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Knee MRI (with and without contrast) at Atrium Health Lincoln

433 McAlister Rd, Lincolnton, NC · Atrium Health · · NPI 1730055054

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

$2,495.38

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.

$4,990.75

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.

$89.05 with Trillium vs $4,741.21 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
Trillium Managed Medicaid $89.05 ↓ -96%
United Healthcare Managed Medicaid $89.94 ↓ -96%
Wellcare Managed Medicaid $89.94 ↓ -96%
Partners Managed Medicaid $89.94 ↓ -96%
Healthy Blue Managed Medicaid $89.94 ↓ -96%
Vaya Managed Medicaid $89.94 ↓ -96%
Amerihealth Caritas Managed Medicaid $89.94 ↓ -96%
Carolina Complete Health Managed Medicaid $89.94 ↓ -96%
Alliance Managed Medicaid $90.83 ↓ -96%
Cigna Healthspring Medicare Advantage $95.49 ↓ -96%
Humana Medicare Advantage $97.40 ↓ -96%
Aetna Medicare Advantage $98.83 ↓ -96%
United Healthcare Medicare Advantage $99.10 ↓ -96%
OrthoCarolina Commercial $119.36 ↓ -95%
Alliance Behavioral Health $568.45 ↓ -77%
Aetna Broad Network $643.40 ↓ -74%
MedCost Ultra $854.09 ↓ -66%
MedCost PPO $854.09 ↓ -66%
Aetna North Carolina Preferred Plus $906.00 ↓ -64%
Aetna Connected North Carolina Individual HMO $1,322.55 ↓ -47%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina Local Group Commercial $1,430.85 ↓ -43%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina Local Individual Commercial $1,508.20 ↓ -40%
Ambetter CoBranded Commercial $1,632.47 ↓ -35%
Ambetter Individual Commercial $1,856.56 ↓ -26%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina HMO-PPO Managed Care $1,883.01 ↓ -25%
United Healthcare IEX Commercial $2,006.28 ↓ -20%
Aetna Whole Health HMO $2,036.23 ↓ -18%
Cigna Commercial NB $2,160.99 ↓ -13%
Employers Health Network Commercial $2,205.91 ↓ -12%
Physician Reach Out Plan P $2,495.38 ↑ +0%
Cigna HMO-PPO Managed Care $2,675.04 ↑ +7%
United Healthcare HMO-PPO Managed Care $2,844.73 ↑ +14%
Quik Trip Commercial $3,243.99 ↑ +30%
GMMI Commercial $3,243.99 ↑ +30%
Cigna Commercial SAR $3,368.76 ↑ +35%
ChoiceCare Commercial $4,092.42 ↑ +64%
First Health Commercial $4,242.14 ↑ +70%
Aetna First Health Commercial $4,242.14 ↑ +70%
Beechstreet Commercial $4,491.68 ↑ +80%
Private Health Care Systems Commercial $4,491.68 ↑ +80%
Multiplan Commercial $4,741.21 ↑ +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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Knee MRI (with and without contrast) at other North-carolina hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Atrium Health Anson Wadesboro $2,495.38 $89.05 – $4,741.21
Atrium Health Behavioral Health Charlotte Charlotte $2,495.38 $89.94 – $4,391.86
Atrium Health Cleveland Shelby $2,495.38 $89.05 – $4,741.21
Atrium Health Cabarrus Concord $2,495.38 $89.05 – $4,741.21
Atrium Health Mercy Charlotte $2,495.38 $89.05 – $4,591.49
Atrium Health Pineville Charlotte $2,495.38 $89.05 – $4,591.49
Atrium Health Stanly Albermarle $2,495.38 $89.05 – $4,791.12
Atrium Health Union Monroe $2,495.38 $89.05 – $4,741.21

All North-carolina hospitals for this procedure →