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Neck (Cervical Spine) MRI (with and without contrast) 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

$2,529.55

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.

$5,059.10

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.

$101.73 with Cigna Healthspring vs $4,553.19 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
Cigna Healthspring Medicare Advantage $101.73 ↓ -96%
Humana Medicare Advantage $103.76 ↓ -96%
Aetna Medicare Advantage $105.29 ↓ -96%
United Healthcare Medicare Advantage $105.58 ↓ -96%
Partners Managed Medicaid $106.14 ↓ -96%
United Healthcare Managed Medicaid $107.20 ↓ -96%
Wellcare Managed Medicaid $107.20 ↓ -96%
Trillium Managed Medicaid $107.20 ↓ -96%
Healthy Blue Managed Medicaid $107.20 ↓ -96%
Vaya Managed Medicaid $107.20 ↓ -96%
Amerihealth Caritas Managed Medicaid $107.20 ↓ -96%
Carolina Complete Health Managed Medicaid $107.20 ↓ -96%
Alliance Managed Medicaid $108.26 ↓ -96%
Ortho Carolina Commercial $127.16 ↓ -95%
Aetna North Carolina Preferred Plus Commercial $906.00 ↓ -64%
Aetna Broad Network $1,020.00 ↓ -60%
Alliance Behavioral Health $1,114.01 ↓ -56%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina Local Group Commercial $1,259.21 ↓ -50%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina Local Individual Commercial $1,326.50 ↓ -48%
Aetna Connected North Carolina Individual HMO $1,340.66 ↓ -47%
Molina Managed Medicaid $1,391.31 ↓ -45%
Cigna HMO-PPO Managed Care $1,446.30 ↓ -43%
Ambetter CoBranded Commercial $1,469.67 ↓ -42%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina HMO-PPO Managed Care $1,656.86 ↓ -34%
Aetna Whole Health HMO $1,750.45 ↓ -31%
Ambetter Individual Commercial $1,836.45 ↓ -27%
United Healthcare IEX Commercial $2,033.76 ↓ -20%
Cigna Commercial NB $2,190.59 ↓ -13%
Employers Health Network Commercial $2,236.12 ↓ -12%
United Healthcare HMO-PPO Managed Care $2,241.18 ↓ -11%
Physician Reach Out Plan P $2,529.55 ↑ +0%
MedCost Ultra $2,625.67 ↑ +4%
MedCost PPO $2,984.87 ↑ +18%
Magellan Behavioral Health $3,035.46 ↑ +20%
Aetna First Health Commercial $3,086.05 ↑ +22%
Quik Trip Commercial $3,288.42 ↑ +30%
GMMI Commercial $3,288.42 ↑ +30%
Cigna Commercial SAR $3,414.89 ↑ +35%
ChoiceCare Commercial $3,642.55 ↑ +44%
Carolina Behavioral Health Employee Plan $3,642.55 ↑ +44%
First Health Commercial $4,047.28 ↑ +60%
Private Health Care Systems Commercial $4,047.28 ↑ +60%
Cigna Behavioral Health $4,047.28 ↑ +60%
Carolina Behavioral Health Commercial $4,047.28 ↑ +60%
Healthgram Commercial $4,047.28 ↑ +60%
Provider Select Commercial $4,097.87 ↑ +62%
Lifesynch Community Choice Care Behavioral Health $4,148.46 ↑ +64%
Beechstreet Commercial $4,401.42 ↑ +74%
Multiplan Commercial $4,553.19 ↑ +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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Neck (Cervical Spine) MRI (with and without contrast) at other North-carolina hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Atrium Health Behavioral Health Charlotte Charlotte $2,529.55 $101.73 – $4,452.01
Atrium Health Mercy Charlotte $2,529.55 $101.73 – $4,654.37
Atrium Health Pineville Charlotte $2,529.55 $101.73 – $4,654.37
Carolinas Rehabilitation Charlotte Charlotte $2,529.55 $101.73 – $4,654.37
Atrium Health University City Charlotte $2,529.55 $101.73 – $4,654.37
Atrium Health Anson Wadesboro $2,529.55 $101.73 – $4,806.15
Atrium Health Cleveland Shelby $2,529.55 $101.73 – $4,806.15
Atrium Health Cabarrus Concord $2,529.55 $101.73 – $4,806.15

All North-carolina hospitals for this procedure →