Establish brain cavity shunt 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

$2,870.05

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.

$5,740.10

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.

$75.38 with Molina vs $5,280.89 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 $75.38 ↓ -97%
Partners Managed Medicaid $1,128.64 ↓ -61%
Vaya Managed Medicaid $1,139.93 ↓ -60%
Wellcare Managed Medicaid $1,139.93 ↓ -60%
United Healthcare Managed Medicaid $1,139.93 ↓ -60%
Amerihealth Caritas Managed Medicaid $1,139.93 ↓ -60%
Healthy Blue Managed Medicaid $1,139.93 ↓ -60%
Carolina Complete Health Managed Medicaid $1,139.93 ↓ -60%
Trillium Managed Medicaid $1,139.93 ↓ -60%
Alliance Managed Medicaid $1,151.21 ↓ -60%
Alliance Behavioral Health $1,263.97 ↓ -56%
Cigna Healthspring Medicare Advantage $1,445.11 ↓ -50%
Humana Medicare Advantage $1,474.01 ↓ -49%
Aetna Medicare Advantage $1,495.68 ↓ -48%
United Healthcare Medicare Advantage $1,499.81 ↓ -48%
Aetna Connected North Carolina Individual HMO $1,521.13 ↓ -47%
Ambetter CoBranded Commercial $1,667.50 ↓ -42%
Ortho Carolina Commercial $1,806.38 ↓ -37%
United Healthcare IEX Commercial $1,854.05 ↓ -35%
Aetna Whole Health HMO $1,963.11 ↓ -32%
Ambetter Individual Commercial $2,083.66 ↓ -27%
Aetna North Carolina Preferred Plus Commercial $2,336.22 ↓ -19%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina Local Group Commercial $2,369.51 ↓ -17%
Cigna Commercial NB $2,485.46 ↓ -13%
Employers Health Network Commercial $2,537.12 ↓ -12%
United Healthcare HMO-PPO Managed Care $2,600.27 ↓ -9%
Aetna Broad Network $2,628.97 ↓ -8%
MedCost Ultra $2,812.65 ↓ -2%
Physician Reach Out Plan P $2,870.05 ↑ +0%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina HMO-PPO Managed Care $3,118.02 ↑ +9%
Cigna HMO-PPO Managed Care $3,243.16 ↑ +13%
MedCost PPO $3,335.00 ↑ +16%
Magellan Behavioral Health $3,444.06 ↑ +20%
Aetna First Health Commercial $3,501.46 ↑ +22%
Quik Trip Commercial $3,731.07 ↑ +30%
GMMI Commercial $3,731.07 ↑ +30%
Cigna Commercial SAR $3,874.57 ↑ +35%
Carolina Behavioral Health Employee Plan $4,132.87 ↑ +44%
ChoiceCare Commercial $4,132.87 ↑ +44%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina Local Individual Commercial $4,353.87 ↑ +52%
Cigna Behavioral Health $4,592.08 ↑ +60%
Carolina Behavioral Health Commercial $4,592.08 ↑ +60%
Healthgram Commercial $4,592.08 ↑ +60%
Provider Select Commercial $4,649.48 ↑ +62%
Lifesynch Community Choice Care Behavioral Health $4,706.88 ↑ +64%
Private Health Care Systems Commercial $4,706.88 ↑ +64%
First Health Commercial $4,764.28 ↑ +66%
Beechstreet Commercial $5,166.09 ↑ +80%
Multiplan Commercial $5,280.89 ↑ +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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Establish brain cavity shunt at other North-carolina hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Atrium Health Behavioral Health Charlotte Charlotte $2,870.05 $1,073.40 – $5,051.29
Atrium Health Pineville Charlotte $2,870.05 $574.01 – $5,280.89
Atrium Health University City Charlotte $2,870.05 $574.01 – $5,280.89
Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte $2,870.05 $75.38 – $5,166.09
Carolinas Rehabilitation Charlotte Charlotte $2,870.05 $1,139.93 – $5,280.89
Atrium Health Anson Wadesboro $2,870.05 $858.72 – $5,453.10
Atrium Health Cabarrus Concord $2,870.05 $704.31 – $5,453.10
Atrium Health Cleveland Shelby $2,870.05 $803.61 – $5,453.10

All North-carolina hospitals for this procedure →