Smear wet mount 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

$82.65

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.

$165.30

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.

$4.70 with Partners vs $152.08 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 $4.70 ↓ -94%
Vaya Managed Medicaid $4.75 ↓ -94%
Wellcare Managed Medicaid $4.75 ↓ -94%
Carolina Complete Health Managed Medicaid $4.75 ↓ -94%
Healthy Blue Managed Medicaid $4.75 ↓ -94%
Trillium Managed Medicaid $4.75 ↓ -94%
Amerihealth Caritas Managed Medicaid $4.75 ↓ -94%
United Healthcare Managed Medicaid $4.75 ↓ -94%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina Local Group Commercial $4.77 ↓ -94%
Alliance Managed Medicaid $4.79 ↓ -94%
ChoiceCare Commercial $5.04 ↓ -94%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina Local Individual Commercial $5.04 ↓ -94%
United Healthcare HMO-PPO Managed Care $5.19 ↓ -94%
Humana Medicare Advantage $5.94 ↓ -93%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina HMO-PPO Managed Care $5.97 ↓ -93%
Aetna Medicare Advantage $6.02 ↓ -93%
Molina Managed Medicaid $6.08 ↓ -93%
Cigna Healthspring Medicare Advantage $6.11 ↓ -93%
United Healthcare Medicare Advantage $6.13 ↓ -93%
Ortho Carolina Commercial $7.28 ↓ -91%
MedCost Ultra $11.76 ↓ -86%
MedCost PPO $11.76 ↓ -86%
Alliance Behavioral Health $36.40 ↓ -56%
Aetna Connected North Carolina Individual HMO $43.80 ↓ -47%
Ambetter CoBranded Commercial $48.02 ↓ -42%
Aetna Whole Health HMO $56.53 ↓ -32%
Ambetter Individual Commercial $60.00 ↓ -27%
United Healthcare IEX Commercial $66.45 ↓ -20%
Aetna North Carolina Preferred Plus Commercial $67.28 ↓ -19%
Cigna Commercial NB $71.57 ↓ -13%
Employers Health Network Commercial $73.06 ↓ -12%
Aetna Broad Network $75.71 ↓ -8%
Physician Reach Out Plan P $82.65 ↑ +0%
Cigna HMO-PPO Managed Care $85.63 ↑ +4%
Magellan Behavioral Health $99.18 ↑ +20%
Aetna First Health Commercial $100.83 ↑ +22%
Quik Trip Commercial $107.45 ↑ +30%
GMMI Commercial $107.45 ↑ +30%
Cigna Commercial SAR $111.58 ↑ +35%
Carolina Behavioral Health Employee Plan $119.02 ↑ +44%
Cigna Behavioral Health $132.24 ↑ +60%
Carolina Behavioral Health Commercial $132.24 ↑ +60%
Healthgram Commercial $132.24 ↑ +60%
Provider Select Commercial $133.89 ↑ +62%
Lifesynch Community Choice Care Behavioral Health $135.55 ↑ +64%
Private Health Care Systems Commercial $135.55 ↑ +64%
First Health Commercial $137.20 ↑ +66%
Beechstreet Commercial $148.77 ↑ +80%
Multiplan Commercial $152.08 ↑ +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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Smear wet mount at other North-carolina hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Atrium Health Behavioral Health Charlotte Charlotte $82.65 $4.75 – $145.46
Atrium Health Pineville Charlotte $82.65 $4.70 – $152.08
Atrium Health University City Charlotte $82.65 $4.70 – $152.08
Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte $82.65 $4.70 – $148.77
Carolinas Rehabilitation Charlotte Charlotte $82.65 $4.75 – $152.08
Atrium Health Anson Wadesboro $82.65 $4.70 – $157.04
Atrium Health Cabarrus Concord $82.65 $4.70 – $157.04
Atrium Health Cleveland Shelby $82.65 $4.70 – $157.04

All North-carolina hospitals for this procedure →