Placement nephrostomy catheter (both sides) 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

$5,430.15

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.

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

$10,860.30

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.

$186.21 with Cigna Healthspring vs $9,774.27 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 $186.21 ↓ -97%
Humana Medicare Advantage $189.93 ↓ -97%
Partners Managed Medicaid $190.14 ↓ -96%
Healthy Blue Managed Medicaid $192.04 ↓ -96%
Wellcare Managed Medicaid $192.04 ↓ -96%
Vaya Managed Medicaid $192.04 ↓ -96%
Carolina Complete Health Managed Medicaid $192.04 ↓ -96%
Amerihealth Caritas Managed Medicaid $192.04 ↓ -96%
Trillium Managed Medicaid $192.04 ↓ -96%
United Healthcare Managed Medicaid $192.04 ↓ -96%
Aetna Medicare Advantage $192.73 ↓ -96%
United Healthcare Medicare Advantage $193.26 ↓ -96%
Alliance Managed Medicaid $193.94 ↓ -96%
Molina Managed Medicaid $200.93 ↓ -96%
Ortho Carolina Commercial $232.76 ↓ -96%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina Local Individual Commercial $2,079.75 ↓ -62%
Alliance Behavioral Health $2,391.44 ↓ -56%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina Local Group Commercial $2,564.12 ↓ -53%
Aetna Connected North Carolina Individual HMO $2,877.98 ↓ -47%
Ambetter CoBranded Commercial $3,154.92 ↓ -42%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina HMO-PPO Managed Care $3,373.21 ↓ -38%
Aetna Whole Health HMO $3,757.66 ↓ -31%
Ambetter Individual Commercial $3,942.29 ↓ -27%
United Healthcare IEX Commercial $4,365.84 ↓ -20%
Aetna North Carolina Preferred Plus Commercial $4,420.14 ↓ -19%
Cigna Commercial NB $4,702.51 ↓ -13%
Employers Health Network Commercial $4,800.25 ↓ -12%
United Healthcare HMO-PPO Managed Care $4,811.11 ↓ -11%
Aetna Broad Network $4,974.02 ↓ -8%
Physician Reach Out Plan P $5,430.15 ↑ +0%
Cigna HMO-PPO Managed Care $5,495.31 ↑ +1%
MedCost Ultra $5,636.50 ↑ +4%
MedCost PPO $6,407.58 ↑ +18%
Magellan Behavioral Health $6,516.18 ↑ +20%
Aetna First Health Commercial $6,624.78 ↑ +22%
GMMI Commercial $7,059.20 ↑ +30%
Quik Trip Commercial $7,059.20 ↑ +30%
Cigna Commercial SAR $7,330.70 ↑ +35%
Carolina Behavioral Health Employee Plan $7,819.42 ↑ +44%
ChoiceCare Commercial $7,819.42 ↑ +44%
Cigna Behavioral Health $8,688.24 ↑ +60%
First Health Commercial $8,688.24 ↑ +60%
Healthgram Commercial $8,688.24 ↑ +60%
Private Health Care Systems Commercial $8,688.24 ↑ +60%
Carolina Behavioral Health Commercial $8,688.24 ↑ +60%
Provider Select Commercial $8,796.84 ↑ +62%
Lifesynch Community Choice Care Behavioral Health $8,905.45 ↑ +64%
Beechstreet Commercial $9,448.46 ↑ +74%
Multiplan Commercial $9,774.27 ↑ +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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Placement nephrostomy catheter (both sides) at other North-carolina hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Atrium Health Behavioral Health Charlotte Charlotte $5,430.15 $186.21 – $9,557.06
Atrium Health Mercy Charlotte $5,430.15 $186.21 – $9,991.48
Atrium Health Pineville Charlotte $5,430.15 $186.21 – $9,991.48
Atrium Health University City Charlotte $5,430.15 $186.21 – $9,991.48
Carolinas Rehabilitation Charlotte Charlotte $5,430.15 $186.21 – $9,991.48
Atrium Health Anson Wadesboro $5,430.15 $186.21 – $10,317.29
Atrium Health Cabarrus Concord $5,430.15 $186.21 – $10,317.29
Atrium Health Cleveland Shelby $5,430.15 $186.21 – $10,317.29

All North-carolina hospitals for this procedure →