AvalaCovington, LA
- Time ZoneCST
- CountySaint Tammany
- Emergency CapableYes
- FIPS22103
- Area Code985
Quality and performance
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services · data as of July 2026
CMS has not reported an emergency department wait time for Avala. That usually means too few cases to report, or no emergency department.
Source: CMS Hospital General Information and Timely & Effective Care. Wait times are a median over a past 12-month reporting period, not live data. Not affiliated with CMS or with Avala. For a medical emergency, call 911.
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What patients say
CMS patient survey (HCAHPS) · 354 completed surveys · patients discharged Oct 2024 – Sep 2025
Patients gave Avala a 5-star patient experience rating out of 5. 89% would definitely recommend it (U.S. average 71%). 89% rated it 9 or 10 out of 10.
The patient survey (HCAHPS) asks a random sample of adult patients about their recent hospital stay. CMS adjusts the results for the mix of patients and how the survey was done, so hospitals can be compared fairly. About the data.
Infections, complications and deaths
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services · compared with hospitals nationwide
Its rate of serious complications was same as national.
Serious complications
Death rates within 30 days
| Patients treated for | This hospital | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Hospital-wide, all conditions | 3.8% | 3.9% |
Risk-adjusted rates. CMS has not published a statistical better/worse comparison for these death rates in the current release, so small differences from the U.S. rate may be chance.
Other complications
None of the other safety indicators CMS compares was statistically better or worse than national.
All 11 complication measures
| Measure | This hospital | U.S. | CMS comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| Complications after hip or knee replacement% of patients | 3.8 | 4.1 | Not compared |
| Pressure ulcers (bed sores)per 1,000 patients | 0.62 | 0.63 | Same as national |
| Falls in the hospital that caused a broken boneper 1,000 patients | 0.26 | 0.27 | Same as national |
| Collapsed lung caused by a medical procedureper 1,000 patients | 0.21 | 0.21 | Same as national |
| Bleeding or blood clot under the skin after surgeryper 1,000 patients | 2.47 | 2.34 | Same as national |
| Kidney injury needing dialysis after surgeryper 1,000 patients | 1.65 | 1.67 | Same as national |
| Respiratory failure after surgeryper 1,000 patients | 7.35 | 9.42 | Same as national |
| Blood clots in the lungs or legs after surgeryper 1,000 patients | 3.09 | 3.52 | Same as national |
| Bloodstream infection (sepsis) after surgeryper 1,000 patients | 4.81 | 5.27 | Same as national |
| Surgical wound splitting openper 1,000 patients | 1.76 | 1.77 | Same as national |
| Accidental cuts or tears during abdominal surgeryper 1,000 patients | 1.04 | 1.06 | Same as national |
"Better" or "worse" means CMS found the difference from the national benchmark statistically significant; most hospitals are "no different". Infection results compare the infections a hospital reported with the number predicted for a hospital of its size and type (a ratio below 1 means fewer than predicted). Death and complication rates are risk-adjusted for how sick patients were. Each death rate counts deaths within 30 days of a hospital stay, pooled over one to three years of Medicare patients depending on the measure. About the data.
Readmissions and return visits
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services · Medicare patients · Jul 2023 – Jun 2025
On the 1 readmission and return-visit measures CMS could compare, Avala was no different from the national rate or its expected level.
Back in the hospital within 30 days
| After a stay for | This hospital | U.S. | CMS comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hip or knee replacement | 6.1% | 5.8% | Not compared |
Return trips after a stay or procedure
Medicare's readmission program
Excess readmission ratio: this hospital's predicted readmissions divided by the number expected for a typical hospital with the same patients. Above 1.00 means more readmissions than expected.
| Condition | Ratio | Patients | Readmissions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hip or knee replacement | 0.975 | – | Fewer than expected |
Readmission rates count Medicare patients who were admitted to any acute-care hospital within 30 days of leaving this one, adjusted for how sick they were. "Better" or "worse" means CMS found the difference from the national rate statistically significant; most hospitals are "no different". Return-day and outpatient-surgery measures compare the hospital with what CMS expected for its own patients. The Readmissions Reduction Program ratios are shown as CMS publishes them; whether a hospital's payments are reduced depends on how its ratios compare with similar hospitals, so a ratio above 1.00 alone doesn't mean a penalty. About the data.
Timely and effective care
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services · all patients unless noted · Oct 2024 – Mar 2025
| Measure | This hospital | U.S.* |
|---|---|---|
| Health care workers vaccinated against fluHigher is better. 626 patients. | 40% | 78% |
| Discharged on two opioids, or an opioid and a benzodiazepinePatients sent home with prescriptions that raise the risk of overdose when combined. Lower is better. 605 patients. | 24% | 15% |
| Blood clot prevention givenHigher is better. 533 patients. | 100% | 90%* |
CMS publishes these process-of-care measures without a better/worse verdict, so the U.S. figure is shown for context; small differences, or results based on few patients, may not mean much. *Median of all hospitals CMS reports, where CMS publishes no national figure. About the data.
Medicare spending and payment programs
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
The Hospital-Acquired Condition Reduction Program cuts Medicare payments by 1% for the quarter of hospitals with the worst scores. The Hospital Value-Based Purchasing Program withholds a small share of every hospital's Medicare payments and pays it back according to the total performance score. A spending ratio of 1.00 equals the national median; spending reflects prices, the services patients received and care after discharge, not quality. Some hospitals, such as critical access, children's and cancer hospitals, are not part of these programs. About the data.
Federal rules require hospitals to publish their prices, including the rates they've negotiated with each insurer and their cash prices. Avala lists them here:
From the hospital's price transparency file (www.avala.com/cms-hpt.txt), checked Oct 10, 2026. For an estimate of what you'll pay, ask the hospital or your insurer; Medicare's averages are on our procedure cost pages.
What Medicare paid at Avala
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services · original Medicare patients · 2024
Average hospital charges and actual payments for the procedures Medicare patients most often had here, compared with the average for Louisiana.
Hospital stays
| Stay | Stays | Avg charge | Avg payment | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Combined anterior and posterior spinal fusion without complicationsDRG 455 | 58 | $161,630 | $29,007 | −1% |
| Cervical spinal fusion without complicationsDRG 473 | 43 | $107,717 | $15,146 | −4% |
| Single level combined anterior and posterior spinal fusion except cervicalDRG 402 | 15 | $134,914 | $24,238 | same |
| Multiple level combined anterior and posterior spinal fusion except cervical without complications/DRG 428 | 15 | $219,818 | $34,087 | −1% |
Outpatient services
| Service | Services | Avg charge | Avg allowed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 5 Musculoskeletal ProceduresAPC 5115 | 201 | $71,150 | $11,135 |
| Level 4 Musculoskeletal ProceduresAPC 5114 | 134 | $40,684 | $6,060 |
| Level 1 Nerve ProceduresAPC 5431 | 75 | $14,028 | $1,636 |
| Level 3 Musculoskeletal ProceduresAPC 5113 | 65 | $23,987 | $2,742 |
| Level 1 Intraocular ProceduresAPC 5491 | 59 | $13,210 | $1,974 |
Charges are the hospital's list prices; payments are what Medicare, the patient and any other insurer actually paid (for outpatient services, Medicare's allowed amount). Private insurance prices differ. "vs state" compares this hospital's average payment with the state average for the same stay. All procedure costs.
Size and finances
Medicare cost report · fiscal year ending Dec 2024
As reported by the hospital to CMS; not audited. Operating margin is income from patient care divided by net patient revenue and leaves out investment income and donations. Compare Louisiana hospital finances.
Who owns Avala
Medicare enrollment and ownership records (PECOS)
Medicare lists the hospital's legal name as Fairway Medical Center LLC, a for-profit organization, incorporated 1998.
103 doctors and other clinicians list Avala as a hospital affiliation in Medicare's clinician directory.
Organizations with 5% or more ownership (directly or through other companies), partnership interests or operational control, as the hospital reported them to Medicare. Records can lag behind recent sales. Individuals are not listed. Who owns America's hospitals.
The area around Avala
HRSA shortage designations and BLS pay data
Mental health: St. Tammany is a federally designated health professional shortage area. Highest shortage score 8.
Nurse pay: registered nurses in Louisiana earn a median $80,230 a year. Healthcare salaries in Louisiana.
Shortage areas are designated by the Health Resources and Services Administration where there are too few primary care, mental health or dental providers for the population; scores run from 0 to 25 for primary and mental health care and 0 to 26 for dental care, higher meaning greater need. Louisiana shortage areas
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