X-ray thoracolumbar spine including skull cervical & sacral spine 1 view 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

$204.70

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.

$409.40

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.

$11.35 with Partners vs $376.65 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 $11.35 ↓ -94%
Wellcare Managed Medicaid $11.46 ↓ -94%
Amerihealth Caritas Managed Medicaid $11.46 ↓ -94%
Trillium Managed Medicaid $11.46 ↓ -94%
United Healthcare Managed Medicaid $11.46 ↓ -94%
Vaya Managed Medicaid $11.46 ↓ -94%
Carolina Complete Health Managed Medicaid $11.46 ↓ -94%
Healthy Blue Managed Medicaid $11.46 ↓ -94%
Alliance Managed Medicaid $11.58 ↓ -94%
Cigna Healthspring Medicare Advantage $11.62 ↓ -94%
Humana Medicare Advantage $11.85 ↓ -94%
Aetna Medicare Advantage $12.03 ↓ -94%
United Healthcare Medicare Advantage $12.06 ↓ -94%
Ortho Carolina Commercial $14.53 ↓ -93%
Molina Managed Medicaid $29.30 ↓ -86%
United Healthcare HMO-PPO Managed Care $61.29 ↓ -70%
Alliance Behavioral Health $90.15 ↓ -56%
Aetna Connected North Carolina Individual HMO $108.49 ↓ -47%
Ambetter CoBranded Commercial $118.93 ↓ -42%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina Local Individual Commercial $135.31 ↓ -34%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina Local Group Commercial $136.08 ↓ -34%
Aetna Whole Health HMO $140.01 ↓ -32%
Ambetter Individual Commercial $148.61 ↓ -27%
United Healthcare IEX Commercial $164.58 ↓ -20%
Aetna North Carolina Preferred Plus Commercial $166.63 ↓ -19%
Cigna Commercial NB $177.27 ↓ -13%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina HMO-PPO Managed Care $179.07 ↓ -13%
Employers Health Network Commercial $180.95 ↓ -12%
Aetna Broad Network $187.51 ↓ -8%
MedCost Ultra $200.61 ↓ -2%
Physician Reach Out Plan P $204.70 ↑ +0%
Cigna HMO-PPO Managed Care $212.07 ↑ +4%
MedCost PPO $237.86 ↑ +16%
Magellan Behavioral Health $245.64 ↑ +20%
Aetna First Health Commercial $249.73 ↑ +22%
Quik Trip Commercial $266.11 ↑ +30%
GMMI Commercial $266.11 ↑ +30%
Cigna Commercial SAR $276.35 ↑ +35%
Carolina Behavioral Health Employee Plan $294.77 ↑ +44%
ChoiceCare Commercial $294.77 ↑ +44%
Cigna Behavioral Health $327.52 ↑ +60%
Carolina Behavioral Health Commercial $327.52 ↑ +60%
Healthgram Commercial $327.52 ↑ +60%
Provider Select Commercial $331.61 ↑ +62%
Lifesynch Community Choice Care Behavioral Health $335.71 ↑ +64%
Private Health Care Systems Commercial $335.71 ↑ +64%
First Health Commercial $339.80 ↑ +66%
Beechstreet Commercial $368.46 ↑ +80%
Multiplan Commercial $376.65 ↑ +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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X-ray thoracolumbar spine including skull cervical & sacral spine 1 view at other North-carolina hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Atrium Health Behavioral Health Charlotte Charlotte $204.70 $11.46 – $360.27
Atrium Health Pineville Charlotte $204.70 $11.35 – $376.65
Atrium Health University City Charlotte $204.70 $11.35 – $376.65
Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte $204.70 $11.35 – $368.46
Carolinas Rehabilitation Charlotte Charlotte $204.70 $11.46 – $376.65
Atrium Health Anson Wadesboro $204.70 $11.35 – $388.93
Atrium Health Cabarrus Concord $204.70 $11.35 – $388.93
Atrium Health Cleveland Shelby $204.70 $11.35 – $388.93

All North-carolina hospitals for this procedure →