Aspirate pleura without imaging 32554 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

$306.50

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.

$613.00

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.

$72.11 with Partners vs $563.96 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
Partners Managed Medicaid $72.11 ↓ -76%
Wellcare Managed Medicaid $72.83 ↓ -76%
Amerihealth Caritas Managed Medicaid $72.83 ↓ -76%
Trillium Managed Medicaid $72.83 ↓ -76%
United Healthcare Managed Medicaid $72.83 ↓ -76%
Vaya Managed Medicaid $72.83 ↓ -76%
Carolina Complete Health Managed Medicaid $72.83 ↓ -76%
Healthy Blue Managed Medicaid $72.83 ↓ -76%
Alliance Managed Medicaid $73.55 ↓ -76%
Molina Managed Medicaid $75.38 ↓ -75%
Cigna Healthspring Medicare Advantage $80.76 ↓ -74%
Humana Medicare Advantage $82.38 ↓ -73%
Aetna Medicare Advantage $83.59 ↓ -73%
United Healthcare Medicare Advantage $83.82 ↓ -73%
Ortho Carolina Commercial $100.95 ↓ -67%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina Local Individual Commercial $110.16 ↓ -64%
Alliance Behavioral Health $134.98 ↓ -56%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina Local Group Commercial $144.73 ↓ -53%
Aetna Connected North Carolina Individual HMO $162.45 ↓ -47%
Ambetter CoBranded Commercial $178.08 ↓ -42%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina HMO-PPO Managed Care $190.40 ↓ -38%
United Healthcare IEX Commercial $198.00 ↓ -35%
Aetna Whole Health HMO $209.65 ↓ -32%
Ambetter Individual Commercial $222.52 ↓ -27%
Aetna North Carolina Preferred Plus Commercial $249.49 ↓ -19%
Cigna Commercial NB $265.43 ↓ -13%
Employers Health Network Commercial $270.95 ↓ -12%
United Healthcare HMO-PPO Managed Care $277.69 ↓ -9%
Aetna Broad Network $280.75 ↓ -8%
MedCost Ultra $300.37 ↓ -2%
Physician Reach Out Plan P $306.50 ↑ +0%
Cigna HMO-PPO Managed Care $317.53 ↑ +4%
MedCost PPO $356.15 ↑ +16%
Magellan Behavioral Health $367.80 ↑ +20%
Aetna First Health Commercial $373.93 ↑ +22%
Quik Trip Commercial $398.45 ↑ +30%
GMMI Commercial $398.45 ↑ +30%
Cigna Commercial SAR $413.78 ↑ +35%
Carolina Behavioral Health Employee Plan $441.36 ↑ +44%
ChoiceCare Commercial $441.36 ↑ +44%
Cigna Behavioral Health $490.40 ↑ +60%
Carolina Behavioral Health Commercial $490.40 ↑ +60%
Healthgram Commercial $490.40 ↑ +60%
Provider Select Commercial $496.53 ↑ +62%
Lifesynch Community Choice Care Behavioral Health $502.66 ↑ +64%
Private Health Care Systems Commercial $502.66 ↑ +64%
First Health Commercial $508.79 ↑ +66%
Beechstreet Commercial $551.70 ↑ +80%
Multiplan Commercial $563.96 ↑ +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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Aspirate pleura without imaging 32554 at other North-carolina hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Atrium Health Behavioral Health Charlotte Charlotte $306.50 $72.83 – $539.44
Atrium Health Pineville Charlotte $306.50 $61.30 – $563.96
Atrium Health University City Charlotte $306.50 $61.30 – $563.96
Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte $306.50 $72.11 – $551.70
Carolinas Rehabilitation Charlotte Charlotte $306.50 $72.83 – $563.96
Atrium Health Anson Wadesboro $306.50 $72.11 – $582.35
Atrium Health Cabarrus Concord $306.50 $72.11 – $582.35
Atrium Health Cleveland Shelby $306.50 $72.11 – $582.35

All North-carolina hospitals for this procedure →