Red blood cells each unit 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

$344.93

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.

$689.85

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.

$85.42 with Molina vs $634.66 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 $85.42 ↓ -75%
Humana Medicare Advantage $147.21 ↓ -57%
Aetna Medicare Advantage $149.37 ↓ -57%
Amerihealth Caritas Managed Medicaid $150.46 ↓ -56%
Cigna Healthspring Medicare Advantage $151.54 ↓ -56%
Partners Managed Medicaid $151.77 ↓ -56%
Alliance Behavioral Health $151.90 ↓ -56%
United Healthcare Medicare Advantage $151.98 ↓ -56%
Healthy Blue Managed Medicaid $153.28 ↓ -56%
Wellcare Managed Medicaid $153.28 ↓ -56%
Carolina Complete Health Managed Medicaid $153.28 ↓ -56%
Vaya Managed Medicaid $154.80 ↓ -55%
Alliance Managed Medicaid $156.32 ↓ -55%
Trillium Managed Medicaid $157.91 ↓ -54%
Ortho Carolina Commercial $180.40 ↓ -48%
Aetna Connected North Carolina Individual HMO $182.81 ↓ -47%
Ambetter CoBranded Commercial $200.40 ↓ -42%
United Healthcare Managed Medicaid $225.10 ↓ -35%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina Local Individual Commercial $228.00 ↓ -34%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina Local Group Commercial $229.31 ↓ -34%
Aetna Whole Health HMO $235.93 ↓ -32%
Ambetter Individual Commercial $250.42 ↓ -27%
United Healthcare IEX Commercial $277.32 ↓ -20%
Aetna North Carolina Preferred Plus Commercial $280.77 ↓ -19%
Cigna Commercial NB $298.71 ↓ -13%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina HMO-PPO Managed Care $301.74 ↓ -13%
Employers Health Network Commercial $304.91 ↓ -12%
United Healthcare HMO-PPO Managed Care $312.50 ↓ -9%
Aetna Broad Network $315.95 ↓ -8%
MedCost Ultra $338.03 ↓ -2%
Physician Reach Out Plan P $344.93 ↑ +0%
Cigna HMO-PPO Managed Care $357.34 ↑ +4%
MedCost PPO $400.80 ↑ +16%
Magellan Behavioral Health $413.91 ↑ +20%
Aetna First Health Commercial $420.81 ↑ +22%
GMMI Commercial $448.40 ↑ +30%
Quik Trip Commercial $448.40 ↑ +30%
Cigna Commercial SAR $465.65 ↑ +35%
Carolina Behavioral Health Employee Plan $496.69 ↑ +44%
ChoiceCare Commercial $496.69 ↑ +44%
Cigna Behavioral Health $551.88 ↑ +60%
Carolina Behavioral Health Commercial $551.88 ↑ +60%
Healthgram Commercial $551.88 ↑ +60%
Provider Select Commercial $558.78 ↑ +62%
Lifesynch Community Choice Care Behavioral Health $565.68 ↑ +64%
Private Health Care Systems Commercial $565.68 ↑ +64%
First Health Commercial $572.58 ↑ +66%
Beechstreet Commercial $620.87 ↑ +80%
Multiplan Commercial $634.66 ↑ +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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Red blood cells each unit at other North-carolina hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Atrium Health Behavioral Health Charlotte Charlotte $344.93 $131.07 – $689.85
Atrium Health Pineville Charlotte $344.93 $68.99 – $634.66
Atrium Health University City Charlotte $344.93 $68.99 – $634.66
Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte $344.93 $85.42 – $620.87
Carolinas Rehabilitation Charlotte Charlotte $344.93 $147.21 – $634.66
Atrium Health Anson Wadesboro $344.93 $103.20 – $655.36
Atrium Health Cabarrus Concord $344.93 $84.64 – $655.36
Atrium Health Cleveland Shelby $344.93 $96.58 – $655.36

All North-carolina hospitals for this procedure →