Updated April 2026
Delaware Hospital Costs
Delaware has 13 Medicare-participating hospitals reporting an average total payment of $16,693, close to the national Medicare baseline of $15,878. Within the state, payments span roughly 2× from the lowest- to highest-reporting facility, and 15% of hospitals carry an A grade against 0% at F under the HospitalCostData Value Score.
CMS files report 13 Delaware hospitals, averaging $16,693. The grade distribution mirrors the national curve: 3 A-or-B-grade, 2 D-or-F.
Cost variation across Delaware is comparatively narrow: Tidalhealth Nanticoke, Inc. ($11,225) and Dover Behavioral Health System ($22,131) bracket the range, roughly 97% apart. In a narrow-spread state, hospital choice matters less on cost and more on quality measures. The Delaware grade distribution is close to the national curve, so cross-state comparisons need to control for region, ownership mix, and the volume of academic medical centers in the state.
Delaware Cost Context
Delaware prices out close to the national Medicare baseline. That places it in the broad middle band of US hospital reimbursement — typical of states with a balanced mix of community, regional, and academic facilities.
Average payment alone does not tell the full pricing story. Medicare standardizes payment across the country using DRG weights, but the dollar amount each hospital actually receives is adjusted by the regional wage index, indirect medical education adjustment for teaching status, and disproportionate-share adjustment for safety-net facilities. For privately-insured patients, the more relevant figure is the negotiated commercial rate published in each hospital's machine-readable price-transparency file under the CMS Hospital Price Transparency Rule.
Quality Distribution Across Delaware
Across the state's reporting hospitals, the HospitalCostData Value Score distribution runs 2 A, 1 B, 8 C, 2 D, 0 F. The Value Score combines Medicare DRG payment data with quality measures from the CMS Hospital Compare program. It is a starting reference, not a clinical recommendation.
For a planned admission, the most useful complement to the Value Score is direct review of the underlying CMS measures: 30-day mortality, 30-day readmission, hospital-acquired condition rate, HCAHPS patient-experience scores, and (for surgical care) facility volume. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality publishes the underlying Patient Safety and Inpatient Quality Indicators that feed many of these CMS measures.
Lowest-Reporting Hospitals in Delaware
Hospitals reporting the lowest Medicare average payments. Lower averages can reflect lower wage indexes, less complex case mix, or shorter average lengths of stay.
Tidalhealth Nanticoke, Inc.
Christiana Hospital
Delaware Psychiatric Center
Wilmington Va Medical Center
Rockford Center
St Francis Hospital
Bayhealth Hospital, Sussex Campus
Bayhealth Medical Center, Kent Campus
Beebe Medical Center
Sun Behavioral Delaware Llc
Highest-Reporting Hospitals in Delaware
Hospitals reporting the highest Medicare averages. High averages frequently reflect academic medical centers, tertiary referral facilities, and complex case mix.
Dover Behavioral Health System
Meadowwood Behavioral Health System
Nemours Children's Hospital, Delaware
Sun Behavioral Delaware Llc
Beebe Medical Center
Bayhealth Medical Center, Kent Campus
Bayhealth Hospital, Sussex Campus
St Francis Hospital
Rockford Center
Wilmington Va Medical Center
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average hospital cost in Delaware?
Delaware's 13 Medicare-participating hospitals report an average total payment of $16,693 per admission. That sits close to the national Medicare baseline of $15,878. Within the state, the cheapest reporting facility averages $11,225 and the most expensive averages $22,131 — roughly a 2× spread.
Why are hospital costs different in Delaware versus other states?
State-to-state variation is primarily driven by Medicare wage indexes (which calibrate DRG payments to local labor costs), case mix at major academic medical centers, and the share of high-acuity referral facilities versus community hospitals. Delaware prices out close to the national Medicare baseline. That places it in the broad middle band of US hospital reimbursement — typical of states with a balanced mix of community, regional, and academic facilities.
Does a higher state average mean worse value for patients?
Not directly. Higher Medicare averages often reflect a concentration of academic and tertiary referral centers handling complex cases, not price-gouging. Quality varies hospital by hospital and is published separately on CMS Care Compare. The Value Score on this site is a starting reference, not a clinical recommendation.
Where does Delaware hospital data come from?
Payment data is sourced from the Medicare Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS), which CMS publishes annually. Quality measures come from the CMS Hospital Compare program. Both are public-domain federal datasets. Hospital-specific machine-readable rate files are published under the CMS Hospital Price Transparency Rule.
Should I pick a Delaware hospital based on price?
No — pricing is one input. Surgeon experience, hospital volume, complication and readmission rates, and your specific clinical situation matter at least as much. Discuss any planned admission with your physician and review CMS Care Compare quality data alongside any pricing benchmark.
See the methodology page for Value Score weights, payment-system caveats, and known data limitations.
Sources & Citations
- CMS Medicare Inpatient Hospital Payments (IPPS). DRG-level average covered charges, total payments, and Medicare payments per facility. data.cms.gov
- CMS Hospital Compare (Care Compare). Star ratings, mortality, readmission, safety-of-care, and patient-experience measures. medicare.gov/care-compare
- CMS Hospital Price Transparency Rule. Standard charge files required from every Medicare-participating hospital. cms.gov/hospital-price-transparency
- Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). National benchmarks, quality indicators, and clinical context for hospital outcome measures. ahrq.gov
Dataset last refreshed: April 2026. Underlying CMS files are public domain. Suggested citation: “HospitalCostData, hospitalcostdata.com, accessed May 24, 2026.”
This page is informational only and does not constitute medical, legal, or financial advice. Care decisions should be made with a licensed physician.
Source: CMS Hospital Price Transparency, 2026.