Culture body fluid at Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center

1000 Blythe Blvd, Charlotte, NC · Atrium Health · · NPI 1295789907

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Dec 5, 2025 · Ingested Aug 13, 2026

$170.65

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.

$341.30

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.

$8.79 with Humana vs $307.17 with Multiplan — 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
Humana Medicare Advantage $8.79 ↓ -95%
Aetna Medicare Advantage $8.92 ↓ -95%
Cigna Healthspring Medicare Advantage $9.05 ↓ -95%
United Healthcare Medicare Advantage $9.08 ↓ -95%
Partners Managed Medicaid $10.62 ↓ -94%
Amerihealth Caritas Managed Medicaid $10.73 ↓ -94%
Wellcare Managed Medicaid $10.73 ↓ -94%
Trillium Managed Medicaid $10.73 ↓ -94%
United Healthcare Managed Medicaid $10.73 ↓ -94%
Carolina Complete Health Managed Medicaid $10.73 ↓ -94%
Healthy Blue Managed Medicaid $10.73 ↓ -94%
Vaya Managed Medicaid $10.73 ↓ -94%
Ortho Carolina Commercial $10.78 ↓ -94%
Alliance Managed Medicaid $10.83 ↓ -94%
Molina Managed Medicaid $12.78 ↓ -93%
Alliance Behavioral Health $75.15 ↓ -56%
Aetna Connected North Carolina Individual HMO $90.44 ↓ -47%
Ambetter CoBranded Commercial $99.15 ↓ -42%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina Local Group Commercial $113.45 ↓ -34%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina Local Individual Commercial $115.43 ↓ -32%
Aetna Whole Health HMO $118.09 ↓ -31%
Ambetter Individual Commercial $123.89 ↓ -27%
United Healthcare IEX Commercial $137.20 ↓ -20%
Aetna North Carolina Preferred Plus Commercial $138.91 ↓ -19%
Cigna Commercial NB $147.78 ↓ -13%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina HMO-PPO Managed Care $149.28 ↓ -13%
Employers Health Network Commercial $150.85 ↓ -12%
United Healthcare HMO-PPO Managed Care $151.20 ↓ -11%
Aetna Broad Network $156.32 ↓ -8%
Physician Reach Out Plan P $170.65 ↑ +0%
Cigna HMO-PPO Managed Care $172.70 ↑ +1%
MedCost Ultra $177.13 ↑ +4%
MedCost PPO $201.37 ↑ +18%
Magellan Behavioral Health $204.78 ↑ +20%
Aetna First Health Commercial $208.19 ↑ +22%
GMMI Commercial $221.85 ↑ +30%
Quik Trip Commercial $221.85 ↑ +30%
Cigna Commercial SAR $230.38 ↑ +35%
Carolina Behavioral Health Employee Plan $245.74 ↑ +44%
ChoiceCare Commercial $245.74 ↑ +44%
Cigna Behavioral Health $273.04 ↑ +60%
First Health Commercial $273.04 ↑ +60%
Healthgram Commercial $273.04 ↑ +60%
Private Health Care Systems Commercial $273.04 ↑ +60%
Carolina Behavioral Health Commercial $273.04 ↑ +60%
Provider Select Commercial $276.45 ↑ +62%
Lifesynch Community Choice Care Behavioral Health $279.87 ↑ +64%
Beechstreet Commercial $296.93 ↑ +74%
Multiplan Commercial $307.17 ↑ +80%
Broughton Cardinal Partners Commercial not published by hospital
Optum Commercial not published by hospital
Physician Reach Out Plan H not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Culture body fluid at other North-carolina hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Atrium Health Behavioral Health Charlotte Charlotte $170.65 $10.73 – $300.34
Atrium Health Mercy Charlotte $170.65 $8.79 – $314.00
Atrium Health Pineville Charlotte $170.65 $8.79 – $314.00
Atrium Health University City Charlotte $170.65 $8.79 – $314.00
Carolinas Rehabilitation Charlotte Charlotte $170.65 $8.79 – $314.00
Atrium Health Anson Wadesboro $170.65 $8.79 – $324.24
Atrium Health Cabarrus Concord $170.65 $8.79 – $324.24
Atrium Health Cleveland Shelby $170.65 $8.79 – $324.24

All North-carolina hospitals for this procedure →