Fern test at Atrium Health Cabarrus

920 Church St N, Concord, NC · Atrium Health · · NPI 1487866315

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Dec 1, 2025 · Ingested Aug 12, 2026

$49.15

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.

$98.30

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.

$9.48 with ChoiceCare vs $93.39 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
ChoiceCare Commercial $9.48 ↓ -81%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina Local Individual Commercial $9.48 ↓ -81%
United Healthcare HMO-PPO Managed Care $9.76 ↓ -80%
Humana Medicare Advantage $9.93 ↓ -80%
Aetna Medicare Advantage $10.08 ↓ -79%
Cigna Healthspring Medicare Advantage $10.23 ↓ -79%
United Healthcare Medicare Advantage $10.26 ↓ -79%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina HMO-PPO Managed Care $11.81 ↓ -76%
Amerihealth Caritas Managed Medicaid $12.06 ↓ -75%
Alliance Behavioral Health $12.18 ↓ -75%
Ortho Carolina Commercial $12.18 ↓ -75%
Healthy Blue Managed Medicaid $12.29 ↓ -75%
Wellcare Managed Medicaid $12.29 ↓ -75%
Carolina Complete Health Managed Medicaid $12.29 ↓ -75%
Partners Managed Medicaid $12.39 ↓ -75%
Vaya Managed Medicaid $12.42 ↓ -75%
United Healthcare Managed Medicaid $12.51 ↓ -75%
Alliance Managed Medicaid $12.53 ↓ -75%
Trillium Managed Medicaid $12.66 ↓ -74%
Aetna North Carolina Preferred Plus Commercial $14.23 ↓ -71%
Aetna Broad Network $15.68 ↓ -68%
Aetna Connected North Carolina Individual HMO $26.05 ↓ -47%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina Local Group Commercial $26.82 ↓ -45%
Ambetter CoBranded Commercial $28.56 ↓ -42%
Ambetter Individual Commercial $35.68 ↓ -27%
United Healthcare IEX Commercial $39.52 ↓ -20%
Aetna Whole Health HMO $40.79 ↓ -17%
Cigna Commercial NB $42.56 ↓ -13%
Employers Health Network Commercial $43.45 ↓ -12%
Physician Reach Out Plan P $49.15 ↑ +0%
Cigna HMO-PPO Managed Care $50.92 ↑ +4%
MedCost Ultra $52.89 ↑ +8%
Magellan Behavioral Health $58.98 ↑ +20%
Aetna First Health Commercial $59.96 ↑ +22%
GMMI Commercial $63.90 ↑ +30%
Quik Trip Commercial $63.90 ↑ +30%
Cigna Commercial SAR $66.35 ↑ +35%
Carolina Behavioral Health Employee Plan $70.78 ↑ +44%
MedCost PPO $73.73 ↑ +50%
Private Health Care Systems Commercial $78.64 ↑ +60%
Carolina Behavioral Health Commercial $78.64 ↑ +60%
Cigna Behavioral Health $78.64 ↑ +60%
Healthgram Commercial $78.64 ↑ +60%
Lifesynch Community Choice Care Behavioral Health $80.61 ↑ +64%
First Health Commercial $83.56 ↑ +70%
Beechstreet Commercial $88.47 ↑ +80%
Multiplan Commercial $93.39 ↑ +90%
Broughton Cardinal Partners Commercial not published by hospital
Physician Reach Out Plan H not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Fern test at other North-carolina hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Atrium Health Anson Wadesboro $49.15 $9.48 – $93.39
Atrium Health Behavioral Health Charlotte Charlotte $49.15 $11.81 – $98.30
Atrium Health Cleveland Shelby $49.15 $9.48 – $93.39
Atrium Health Lincoln Lincolnton $49.15 $9.48 – $93.39
Atrium Health Mercy Charlotte $49.15 $9.48 – $90.44
Atrium Health Pineville Charlotte $49.15 $9.48 – $90.44
Atrium Health Stanly Albermarle $49.15 $9.48 – $94.37
Atrium Health Union Monroe $49.15 $9.48 – $93.39

All North-carolina hospitals for this procedure →