4.2 days	3.1 days	3.8 days	3.9 days
Average daily census	14.2	1.0	31.1	46.3

6,069
Medicare Advantage days
1,274 discharges
2,493
Medicaid managed care days
498 discharges
2,478
Observation bed days

Beds and days by unit

Unit	Beds	Inpatient days	Medicare days	Occupancy
Adults & pediatrics	101	13,763	4,443	37%
Intensive care unit	16	2,096	748	36%
Other special care	4	137		9%
Nursery		896

Source: CMS cost report (HCRIS, Form 2552-10), report 842770, amended. Hospitals report these figures themselves; they are not audited financial statements. Worksheet S-3 Part I.

Medicare inpatient stays

What Watauga Medical Center treats Medicare patients for most often, in 2024. 592 Medicare discharges in 26 published DRGs; 21% surgical; 66% in DRGs with complications (CC or MCC).

Condition or procedure	Discharges	Average charges	Average Medicare payment	Estimated cost	DRG weight
Septicemia or severe sepsis without MV >96 hours with MCCMS-DRG 871, medical	78	$37,413	$16,589	$14,404	1.98
Heart failure and shock with MCCMS-DRG 291, medical	54	$22,548	$10,432	$8,681	1.28
Major hip and knee joint replacement or reattachment of lower extremity without MCCMS-DRG 470, surgical	46	$54,819	$15,441	$21,105	1.88
Simple pneumonia and pleurisy with MCCMS-DRG 193, medical	35	$27,936	$10,062	$10,755	1.33
Respiratory infections and inflammations with MCCMS-DRG 177, medical	34	$35,580	$14,213	$13,698	1.70
Intracranial hemorrhage or cerebral infarction with CC or tpa in 24 hoursMS-DRG 065, medical	23	$27,722	$7,620	$10,673	1.02
Hip and femur procedures except major joint with CCMS-DRG 481, surgical	23	$55,186	$16,025	$21,247	2.07
Hip replacement with principal diagnosis of hip fracture without MCCMS-DRG 522, surgical	23	$53,118	$17,657	$20,450	2.11
Cardiac arrhythmia and conduction disorders with CCMS-DRG 309, medical	22	$16,567	$5,629	$6,378	0.74
Simple pneumonia and pleurisy with CCMS-DRG 194, medical	19	$17,257	$5,851	$6,644	0.82
Circulatory disorders except AMI, with cardiac catheterization without MCCMS-DRG 287, medical	19	$31,964	$8,515	$12,306	1.08
Percutaneous cardiovascular procedures with intraluminal device without MCCMS-DRG 322, surgical	19	$57,369	$15,022	$22,087	1.82
Cardiac arrhythmia and conduction disorders with MCCMS-DRG 308, medical	17	$24,690	$9,598	$9,505	1.20
Respiratory infections and inflammations with CCMS-DRG 178, medical	16	$25,682	$7,807	$9,887	0.99
Miscellaneous disorders of nutrition, metabolism, fluids and electrolytes without MCCMS-DRG 641, medical	16	$15,296	$5,799	$5,889	0.78
Kidney and urinary tract infections without MCCMS-DRG 690, medical	16	$20,123	$5,958	$7,747	0.81
Other kidney and urinary tract diagnoses with MCCMS-DRG 698, medical	16	$28,683	$13,987	$11,043	1.65
Esophagitis, gastroenteritis and miscellaneous digestive disorders without MCCMS-DRG 392, medical	15	$24,304	$5,713	$9,357	0.79
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with MCCMS-DRG 190, medical	14	$29,962	$8,801	$11,536	1.10
Gastrointestinal hemorrhage with CCMS-DRG 378, medical	14	$24,183	$7,902	$9,310	0.98

See all 26 Medicare inpatient DRGs at Watauga Medical Center

Source: CMS Medicare Inpatient Hospitals by Provider and Service (2024 data, released 2026-04-10), traditional Medicare only; CMS omits DRGs with fewer than 11 discharges. Estimated cost is average charges times the hospital's Medicare cost-to-charge ratio from the IPPS Impact File. Weights are the MS-DRG relative weights for the same year.

Medicare outpatient services

The comprehensive outpatient service groups (APCs) Watauga Medical Center billed Medicare for most in 2024: 1,457 services in all.

Service group	Services	Patients	Average charges	Average Medicare payment	US average payment
Level 5 Musculoskeletal ProceduresAPC 5115	247	234	$45,451	$10,531	$10,772
Level 1 Intraocular ProceduresAPC 5491	200	115	$7,519	$1,696	$1,752
Comprehensive Observation ServicesAPC 8011	186	181	$11,134	$2,000	$2,090
Level 2 Upper GI ProceduresAPC 5302	89	87	$10,902	$1,376	$1,445
Level 4 Musculoskeletal ProceduresAPC 5114	83	83	$32,920	$5,312	$5,339
Level 2 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and DrainageAPC 5072	75	72	$9,927	$1,203	$1,220
Level 1 Endovascular ProceduresAPC 5191	64	64	$19,054	$2,183	$2,208
Level 4 Urology and Related ServicesAPC 5374	64	54	$14,962	$2,568	$2,629
Level 1 Laparoscopy and Related ServicesAPC 5361	61	61	$25,436	$4,214	$4,358
Level 5 Urology and Related ServicesAPC 5375	50	44	$24,128	$3,689	$3,918

See all 25 Medicare outpatient services at Watauga Medical Center

Source: CMS Medicare Outpatient Hospitals by Provider and Service (2024 data, released 2026-06-24), comprehensive APCs for traditional Medicare; CMS omits services with fewer than 11 claims. The US average weights every hospital by its services.

Where patients come from

ZIP codes with the most Medicare inpatient stays at Watauga Medical Center in 2025. Market share is this hospital's part of every hospital's Medicare stays from the ZIP code. Its published Medicare stays went from 1,775 in 2020 to 2,303 in 2025.

ZIP code	Stays	Of this hospital's stays	Days	Charges	Market share	Share in 2020
28607	643	28%	2,924	$24M	73%	77%
28657	175	8%	856	$6.9M	36%	46%
28605	164	7%	752	$6.7M	77%	81%
28604	159	7%	712	$6.2M	58%	73%
28692	129	6%	595	$5.5M	82%	78%
37683	111	5%	576	$5.2M	13%	10%
28694	99	4%	398	$4.1M	25%	22%
28618	93	4%	445	$3.8M	85%	100%
28679	79	3%	359	$3.2M	75%	100%
28698	70	3%	373	$2.9M	100%	100%
28615	68	3%	266	$2.6M	53%	36%
28622	60	3%	296	$2.6M	54%	67%
28640	60	3%	245	$2.8M	23%	23%
28626	51	2%	215	$2.4M	61%	55%
28645	45	2%	199	$2.3M	2%	1%
28684	44	2%	211	$1.8M	66%	100%
28643	35	2%	114	$1.3M	29%	23%
28617	26	1%	158	$1.4M	29%
28693	24	1%	99	$1M	41%
37640	21	1%	91	$1.1M	9%
28641	20	1%	118	$922,084	53%	100%
28646	20	1%	61	$565,056	63%	61%
37691	20	1%	131	$841,554	100%	38%
28659	15	1%	59	$646,640	1%	1%
28777	14	1%	84	$695,799	3%

Source: CMS Hospital Service Area file. Shares are of the 2,303 stays from ZIP codes CMS publishes; it omits ZIP codes with fewer than 11 stays, so market shares count published stays only.

Staff and facilities

Staff by profession and the rooms and units Watauga Medical Center reported at its latest Medicare certification survey (1994). Counts are people, not full-time equivalents.

115
Registered nurses
26
Licensed practical nurses
4
Nurse anesthetists (CRNAs)
3
Pharmacists
5
Respiratory therapists
2
Physical therapists
1
Occupational therapists
1
Dietitians
3
Social workers
259
Other personnel

Source: CMS Provider of Services file.

Doctors and clinicians

418 clinicians who bill Medicare list Watauga Medical Center as a hospital affiliation. Showing 24 of them. Book a demo to see the commercial rates insurers publish for them, or start a free trial.

Family Medicine Physician 50
Diagnostic Radiology Physician 47
Family Nurse Practitioner 38
Physician Assistant 36
Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist 23
Internal Medicine Physician 18
Emergency Medicine Physician 14
Nurse Practitioner 14
Student in an Organized Health Care Education/Training Program 13
Surgery Physician 13

Ovidiu Negrea, M.D.
Medical Oncology Physician
NPI 1457319931
See commercial rates for Ovidiu Negrea, M.D.
James Logan, MD
Rheumatology Physician
NPI 1689675175
See commercial rates for James Logan, MD
Christopher Bullers, M.D.
Family Medicine Physician
NPI 1356578405
See commercial rates for Christopher Bullers, M.D.
Steven Anderson, MD
Orthopaedic Surgery Physician
NPI 1295853018
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Katherine Hartley, MD
Diagnostic Radiology Physician
NPI 1265631675
See commercial rates for Katherine Hartley, MD
Jill Mcclory, M.D.
Rheumatology Physician
NPI 1922190255
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Jacob Lackey, PA-C
Physician Assistant
NPI 1699178731
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Matthew Howard, PA-C
Physician Assistant
NPI 1306165600
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David Moore, MD
Diagnostic Radiology Physician
NPI 1528083011
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Robert Felix, MD
Emergency Medicine Physician
NPI 1447244074
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David Hodges, MD
Diagnostic Radiology Physician
NPI 1578591962
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Benjamin Parker, MD
Orthopaedic Surgery Physician
NPI 1114211794
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David Feldman, M.D.
Diagnostic Radiology Physician
NPI 1992184089
See commercial rates for David Feldman, M.D.
Devon Cole, MD
Diagnostic Radiology Physician
NPI 1104288604
See commercial rates for Devon Cole, MD
Peiweng Chen, M.D.
Diagnostic Radiology Physician
NPI 1194976142
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William Carson, MD
Diagnostic Radiology Physician
NPI 1356325393
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Shaun Rybak, M.D.
Diagnostic Radiology Physician
NPI 1215224191
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Adam Maxwell, M.D.
Vascular & Interventional Radiology Physician
NPI 1376993485
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Gregory Evans, M.D.
Diagnostic Radiology Physician
NPI 1467437525
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Perry Myrick, MD
Diagnostic Radiology Physician
NPI 1548687973
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John Mckay, M.D.
Diagnostic Radiology Physician
NPI 1427310416
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Heather Willis, MD
Urology Physician
NPI 1235383381
See commercial rates for Heather Willis, MD
John Mclarney, M.D.
Diagnostic Radiology Physician
NPI 1760556997
See commercial rates for John Mclarney, M.D.
Donald Graham, MD
Pulmonary Disease Physician
NPI 1497737621
See commercial rates for Donald Graham, MD

Source: CMS Doctors and Clinicians facility affiliations, released 2026-10-15, with names and specialties from NPPES. Affiliation means the clinician bills Medicare for care at this hospital; it is not employment.

Income statement

Revenue, expenses and income Watauga Medical Center reported to Medicare for Jul 1, 2024 to Jun 30, 2025. Percentages are of net patient revenue.

Line	Amount	Share
Gross patient revenue (charges)	$621.8M	294.6%
Inpatient	$167.1M	79.2%
Outpatient	$454.8M	215.4%
Contractual allowances and discounts	-$410.8M	-194.6%
Net patient revenue	$211.1M	100.0%
Operating expenses	-$200.8M	-95.1%
Operating income from patient care	$10.3M	4.9%
Other income	$9.7M	4.6%
Contributions and donations	$38,332	0.0%
Investment income	$334,733	0.2%
Government appropriations	$6M	2.9%
Other	$3.3M	1.6%
Other expenses	-$3,300	-0.0%
Net income	$20M	9.5%

Gross revenue by payer

Line	Amount	Share
Traditional Medicare	$154.5M	26.2%
Medicaid (including managed care)	$61.6M	10.5%
Other payers and self-pay	$372.8M	63.3%
Total charges	$588.9M	100.0%

Source: CMS cost report (HCRIS, Form 2552-10), report 842770, amended. Hospitals report these figures themselves; they are not audited financial statements. Traditional Medicare is the program charges on Worksheets D-3 and D Part V; Medicaid is from Worksheet S-10.

Financial ratios

Computed from Watauga Medical Center's latest cost report.

4.9%
Operating margin
Operating income from patient care / net patient revenue
9.1%
Total margin
Net income / net patient revenue plus other income
16.3%
EBITDAR margin
Net income before interest, depreciation and leases (Worksheet A-7), / total revenue
43% of expenses
Personnel costs
Salaries, direct-care contract labor and core wage-related costs / operating expenses
$43.06
Average hourly wage
Adjusted salaries / paid hours (Worksheet S-3 Part II)
5.5%
Return on assets
Net income for a year / total assets
9.7%
Return on equity
Net income for a year / fund balance
0.70
Long-term debt to fund balance
Mortgages, notes and loans / fund balance
14.32
Current ratio
Current assets / current liabilities
3.71
Quick ratio
Cash, temporary investments and net receivables / current liabilities
57 days
Days cash on hand
Cash and temporary investments / daily operating expenses excluding depreciation
42 days
Days in patient receivables
Net patient receivables / daily net patient revenue
28 days
Average payment period
Current liabilities / daily operating expenses excluding depreciation
0.60
Asset turnover
Total revenue for a year / total assets
13.7 years
Average age of plant
Accumulated depreciation / depreciation for a year

Source: CMS cost report (HCRIS, Form 2552-10), report 842770, amended. Hospitals report these figures themselves; they are not audited financial statements.

Balance sheet

What Watauga Medical Center owned and owed at the end of its reporting period (Jun 2025), across all fund types: $366.5M in total assets and a $206.7M fund balance.

Show the balance sheet

Line	Amount	Of total assets
Cash and temporary investments	$29.7M	8.1%
Patient receivables, net	$24.1M	6.6%
Inventory	$3.6M	1.0%
Total current assets	$207.8M	56.7%
Property and equipment, net of depreciation	$147.3M	40.2%
Investments and other assets	$11.5M	3.1%
Total assets	$366.5M	100.0%
Current liabilities	$14.5M	4.0%
Long-term debt	$144.2M	39.4%
Total liabilities	$159.8M	43.6%
Fund balance (net assets)	$206.7M	56.4%

Source: CMS cost report (HCRIS, Form 2552-10), report 842770, amended. Hospitals report these figures themselves; they are not audited financial statements.

Charity care and uncompensated care

Care Watauga Medical Center provided without full payment, as reported on Worksheet S-10 of its cost report.

$4.5M
Cost of charity care
Care for patients approved for charity care and uninsured discounts, at cost
$14M
Bad debt
Patient bills written off as uncollectible, at charges
-$17.7M
Medicaid shortfall
Cost of Medicaid patients (charges times the cost-to-charge ratio) minus Medicaid payments; negative means a surplus
$8.4M
Total unreimbursed and uncompensated care
4.2% of operating expenses
Medicaid, CHIP and indigent care shortfalls plus charity care and the cost of bad debt (Worksheet S-10 line 31)

Source: CMS cost report (HCRIS, Form 2552-10), report 842770, amended. Hospitals report these figures themselves; they are not audited financial statements.

Financial trend

Watauga Medical Center's full-year cost reports, by fiscal year end. Reports shorter than ten months are left out.

Show 6 years

Fiscal year ending	Sep 2019	Sep 2020	Sep 2021	Sep 2022	Jun 2024	Jun 2025
Net patient revenue	$148.5M	$150.8M	$180.5M	$187.3M	$205.5M	$211.1M
Operating expenses	$131.7M	$139.1M	$164.1M	$182.8M	$207.4M	$200.8M
Operating margin	11.3%	7.7%	9.1%	2.4%	-0.9%	4.9%
Net income	$5.1M	$10.6M	$30M	-$915,860	$9.1M	$20M
Total assets	$183.8M	$228M	$374.8M	$355.9M	$350.5M	$366.5M
Discharges	4,318	3,838	3,964	3,784	4,452	4,365
Inpatient days	15,155	13,427	16,644	18,796	17,655	16,892
Medicare Advantage days	2,734	2,613	3,997	4,406	5,849	6,069
Beds	95	95	95	95	121	121
Employees (FTE)	602	609	634	629	682	650

Source: CMS cost report (HCRIS, Form 2552-10), report 842770, amended. Hospitals report these figures themselves; they are not audited financial statements.

Departments

Each cost center Watauga Medical Center reports, largest first. Total cost includes its share of overhead; the cost-to-charge ratio is total cost / charges.

Show all 39 departments

Ancillary and outpatient departments

Department	Salaries	Total cost	Charges	Cost-to-charge	Square feet
Drugs charged to patients		$27.2M	$112.9M	0.24
Operating room	$6.1M	$25.2M	$107.7M	0.23	52,971
Laboratory	$2.6M	$11.6M	$54.7M	0.21	8,692
Impl. dev. charged to patients		$10.8M	$34.6M	0.31
Radiology-diagnostic	$2.5M	$9.9M	$102.8M	0.10	36,088
Medical supplies charged to patient		$8.8M	$23M	0.38
Emergency	$2.8M	$8M	$28.2M	0.28	14,124
Electrocardiology	$6.3M	$7.9M	$27.7M	0.29	13,752
Physical therapy	$2.8M	$6.2M	$12.1M	0.51	9,392
Medical oncology	$3.2M	$3.7M	$4.3M	0.85	10,166
Delivery room & labor room		$3.6M	$5M	0.71	9,316
Observation beds (non-distinct part		$3.4M	$3.5M	0.97
Respiratory therapy	$1.5M	$3.2M	$10.8M	0.30	2,275
Radiation oncology	$598,307	$3.1M	$12.8M	0.24	11,450
Anesthesiology	$3.6M	$2.4M	$18M	0.13	2,350
Intravenous therapy	$212,486	$1.6M	$2.2M	0.72
Electroencephalography	$242,942	$646,792	$1.7M	0.37	2,502
Cardiac rehabilitation	$297,857	$557,253	$1M	0.55	367
Pain management		$267,518			3,145
Psych clinic	$88,841	$144,824

Inpatient units

Department	Salaries	Total cost	Charges	Cost-to-charge	Square feet
Adults & pediatrics	$11M	$22M	$19.5M	1.13	64,482
Intensive care unit	$2M	$5.9M	$5.1M	1.16	8,281
Nursery		$636,110	$875,882	0.73	1,635
Nicu		$174,293	$245,088	0.71	457

Overhead (general service) departments

Department	Salaries	Direct cost	Paid hours	Average hourly wage	Square feet
Other a&g	$11.8M	$33.4M			16,484
Pharmacy	$1.8M	$17.4M	39,353	$46.57	2,457
Cap rel costs-bldg & fixt		$11.4M			391,628
Employee benefits department		$8.4M
Operation of plant	$675,658	$6M	22,084	$30.59	27,399
Nursing administration	$2.7M	$4.8M	88,684	$34.39	2,258
Cap rel costs-mvble equip		$4.6M
Housekeeping	$1.2M	$1.4M	55,204	$20.93	4,293
Central services & supply	$458,934	$1M	16,176	$28.37	6,157
Medical records & library	$648,145	$958,220	20,440	$31.71	2,059
I&r services-other prgm costs apprv		$891,764
Dietary	$1.2M	$774,136	17,607	$25.35	2,263
I&r services-salary & fringes apprv	$643,099	$586,960
Cafeteria		$541,053	32,356	$21.89	6,581
Laundry & linen service		$273,657

Source: CMS cost report (HCRIS, Form 2552-10), report 842770, amended. Hospitals report these figures themselves; they are not audited financial statements. Worksheets A, B-1, C Part I and S-3 Part II.

Medicare payment profile

The factors Medicare uses to set what it pays Watauga Medical Center for an inpatient stay.

1.62
Case mix index
Higher than 43% of hospitals paid under Medicare IPPS
Average Medicare DRG weight of its inpatient cases (FY 2027); higher means more complex, costlier care.
Teaching hospital
Teaching status
0.15 residents per bed
Medicare-funded interns and residents per bed (FY 2027).
20.7%
Low-income patient share
Disproportionate share percentage: Medicaid and SSI patient days CMS uses for safety-net payments (FY 2027).
1,250
Medicare inpatient stays
Medicare claims CMS based FY 2027 payment rates on.
Rural
Location type
Geographic area CMS assigns before any wage index reclassification (FY 2027).

Show FY 2021 to FY 2027

IPPS fiscal year	FY 2021	FY 2022	FY 2023	FY 2024	FY 2025	FY 2026	FY 2027
Case mix index	1.59	1.59	1.72	1.70	1.62	1.59	1.62
Wage index	0.845	0.843	0.840	0.879	0.893	0.893	0.977
Readmissions adjustment	-0.49%	-0.05%	-0.09%	-0.56%	-0.94%	-0.60%	-0.49%
Value-based purchasing adjustment	-0.55%	+0.67%	+0.67%	+0.26%	+0.37%	+0.94%	+0.47%
Medicare inpatient stays	1,796	1,796	1,382	1,303	1,352	1,257	1,250

Source: CMS IPPS final rule Impact File (FY 2027).

Frequently asked questions

About Watauga Medical Center's rates and hospital price transparency.

What is Watauga Medical Center's CMS star rating?

Watauga Medical Center has a CMS overall hospital star rating of 3 out of 5 on Medicare Care Compare (CMS data released 2026-08-13). That is lower than 42% of US hospitals.

Is Watauga Medical Center a teaching hospital?

Yes. CMS counts 0.15 Medicare-funded residents per bed at Watauga Medical Center for fiscal year 2027, so it is a teaching hospital.

Does Medicare penalize Watauga Medical Center for readmissions?

Yes. Under the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program, Medicare cuts Watauga Medical Center's base inpatient payments by an estimated 0.49% in fiscal year 2027 for more readmissions than expected.

What are the most common Medicare inpatient stays at Watauga Medical Center?

In 2024, the most common were septicemia or severe sepsis without mv >96 hours with mcc (78 discharges), heart failure and shock with mcc (54 discharges), major hip and knee joint replacement or reattachment of lower extremity without mcc (46 discharges).

What is Watauga Medical Center's case mix index?

Watauga Medical Center's Medicare case mix index is 1.62 for fiscal year 2027, higher than 43% of hospitals paid under the inpatient prospective payment system.

How many patients does Watauga Medical Center admit?

Watauga Medical Center reported 4,365 inpatient discharges and 16,892 inpatient days from Jul 1, 2024 to Jun 30, 2025.

How many employees does Watauga Medical Center have?

Watauga Medical Center reported 650 full-time-equivalent employees on payroll from Jul 1, 2024 to Jun 30, 2025.

How much revenue does Watauga Medical Center make?

Watauga Medical Center reported $211.1M in net patient revenue on $621.8M of gross charges for Jul 1, 2024 to Jun 30, 2025, an operating margin of 4.9%, and net income of $20M.

How much charity and uncompensated care does Watauga Medical Center provide?

Watauga Medical Center reported $8.4M of unreimbursed and uncompensated care for Jul 1, 2024 to Jun 30, 2025, including $4.5M of charity care at cost.

What is Watauga Medical Center's tax ID (EIN)?

Insurers' price transparency files list Watauga Medical Center under employer identification number 56-0510824 (Watauga Medical Center INC). 55 health plans and networks list 56-0510824 for it.

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CMS v3 example: standard_charge_information[0]

{
  "description": "MRI of brain (no contrast)",
  "code_information": [
    { "code": "611", "type": "RC" },
    { "code": "70551", "type": "CPT" }
  ],
  "standard_charges": [{
    "setting": "outpatient",
    "minimum": 250,
    "maximum": 400,
    "gross_charge": 1200,
    "discounted_cash": 1080,
    "payers_information": [
      {
        "payer_name": "Platform Health Insurance",
        "plan_name": "PPO",
        "methodology": "fee schedule",
        "standard_charge_dollar": 400
      },
      {
        "payer_name": "Region Health Insurance",
        "plan_name": "HMO",
        "methodology": "fee schedule",
        "standard_charge_dollar": 250
      }
    ]
  }]
}

CMS template layout, in JSON or CSV
Gross, discounted cash, payer-specific and de-identified min / max charges
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Watauga Medical Center

About this hospital

Negotiated Rates

Insurance Accepted

More about this hospital

Tax IDs and NPIs insurers list

Location

Quality ratings (CMS Care Compare)

Medicare quality penalties and bonuses

Every CMS quality measure

Accreditation and services

33 services at Watauga Medical Center

Size and patient volume

Utilization by payer and unit

Beds and days by unit

Medicare inpatient stays

Medicare outpatient services

Where patients come from

Staff and facilities

Doctors and clinicians

Income statement

Gross revenue by payer

Financial ratios

Balance sheet

Charity care and uncompensated care

Financial trend

Departments

Ancillary and outpatient departments

Inpatient units

Overhead (general service) departments

Medicare payment profile

Ownership

Leadership

Officers and directors on the Medicare enrollment

Programs and facilities

Frequently asked questions

Running price transparency at a hospital like this one?

Publish a CMS-compliant machine-readable file

Get your chargemaster right for billing and payer contracts

About this hospital

Negotiated Rates

Insurance Accepted

More about this hospital

Tax IDs and NPIs insurers list

Location

Quality ratings (CMS Care Compare)

Medicare quality penalties and bonuses

Every CMS quality measure

Accreditation and services

33 services at Watauga Medical Center

Size and patient volume

Utilization by payer and unit

Beds and days by unit

Medicare inpatient stays

Medicare outpatient services

Where patients come from

Staff and facilities

Doctors and clinicians

Income statement

Gross revenue by payer

Financial ratios

Balance sheet

Charity care and uncompensated care

Financial trend

Departments

Ancillary and outpatient departments

Inpatient units

Overhead (general service) departments

Medicare payment profile

Ownership

Leadership

Officers and directors on the Medicare enrollment

Programs and facilities

Nearby hospitals

Frequently asked questions

Running price transparency at a hospital like this one?

Publish a CMS-compliant machine-readable file

Get your chargemaster right for billing and payer contracts