Upper GI Barium X-ray (barium only) at Atrium Health Behavioral Health Charlotte

501 Billingsley Rd, Charlotte, NC · Atrium Health · · NPI 1053358945

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Dec 4, 2025 · Ingested Aug 12, 2026

$497.93

Cash price

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Discounted cash price

What a hospital charges a self-pay patient who pays directly, without going through insurance — usually well below the gross charge.

Example: A CT scan has a $3,200 gross charge but an $850 discounted cash price. Ask for it by name when scheduling — hospitals don't always advertise it up front.

Full explanation →

What you pay up front if you don't use insurance.

$995.85

Gross charge

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Gross charge (chargemaster price)

The hospital's full, undiscounted list price — pulled from its internal "chargemaster" price list. Almost no one actually pays this.

Example: A chest X-ray has a gross charge of $1,450. The same hospital's discounted cash price for the same X-ray is $180 — the gross charge mostly anchors negotiations, not what patients pay.

Full explanation →

The hospital's undiscounted list price — almost no one pays this.

$29.00 with United Healthcare vs $876.35 with Beechstreet — same scan, same building. Share

Negotiated rates by payer
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Negotiated rate

The price a specific insurance plan agreed to pay the hospital for a service — it varies by insurer, and even by plan within the same insurer.

Example: The same knee MRI has a negotiated rate of $904 with one insurer's PPO plan and $1,509 with another's — identical hospital, identical scan.

Full explanation →

Payer
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Payer

The insurance company footing the bill — Aetna, UnitedHealthcare, Medicare, and so on.

Example: "Blue Cross Blue Shield" is the payer. Its negotiated rate for an MRI might be $904, while a different payer's negotiated rate for the same scan is $1,509.

Full explanation →
Plan
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Plan

The specific product an insurer sells — e.g. "Blue Cross PPO 500" — which sets your deductible, coinsurance and negotiated rates.

Example: Two people both insured by Aetna can owe very different amounts for the same MRI: $50 with an HMO plan's flat copay, or the full $1,200 toward a high-deductible PPO plan's unmet deductible.

Full explanation →
Negotiated rate vs. cash
United Healthcare Managed Medicaid $29.00 ↓ -94%
Healthy Blue Managed Medicaid $29.00 ↓ -94%
Wellcare Managed Medicaid $29.00 ↓ -94%
Amerihealth Caritas Managed Medicaid $29.00 ↓ -94%
Trillium Managed Medicaid $29.00 ↓ -94%
Carolina Complete Health Managed Medicaid $29.00 ↓ -94%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina Medicare Advantage $35.72 ↓ -93%
Humana Medicare Advantage $36.43 ↓ -93%
Aetna Medicare Advantage $36.97 ↓ -93%
Cigna Healthspring Medicare Advantage $37.51 ↓ -92%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina HMO-PPO Managed Care $87.56 ↓ -82%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina Local Group Commercial $87.56 ↓ -82%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina Local Individual Commercial $87.56 ↓ -82%
Partners LME-MCO $219.09 ↓ -56%
Alliance Behavioral Health $219.29 ↓ -56%
Sandhills LME-MCO $219.68 ↓ -56%
MedCost Commercial $308.71 ↓ -38%
Physician Reach Out Plan P $497.93 ↑ +0%
Magellan Behavioral Health $597.51 ↑ +20%
Quik Trip Commercial $647.30 ↑ +30%
GMMI Commercial $647.30 ↑ +30%
Carolina Behavioral Health Employee Plan $717.01 ↑ +44%
Healthgram Commercial $796.68 ↑ +60%
Cigna Behavioral Health $796.68 ↑ +60%
Carolina Behavioral Health Commercial $796.68 ↑ +60%
Humana Behavioral Health $816.60 ↑ +64%
Lifesynch Community Choice Care Behavioral Health $816.60 ↑ +64%
Provider Select Commercial $866.39 ↑ +74%
First Health Commercial $876.35 ↑ +76%
Beechstreet Commercial $876.35 ↑ +76%
Physician Reach Out Plan H not published by hospital —
Aetna Broad Network not published by hospital —
Broughton Cardinal Partners Commercial not published by hospital —
Aetna Whole Health not published by hospital —
United Behavioral Health not published by hospital —
Aetna Signature not published by hospital —
Aetna Preferred not published by hospital —

Visitor-reported prices

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Upper GI Barium X-ray (barium only) at other North-carolina hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Atrium Health Mercy Charlotte $497.93 $28.71 – $916.18
Atrium Health Pineville Charlotte $497.93 $28.71 – $916.18
Atrium Health University City Charlotte $497.93 $28.71 – $916.18
Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte $497.93 $28.71 – $896.27
Carolinas Rehabilitation Charlotte Charlotte $497.93 $29.00 – $916.18
Atrium Health Anson Wadesboro $497.93 $28.71 – $946.06
Atrium Health Cabarrus Concord $497.93 $28.71 – $946.06
Atrium Health Cleveland Shelby $497.93 $28.71 – $946.06

All North-carolina hospitals for this procedure →