Thoracentesis pleural space needle/catheter aspiration with imaging guidance (both sides) at Atrium Health Cleveland

201 E Grover St, Shelby, NC · Atrium Health · · NPI 1669348991

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

$2,556.53

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.

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What you pay up front if you don't use insurance.

$5,113.05

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.

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The hospital's undiscounted list price — almost no one pays this.

$90.02 with Trillium vs $4,857.40 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.

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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 $90.02 ↓ -96%
Wellcare Managed Medicaid $90.92 ↓ -96%
Vaya Managed Medicaid $90.92 ↓ -96%
United Healthcare Managed Medicaid $90.92 ↓ -96%
Amerihealth Caritas Managed Medicaid $90.92 ↓ -96%
Partners Managed Medicaid $90.92 ↓ -96%
Healthy Blue Managed Medicaid $90.92 ↓ -96%
Carolina Complete Health Managed Medicaid $90.92 ↓ -96%
Alliance Managed Medicaid $91.82 ↓ -96%
Cigna Healthspring Medicare Advantage $99.81 ↓ -96%
Humana Medicare Advantage $101.81 ↓ -96%
Aetna Medicare Advantage $103.30 ↓ -96%
United Healthcare Medicare Advantage $103.59 ↓ -96%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina HMO-PPO Managed Care $361.03 ↓ -86%
United Healthcare HMO-PPO Managed Care $370.86 ↓ -85%
Aetna Broad Network $680.68 ↓ -73%
Alliance Behavioral Health $855.92 ↓ -67%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina Local Individual Commercial $923.42 ↓ -64%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina Local Group Commercial $1,193.39 ↓ -53%
Aetna Connected North Carolina Individual HMO $1,354.96 ↓ -47%
Ambetter CoBranded Commercial $1,633.11 ↓ -36%
United Healthcare IEX Commercial $1,651.52 ↓ -35%
Ambetter Individual Commercial $1,856.04 ↓ -27%
Aetna Whole Health HMO $1,881.60 ↓ -26%
Cigna Commercial NB $2,213.95 ↓ -13%
Employers Health Network Commercial $2,259.97 ↓ -12%
Aetna North Carolina Preferred Plus Commercial $2,377.57 ↓ -7%
Physician Reach Out Plan P $2,556.53 ↑ +0%
Cigna HMO-PPO Managed Care $2,648.56 ↑ +4%
MedCost Ultra $2,853.08 ↑ +12%
Magellan Behavioral Health $3,067.83 ↑ +20%
Quik Trip Commercial $3,323.48 ↑ +30%
GMMI Commercial $3,323.48 ↑ +30%
MedCost PPO $3,389.95 ↑ +33%
Cigna Commercial SAR $3,451.31 ↑ +35%
Carolina Behavioral Health Employee Plan $3,681.40 ↑ +44%
Aetna First Health Commercial $3,937.05 ↑ +54%
Cigna Behavioral Health $4,090.44 ↑ +60%
Carolina Behavioral Health Commercial $4,090.44 ↑ +60%
Healthgram Commercial $4,090.44 ↑ +60%
ChoiceCare Commercial $4,192.70 ↑ +64%
Lifesynch Community Choice Care Behavioral Health $4,346.09 ↑ +70%
First Health Commercial $4,346.09 ↑ +70%
Private Health Care Systems Commercial $4,601.75 ↑ +80%
Beechstreet Commercial $4,704.01 ↑ +84%
Multiplan Commercial $4,857.40 ↑ +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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Thoracentesis pleural space needle/catheter aspiration with imaging guidance (both sides) at other North-carolina hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Atrium Health Anson Wadesboro $2,556.53 $90.02 – $4,857.40
Atrium Health Behavioral Health Charlotte Charlotte $2,556.53 $90.92 – $4,499.48
Atrium Health Cabarrus Concord $2,556.53 $90.02 – $4,857.40
Atrium Health Lincoln Lincolnton $2,556.53 $90.02 – $4,857.40
Atrium Health Mercy Charlotte $2,556.53 $75.38 – $4,704.01
Atrium Health Pineville Charlotte $2,556.53 $90.02 – $4,704.01
Atrium Health Stanly Albermarle $2,556.53 $90.02 – $4,908.53
Atrium Health Union Monroe $2,556.53 $90.02 – $4,857.40

All North-carolina hospitals for this procedure →