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Head CT scan (without contrast) 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

$1,268.90

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.

$2,537.80

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.

$35.42 with Partners vs $2,334.78 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 $35.42 ↓ -97%
United Healthcare Managed Medicaid $35.77 ↓ -97%
Wellcare Managed Medicaid $35.77 ↓ -97%
Trillium Managed Medicaid $35.77 ↓ -97%
Healthy Blue Managed Medicaid $35.77 ↓ -97%
Vaya Managed Medicaid $35.77 ↓ -97%
Amerihealth Caritas Managed Medicaid $35.77 ↓ -97%
Carolina Complete Health Managed Medicaid $35.77 ↓ -97%
Alliance Managed Medicaid $36.13 ↓ -97%
Cigna Healthspring Medicare Advantage $37.64 ↓ -97%
Humana Medicare Advantage $38.39 ↓ -97%
Aetna Medicare Advantage $38.96 ↓ -97%
United Healthcare Medicare Advantage $39.06 ↓ -97%
Ortho Carolina Commercial $47.05 ↓ -96%
Molina Managed Medicaid $264.13 ↓ -79%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina Local Individual Commercial $448.43 ↓ -65%
Alliance Behavioral Health $558.82 ↓ -56%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina Local Group Commercial $579.13 ↓ -54%
Aetna Connected North Carolina Individual HMO $672.52 ↓ -47%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina HMO-PPO Managed Care $706.13 ↓ -44%
Ambetter CoBranded Commercial $737.23 ↓ -42%
Aetna Whole Health HMO $867.93 ↓ -32%
Aetna North Carolina Preferred Plus Commercial $906.00 ↓ -29%
Ambetter Individual Commercial $921.22 ↓ -27%
Aetna Broad Network $1,020.00 ↓ -20%
United Healthcare IEX Commercial $1,020.20 ↓ -20%
Cigna HMO-PPO Managed Care $1,023.10 ↓ -19%
Cigna Commercial NB $1,098.87 ↓ -13%
Employers Health Network Commercial $1,121.71 ↓ -12%
United Healthcare HMO-PPO Managed Care $1,149.62 ↓ -9%
MedCost Ultra $1,243.52 ↓ -2%
Physician Reach Out Plan P $1,268.90 ↑ +0%
MedCost PPO $1,474.46 ↑ +16%
Magellan Behavioral Health $1,522.68 ↑ +20%
Aetna First Health Commercial $1,548.06 ↑ +22%
Quik Trip Commercial $1,649.57 ↑ +30%
GMMI Commercial $1,649.57 ↑ +30%
Cigna Commercial SAR $1,713.02 ↑ +35%
ChoiceCare Commercial $1,827.22 ↑ +44%
Carolina Behavioral Health Employee Plan $1,827.22 ↑ +44%
Cigna Behavioral Health $2,030.24 ↑ +60%
Carolina Behavioral Health Commercial $2,030.24 ↑ +60%
Healthgram Commercial $2,030.24 ↑ +60%
Provider Select Commercial $2,055.62 ↑ +62%
Private Health Care Systems Commercial $2,081.00 ↑ +64%
Lifesynch Community Choice Care Behavioral Health $2,081.00 ↑ +64%
First Health Commercial $2,106.37 ↑ +66%
Beechstreet Commercial $2,284.02 ↑ +80%
Multiplan Commercial $2,334.78 ↑ +84%
Broughton Cardinal Partners Commercial not published by hospital
Physician Reach Out Plan H not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Head CT scan (without contrast) at other North-carolina hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Atrium Health Behavioral Health Charlotte Charlotte $1,268.90 $35.77 – $2,233.26
Atrium Health University City Charlotte $1,268.90 $35.42 – $2,334.78
Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte $1,268.90 $35.42 – $2,284.02
Atrium Health Pineville Charlotte $1,268.90 $35.42 – $2,334.78
Carolinas Rehabilitation Charlotte Charlotte $1,268.90 $35.77 – $2,334.78
Atrium Health Anson Wadesboro $1,268.90 $35.42 – $2,410.91
Atrium Health Cleveland Shelby $1,268.90 $35.42 – $2,410.91
Atrium Health Cabarrus Concord $1,268.90 $35.42 – $2,410.91

All North-carolina hospitals for this procedure →