Heart Failure Cost in Wisconsin — Compare All Hospitals
Hospitalization for heart failure with complications, the most common cardiology admission in the U.S.
What this hospital charge usually covers
The gross-charge number above is the hospital's facility bill for heart failure. Here's what's typically inside that price (typical inpatient stay: 4–6 days):
Included in the hospital bill
- Inpatient cardiac monitoring
- IV diuretics and other heart-failure medications during admission
- Echocardiogram and other cardiac imaging
- Routine labs (BNP, electrolytes, kidney function)
Usually billed separately
- Cardiologist and hospitalist professional fees (billed separately)
- Outpatient cardiology follow-up after discharge
- Cardiac rehab program (if indicated)
- Long-term medications (diuretics, ACE inhibitors, beta-blockers, SGLT2 inhibitors)
Quality signals to check before picking a hospital
Price alone won't tell you which hospital does heart failure 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:
Heart-Failure Mortality (30-day)
How often patients admitted for heart failure survive 30 days. The headline outcome.
Heart-Failure Readmissions
Heart failure is the most-readmitted condition in U.S. hospitals. Lower means better discharge planning and outpatient care coordination.
Patient Experience (HCAHPS)
Clear discharge communication on weight monitoring, fluid limits, and medication timing prevents many readmissions.
When the cheapest hospital may not be the best fit
The list below sorts by price. For heart failure, 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.
- If you have advanced heart failure (low ejection fraction, prior hospitalizations), an advanced heart-failure program may be worth additional cost.
- If you're being considered for an LVAD or heart transplant, an academic medical center with a transplant program is typically the right setting.
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:
- Will any of my physicians (cardiologist, hospitalist) be out-of-network?
- What outpatient cardiology follow-up is scheduled? Is it in-network?
- Is there a heart-failure transitions-of-care program at this hospital?
Hospitals ranked by gross charge
- 1
Grant Regional Health Center
Lancaster, WI
Gross charge $5,101Cash pay $3,316 - 2
Amery Hospital & Clinic
Amery, WI
Gross charge $7,398Cash pay $3,857 - 3
Hudson Hospital
Hudson, WI
Gross charge $7,398Cash pay $3,857 - 4
Westfields Hospital and Clinic
New Richmond, WI
Gross charge $7,398Cash pay $3,857 - 5
Crossing Rivers Health
Prairie Du Chien, WI
Gross charge $15,823 - 6
Tomah Memorial Hospital
Tomah, WI
Gross charge $16,658Cash pay $9,578 - 7
Stoughton Health
Stoughton, WI
Gross charge $22,727Cash pay $12,500 - 8
Mayo Clinic Health System - La Crosse
La Crosse, WI
Gross charge — - 9
Ascension NE Wisconsin - St. Elizabeth Hospital
Appleton, WI
Gross charge — - 10
Marshfield Medical Center - Rice Lake
Rice Lake, WI
Gross charge — - 11
Aspirus Rhinelander Hospital
Rhinelander, WI
Gross charge — - 12
Aurora Medical Center Manitowoc County
Two Rivers, WI
Gross charge — - 13
Aurora Medical Center Sheboygan County
Sheboygan, WI
Gross charge — - 14
Marshfield Medical Center - Marshfield
Marshfield, WI
Gross charge — - 15
Aurora Medical Center Washington County
Hartford, WI
Gross charge — - 16Gross charge —
- 17
Aurora Medical Center Burlington
Burlington, WI
Gross charge — - 18
Froedtert West Bend Hospital
West Bend, WI
Gross charge — - 19
Mercy Health System Corp
Janesville, WI
Gross charge — - 20
Fort Memorial Hospital
Fort Atkinson, WI
Gross charge — - 21
Ascension St. Francis Hospital
Milwaukee, WI
Gross charge — - 22
Unitypoint Health - Meriter
Madison, WI
Gross charge — - 23
Sauk Prairie Hospital
Prairie Du Sac, WI
Gross charge — - 24Gross charge —
- 25
Aurora Lakeland Medical Center
Elkhorn, WI
Gross charge — - 26
Froedtert Holy Family Memorial Hospital
Manitowoc, WI
Gross charge — - 27
Mile Bluff Medical Center
Mauston, WI
Gross charge — - 28
Aurora Medical Center Bay Area
Marinette, WI
Gross charge — - 29
Ascension SE Wisconsin Hospital
Milwaukee, WI
Gross charge — - 30
Aurora St Luke's Medical Center
Milwaukee, WI
Gross charge — - 31
Aurora West Allis Medical Center
West Allis, WI
Gross charge — - 32
Froedtert Hospital
Milwaukee, WI
Gross charge — - 33
Aurora Medical Center - Kenosha
Kenosha, WI
Gross charge — - 34
Aurora Baycare Medical Center
Green Bay, WI
Gross charge — - 35
Orthopaedic Hospital of Wisconsin
Glendale, WI
Gross charge — - 36
Aurora Medical Center Oshkosh
Oshkosh, WI
Gross charge — - 37
Marshfield Medical Center-Weston
Weston, WI
Gross charge — - 38
Midwest Orthopedic Specialty Hospital
Franklin, WI
Gross charge — - 39
Aurora Medical Center Summit
Summit, WI
Gross charge — - 40
Aurora Medical Center Grafton
Grafton, WI
Gross charge — - 41
Marshfield Medical Center - Eau Claire
Eau Claire, WI
Gross charge — - 42
Marshfield Medical Center - Minocqua
Minocqua, WI
Gross charge — - 43
Froedtert Community Hospital - New Berlin
New Berlin, WI
Gross charge — - 44
Ascension Wisconsin Hospital - Menomonee Falls
Menomonee Falls, WI
Gross charge — - 45
Marshfield Medical Center - Stevens Point Campus
Stevens Point, WI
Gross charge — - 46Gross charge —
- 47Gross charge —
- 48
Ascension Calumet Hospital
Chilton, WI
Gross charge — - 49
Marshfield Medical Center - Neillsville
Neillsville, WI
Gross charge — - 50
Flambeau Hospital
Park Falls, WI
Gross charge — - 51
Marshfield Medical Center - Ladysmith
Ladysmith, WI
Gross charge — - 52
Essentia Health St. Mary's Hospital-Superior
Superior, WI
Gross charge — - 53
Richland Hospital
Richland Center, WI
Gross charge — - 54
Western Wisconsin Health
Baldwin, WI
Gross charge — - 55
Upland Hills Health Hospital & Clinics
Dodgeville, WI
Gross charge — - 56
Southwest Health Center
Platteville, WI
Gross charge —
7 Wisconsin hospitals publish gross charges for heart failure (DRG 292). Prices range from $5,101 to $22,727 — roughly $17,626 apart. The cheapest is Grant Regional Health Center in Lancaster; the most expensive is Stoughton Health in Stoughton. The state average sits at $11,786.
These numbers are list prices — what the hospital bills before any insurance adjustment. 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 heart failure 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 heart failure 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. Wisconsin hospitals missing from the list either don't perform heart failure in volume, haven't published a usable price for DRG 292 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.