Biopsy/soft tissue/neck or thorax 21550 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

$2,017.63

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.

$4,035.25

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.

$115.49 with Partners vs $3,712.43 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 $115.49 ↓ -94%
Wellcare Managed Medicaid $116.64 ↓ -94%
Healthy Blue Managed Medicaid $116.64 ↓ -94%
United Healthcare Managed Medicaid $116.64 ↓ -94%
Trillium Managed Medicaid $116.64 ↓ -94%
Vaya Managed Medicaid $116.64 ↓ -94%
Amerihealth Caritas Managed Medicaid $116.64 ↓ -94%
Carolina Complete Health Managed Medicaid $116.64 ↓ -94%
Alliance Managed Medicaid $117.80 ↓ -94%
Cigna Healthspring Medicare Advantage $143.60 ↓ -93%
Humana Medicare Advantage $146.47 ↓ -93%
Aetna Medicare Advantage $148.63 ↓ -93%
United Healthcare Medicare Advantage $149.04 ↓ -93%
Ortho Carolina Commercial $179.50 ↓ -91%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina Local Individual Commercial $725.13 ↓ -64%
Molina Managed Medicaid $879.37 ↓ -56%
Alliance Behavioral Health $888.56 ↓ -56%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina Local Group Commercial $952.72 ↓ -53%
Aetna Connected North Carolina Individual HMO $1,069.34 ↓ -47%
Ambetter CoBranded Commercial $1,172.24 ↓ -42%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina HMO-PPO Managed Care $1,253.35 ↓ -38%
Aetna Whole Health HMO $1,380.06 ↓ -32%
Ambetter Individual Commercial $1,464.80 ↓ -27%
United Healthcare IEX Commercial $1,622.17 ↓ -20%
Aetna North Carolina Preferred Plus Commercial $1,642.35 ↓ -19%
Cigna Commercial NB $1,747.26 ↓ -13%
Employers Health Network Commercial $1,783.58 ↓ -12%
United Healthcare HMO-PPO Managed Care $1,827.97 ↓ -9%
Aetna Broad Network $1,848.14 ↓ -8%
MedCost Ultra $1,977.27 ↓ -2%
Physician Reach Out Plan P $2,017.63 ↑ +0%
Cigna HMO-PPO Managed Care $2,090.26 ↑ +4%
MedCost PPO $2,344.48 ↑ +16%
Magellan Behavioral Health $2,421.15 ↑ +20%
Aetna First Health Commercial $2,461.50 ↑ +22%
GMMI Commercial $2,622.91 ↑ +30%
Quik Trip Commercial $2,622.91 ↑ +30%
Cigna Commercial SAR $2,723.79 ↑ +35%
Carolina Behavioral Health Employee Plan $2,905.38 ↑ +44%
ChoiceCare Commercial $2,905.38 ↑ +44%
Cigna Behavioral Health $3,228.20 ↑ +60%
Carolina Behavioral Health Commercial $3,228.20 ↑ +60%
Healthgram Commercial $3,228.20 ↑ +60%
Provider Select Commercial $3,268.55 ↑ +62%
Lifesynch Community Choice Care Behavioral Health $3,308.91 ↑ +64%
Private Health Care Systems Commercial $3,308.91 ↑ +64%
First Health Commercial $3,349.26 ↑ +66%
Beechstreet Commercial $3,631.73 ↑ +80%
Multiplan Commercial $3,712.43 ↑ +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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Biopsy/soft tissue/neck or thorax 21550 at other North-carolina hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Atrium Health Behavioral Health Charlotte Charlotte $2,017.63 $116.64 – $3,551.02
Atrium Health Pineville Charlotte $2,017.63 $115.49 – $3,712.43
Atrium Health University City Charlotte $2,017.63 $115.49 – $3,712.43
Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte $2,017.63 $115.49 – $3,631.73
Carolinas Rehabilitation Charlotte Charlotte $2,017.63 $116.64 – $3,712.43
Atrium Health Anson Wadesboro $2,017.63 $115.49 – $3,833.49
Atrium Health Cabarrus Concord $2,017.63 $115.49 – $3,833.49
Atrium Health Cleveland Shelby $2,017.63 $115.49 – $3,833.49

All North-carolina hospitals for this procedure →