healthcosts.net

Neck (Cervical Spine) MRI (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

$1,947.58

Cash price

?

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.

$3,895.15

Gross charge

?

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.

$65.55 with Cigna Healthspring vs $3,583.54 with Multiplan — same scan, same building. Share

Negotiated rates by payer
?

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
?

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
?

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
Cigna Healthspring Medicare Advantage $65.55 ↓ -97%
Partners Managed Medicaid $65.96 ↓ -97%
United Healthcare Managed Medicaid $66.62 ↓ -97%
Wellcare Managed Medicaid $66.62 ↓ -97%
Trillium Managed Medicaid $66.62 ↓ -97%
Healthy Blue Managed Medicaid $66.62 ↓ -97%
Vaya Managed Medicaid $66.62 ↓ -97%
Amerihealth Caritas Managed Medicaid $66.62 ↓ -97%
Carolina Complete Health Managed Medicaid $66.62 ↓ -97%
Humana Medicare Advantage $66.86 ↓ -97%
Alliance Managed Medicaid $67.28 ↓ -97%
Aetna Medicare Advantage $67.84 ↓ -97%
United Healthcare Medicare Advantage $68.03 ↓ -97%
Ortho Carolina Commercial $81.94 ↓ -96%
Aetna Broad Network $269.68 ↓ -86%
United Healthcare HMO-PPO Managed Care $410.41 ↓ -79%
Molina Managed Medicaid $626.41 ↓ -68%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina Local Individual Commercial $825.77 ↓ -58%
Alliance Behavioral Health $857.71 ↓ -56%
Aetna North Carolina Preferred Plus Commercial $906.00 ↓ -53%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina Local Group Commercial $969.50 ↓ -50%
Aetna Connected North Carolina Individual HMO $1,032.21 ↓ -47%
Ambetter CoBranded Commercial $1,131.54 ↓ -42%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina HMO-PPO Managed Care $1,275.66 ↓ -35%
Aetna Whole Health HMO $1,332.14 ↓ -32%
Ambetter Individual Commercial $1,413.94 ↓ -27%
Cigna HMO-PPO Managed Care $1,446.30 ↓ -26%
United Healthcare IEX Commercial $1,565.85 ↓ -20%
Cigna Commercial NB $1,686.60 ↓ -13%
Employers Health Network Commercial $1,721.66 ↓ -12%
MedCost Ultra $1,908.62 ↓ -2%
Physician Reach Out Plan P $1,947.58 ↑ +0%
MedCost PPO $2,263.08 ↑ +16%
Magellan Behavioral Health $2,337.09 ↑ +20%
Aetna First Health Commercial $2,376.04 ↑ +22%
Quik Trip Commercial $2,531.85 ↑ +30%
GMMI Commercial $2,531.85 ↑ +30%
Cigna Commercial SAR $2,629.23 ↑ +35%
ChoiceCare Commercial $2,804.51 ↑ +44%
Carolina Behavioral Health Employee Plan $2,804.51 ↑ +44%
Cigna Behavioral Health $3,116.12 ↑ +60%
Carolina Behavioral Health Commercial $3,116.12 ↑ +60%
Healthgram Commercial $3,116.12 ↑ +60%
Provider Select Commercial $3,155.07 ↑ +62%
Private Health Care Systems Commercial $3,194.02 ↑ +64%
Lifesynch Community Choice Care Behavioral Health $3,194.02 ↑ +64%
First Health Commercial $3,232.97 ↑ +66%
Beechstreet Commercial $3,505.64 ↑ +80%
Multiplan Commercial $3,583.54 ↑ +84%
Broughton Cardinal Partners Commercial not published by hospital
Physician Reach Out Plan H not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Neck (Cervical Spine) MRI (without contrast) at other North-carolina hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Atrium Health Behavioral Health Charlotte Charlotte $1,947.58 $65.55 – $3,427.73
Atrium Health Pineville Charlotte $1,947.58 $65.55 – $3,583.54
Carolinas Rehabilitation Charlotte Charlotte $1,947.58 $65.55 – $3,583.54
Atrium Health University City Charlotte $1,947.58 $65.55 – $3,583.54
Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte $1,947.58 $65.55 – $3,505.64
Atrium Health Anson Wadesboro $1,947.58 $65.55 – $3,700.39
Atrium Health Cleveland Shelby $1,947.58 $65.55 – $3,700.39
Atrium Health Cabarrus Concord $1,947.58 $65.55 – $3,700.39

All North-carolina hospitals for this procedure →