MS‑DRG 304: Hypertension with MCC
What Medicare paid hospitals for MS‑DRG 304 in 2024: nationally, state by state and across hospitals.
In 2024 Medicare paid hospitals an average of $9,267 per discharge for MS‑DRG 304, across 4,774 fee-for-service discharges at 296 hospitals: 0.10% of all Medicare inpatient discharges and $44.2M in total, the 201st largest MS‑DRG by Medicare spending.
By state, the average ran from $6,407 in Iowa to $12,938 in New York. Across hospitals, half were paid between $7,505 and $10,157 per case, and the median hospital $8,701; the payment moves with each hospital’s wage index, teaching and low-income share, and with outlier cases.
Hospitals charged $58,240 on average for these stays, 6.3 times what Medicare paid: charges are list prices, while Medicare pays a fixed amount per MS‑DRG.
What changed in FY2027
The rates for discharges from October 1, 2026 (MS‑DRG version 44) against FY2026.
| FY2026 | FY2027 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Relative weight | 1.1900 | 1.2011 | +0.9% |
| Geometric mean stay (days) | 3.1 | 3.1 | 0.0 |
| Average stay (days) | 4.1 | 4.1 | 0.0 |
- Not capped: the +0.9% is CMS’s yearly recalibration of every weight from recent claims and cost data.
- Name, MDC and transfer status are unchanged.
FY2027 national base payment (illustration)
$8,873.67
The FY2027 weight times the operating standardized amount and the capital rate ($6,848.00 + $539.95) at a wage index of 1.0. No IME, DSH, outlier or other hospital-specific adjustment, so it is not what any hospital is paid; price it at a hospital for that.
| MS‑DRG | Severity | Payment ($) | Step ($) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 304 | with MCC | 8,873.67 | — |
| 305 | without MCC | 5,600.80 | −3,272.87 |
FY2027 inpatient rates: what else changed on October 1 · Price MS‑DRG 304 at a hospital
Paid per case, by state
| State | Paid per case | Discharges | Hospitals | Charges ÷ paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maryland* | $13,807 | 240 | 14 | 1.3× |
| New York | $12,938 | 246 | 14 | 7.1× |
| California | $11,970 | 323 | 21 | 6.6× |
| Maine | $11,492 | 12 | 1 | 6.6× |
| Connecticut | $11,242 | 74 | 4 | 5.2× |
| Minnesota | $11,121 | 11 | 1 | 4.5× |
| District of Columbia | $10,700 | 47 | 3 | 8.8× |
| Massachusetts | $10,576 | 98 | 7 | 4.0× |
| Wisconsin | $10,133 | 11 | 1 | 5.0× |
| Arizona | $9,499 | 89 | 7 | 5.0× |
| New Jersey | $9,482 | 169 | 10 | 8.1× |
| Nevada | $9,247 | 97 | 7 | 11.9× |
| Washington | $9,147 | 52 | 4 | 5.8× |
| Delaware | $8,979 | 50 | 3 | 4.5× |
| Pennsylvania | $8,820 | 98 | 7 | 6.5× |
| Florida | $8,766 | 546 | 29 | 7.7× |
| Georgia | $8,727 | 280 | 18 | 7.0× |
| Illinois | $8,726 | 186 | 11 | 6.1× |
| Michigan | $8,521 | 178 | 10 | 4.4× |
| North Carolina | $8,476 | 177 | 11 | 4.8× |
| Alabama | $8,459 | 41 | 3 | 6.5× |
| New Mexico | $8,444 | 43 | 3 | 4.9× |
| South Carolina | $8,429 | 112 | 6 | 5.4× |
| Texas | $8,302 | 588 | 36 | 7.9× |
| Utah | $8,298 | 12 | 1 | 7.6× |
| Ohio | $8,246 | 120 | 8 | 6.0× |
| Missouri | $8,117 | 74 | 5 | 6.7× |
| Indiana | $7,934 | 100 | 8 | 6.4× |
| Virginia | $7,744 | 137 | 10 | 6.2× |
| Oklahoma | $7,645 | 56 | 3 | 6.7× |
| Mississippi | $7,462 | 81 | 5 | 4.7× |
| Kansas | $7,373 | 41 | 3 | 11.5× |
| Tennessee | $7,306 | 124 | 8 | 6.3× |
| West Virginia | $7,171 | 14 | 1 | 7.7× |
| Louisiana | $7,151 | 86 | 5 | 5.2× |
| Kentucky | $7,135 | 38 | 2 | 4.9× |
| Nebraska | $7,134 | 12 | 1 | 5.2× |
| Arkansas | $6,726 | 93 | 4 | 5.1× |
| Iowa | $6,407 | 18 | 1 | 7.5× |
| United States | $9,267 | 4,774 | 296 | 6.3× |
* Maryland hospitals are paid under the state’s all-payer model, not the IPPS, so Maryland is left out of the state range above.
How much hospitals vary
Each hospital’s own average Medicare payment for MS‑DRG 304.
| 10th percentile | $6,989 |
|---|---|
| 25th percentile | $7,505 |
| Median hospital | $8,701 |
| 75th percentile | $10,157 |
| 90th percentile | $11,662 |
Related analysis
- DRG validation and the single-MCC claim: when one code moves the payment · Payment integrity
The same condition at other severities
305Hypertension without MCC · $5,196
More in Circulatory system
291Heart Failure and Shock with MCC280Acute Myocardial Infarction, Discharged Alive with MCC309Cardiac Arrhythmia and Conduction Disorders with CC274Percutaneous and Other Intracardiac Procedures without MCC312Syncope and Collapse322Percutaneous Cardiovascular Procedures with Intraluminal Device without MCC308Cardiac Arrhythmia and Conduction Disorders with MCC267Endovascular Cardiac Valve Replacement and Supplement Procedures without MCC
Nearby MS‑DRG numbers
Questions
What did Medicare pay for MS‑DRG 304 in 2024?
An average of $9,267 per discharge across 4,774 fee-for-service discharges at 296 hospitals, $44.2M in total.
Which state paid the most for MS‑DRG 304?
New York, at $12,938 per case; Iowa paid the least, $6,407.
Where do these figures come from?
From the Medicare Inpatient Hospitals - by Provider and Service (data year 2024): the published hospital-by-DRG averages of Medicare fee-for-service inpatient discharges in 2024. Cells with fewer than 11 discharges are not published, so a hospital with a handful of cases is not counted. Average Medicare payment excludes the patient’s deductible and coinsurance.