Aluminum - quest at Atrium Health Mercy

2001 Vail Ave, Charlotte, NC · Atrium Health · · NPI 1376985135

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

$121.25

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.

$242.50

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.

$24.85 with Molina vs $223.10 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
Molina Managed Medicaid $24.85 ↓ -80%
Humana Medicare Advantage $25.99 ↓ -79%
Aetna Medicare Advantage $26.37 ↓ -78%
Cigna Healthspring Medicare Advantage $26.75 ↓ -78%
United Healthcare Medicare Advantage $26.83 ↓ -78%
Partners Managed Medicaid $31.43 ↓ -74%
Amerihealth Caritas Managed Medicaid $31.74 ↓ -74%
Healthy Blue Managed Medicaid $31.74 ↓ -74%
Wellcare Managed Medicaid $31.74 ↓ -74%
Trillium Managed Medicaid $31.74 ↓ -74%
United Healthcare Managed Medicaid $31.74 ↓ -74%
Vaya Managed Medicaid $31.74 ↓ -74%
Carolina Complete Health Managed Medicaid $31.74 ↓ -74%
Ortho Carolina Commercial $31.85 ↓ -74%
Alliance Managed Medicaid $32.06 ↓ -74%
Alliance Behavioral Health $53.40 ↓ -56%
Aetna Connected North Carolina Individual HMO $64.26 ↓ -47%
Ambetter CoBranded Commercial $70.45 ↓ -42%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina Local Individual Commercial $80.15 ↓ -34%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina Local Group Commercial $80.61 ↓ -34%
Aetna Whole Health HMO $82.94 ↓ -32%
Ambetter Individual Commercial $88.03 ↓ -27%
United Healthcare IEX Commercial $97.49 ↓ -20%
Aetna North Carolina Preferred Plus Commercial $98.70 ↓ -19%
Cigna Commercial NB $105.00 ↓ -13%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina HMO-PPO Managed Care $106.07 ↓ -13%
Employers Health Network Commercial $107.19 ↓ -12%
United Healthcare HMO-PPO Managed Care $109.85 ↓ -9%
Aetna Broad Network $111.07 ↓ -8%
MedCost Ultra $118.83 ↓ -2%
Physician Reach Out Plan P $121.25 ↑ +0%
Cigna HMO-PPO Managed Care $125.62 ↑ +4%
MedCost PPO $140.89 ↑ +16%
Magellan Behavioral Health $145.50 ↑ +20%
Aetna First Health Commercial $147.93 ↑ +22%
Quik Trip Commercial $157.63 ↑ +30%
GMMI Commercial $157.63 ↑ +30%
Cigna Commercial SAR $163.69 ↑ +35%
Carolina Behavioral Health Employee Plan $174.60 ↑ +44%
ChoiceCare Commercial $174.60 ↑ +44%
Cigna Behavioral Health $194.00 ↑ +60%
Carolina Behavioral Health Commercial $194.00 ↑ +60%
Healthgram Commercial $194.00 ↑ +60%
Provider Select Commercial $196.43 ↑ +62%
Lifesynch Community Choice Care Behavioral Health $198.85 ↑ +64%
Private Health Care Systems Commercial $198.85 ↑ +64%
First Health Commercial $201.28 ↑ +66%
Beechstreet Commercial $218.25 ↑ +80%
Multiplan Commercial $223.10 ↑ +84%
Physician Reach Out Plan H not published by hospital
Broughton Cardinal Partners Commercial not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Aluminum - quest at other North-carolina hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Atrium Health Behavioral Health Charlotte Charlotte $121.25 $31.74 – $213.40
Atrium Health Pineville Charlotte $121.25 $24.25 – $223.10
Atrium Health University City Charlotte $121.25 $24.25 – $223.10
Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte $121.25 $24.85 – $218.25
Carolinas Rehabilitation Charlotte Charlotte $121.25 $25.99 – $223.10
Atrium Health Anson Wadesboro $121.25 $25.99 – $230.38
Atrium Health Cabarrus Concord $121.25 $25.99 – $230.38
Atrium Health Cleveland Shelby $121.25 $25.99 – $230.38

All North-carolina hospitals for this procedure →