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Knee MRI (without contrast) at Atrium Health Union

600 Hospital Dr, Monroe, NC · Atrium Health · · NPI 1396790325

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Dec 4, 2025 · Ingested Aug 13, 2026

$1,922.30

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.

$3,844.60

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.

$55.69 with Trillium vs $3,652.37 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 $55.69 ↓ -97%
United Healthcare Managed Medicaid $56.25 ↓ -97%
Wellcare Managed Medicaid $56.25 ↓ -97%
Partners Managed Medicaid $56.25 ↓ -97%
Healthy Blue Managed Medicaid $56.25 ↓ -97%
Vaya Managed Medicaid $56.25 ↓ -97%
Amerihealth Caritas Managed Medicaid $56.25 ↓ -97%
Carolina Complete Health Managed Medicaid $56.25 ↓ -97%
Alliance Managed Medicaid $56.80 ↓ -97%
Cigna Healthspring Medicare Advantage $59.93 ↓ -97%
Humana Medicare Advantage $61.13 ↓ -97%
Aetna Medicare Advantage $62.03 ↓ -97%
United Healthcare Medicare Advantage $62.20 ↓ -97%
Ortho Carolina Commercial $74.91 ↓ -96%
Aetna North Carolina Preferred Plus Commercial $276.49 ↓ -86%
Aetna Broad Network $305.06 ↓ -84%
MedCost Ultra $398.81 ↓ -79%
MedCost PPO $398.81 ↓ -79%
United Healthcare HMO-PPO Managed Care $452.83 ↓ -76%
Alliance Behavioral Health $594.76 ↓ -69%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina Local Individual Commercial $627.82 ↓ -67%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina Local Group Commercial $653.58 ↓ -66%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina HMO-PPO Managed Care $860.04 ↓ -55%
Aetna Connected North Carolina Individual HMO $1,018.82 ↓ -47%
Ambetter CoBranded Commercial $1,146.08 ↓ -40%
Ambetter Individual Commercial $1,395.59 ↓ -27%
Cigna HMO-PPO Managed Care $1,446.30 ↓ -25%
Aetna Whole Health HMO $1,526.31 ↓ -21%
United Healthcare IEX Commercial $1,545.53 ↓ -20%
Cigna Commercial NB $1,664.71 ↓ -13%
Employers Health Network Commercial $1,699.31 ↓ -12%
Magellan Behavioral Health $2,306.76 ↑ +20%
Aetna First Health Commercial $2,345.21 ↑ +22%
Quik Trip Commercial $2,498.99 ↑ +30%
GMMI Commercial $2,498.99 ↑ +30%
Cigna Commercial SAR $2,595.11 ↑ +35%
Healthgram Commercial $3,075.68 ↑ +60%
First Health Commercial $3,267.91 ↑ +70%
ChoiceCare Commercial $3,267.91 ↑ +70%
Beechstreet Commercial $3,460.14 ↑ +80%
Provider Select Commercial $3,460.14 ↑ +80%
Private Health Care Systems Commercial $3,460.14 ↑ +80%
Multiplan Commercial $3,652.37 ↑ +90%
Broughton Cardinal Partners Commercial not published by hospital
Physician Reach Out Plan P not published by hospital
Physician Reach Out Plan H not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Knee MRI (without contrast) at other North-carolina hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Atrium Health Anson Wadesboro $1,922.30 $55.69 – $3,652.37
Atrium Health Behavioral Health Charlotte Charlotte $1,922.30 $56.25 – $3,383.25
Atrium Health Cleveland Shelby $1,922.30 $55.69 – $3,652.37
Atrium Health Cabarrus Concord $1,922.30 $55.69 – $3,652.37
Atrium Health Lincoln Lincolnton $1,922.30 $55.69 – $3,652.37
Atrium Health Mercy Charlotte $1,922.30 $55.69 – $3,537.03
Atrium Health Pineville Charlotte $1,922.30 $55.69 – $3,537.03
Atrium Health Stanly Albermarle $1,922.30 $55.69 – $3,690.82

All North-carolina hospitals for this procedure →