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Lower Back (Lumbar Spine) CT scan (with and without contrast) at Atrium Health Anson

2301 US Hwy 74 West, Wadesboro, NC · Atrium Health · · NPI 1891596607

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

$2,152.98

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.

$4,305.95

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.

$52.71 with Wellcare vs $4,090.65 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
Wellcare Managed Medicaid $52.71 ↓ -98%
Trillium Managed Medicaid $52.71 ↓ -98%
United Healthcare Managed Medicaid $53.24 ↓ -98%
Partners Managed Medicaid $53.24 ↓ -98%
Healthy Blue Managed Medicaid $53.24 ↓ -98%
Vaya Managed Medicaid $53.24 ↓ -98%
Amerihealth Caritas Managed Medicaid $53.24 ↓ -98%
Carolina Complete Health Managed Medicaid $53.24 ↓ -98%
Alliance Managed Medicaid $53.76 ↓ -98%
Cigna Healthspring Medicare Advantage $55.85 ↓ -97%
Humana Medicare Advantage $56.97 ↓ -97%
Aetna Medicare Advantage $57.80 ↓ -97%
United Healthcare Medicare Advantage $57.96 ↓ -97%
Alliance Behavioral Health $650.63 ↓ -70%
Aetna North Carolina Preferred Plus $906.00 ↓ -58%
Aetna Broad Network $1,020.00 ↓ -53%
Aetna Connected North Carolina Individual HMO $1,141.08 ↓ -47%
Ambetter CoBranded Commercial $1,317.19 ↓ -39%
Ambetter Individual Commercial $1,601.81 ↓ -26%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina Local Group Commercial $1,725.39 ↓ -20%
United Healthcare IEX Commercial $1,730.99 ↓ -20%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina Local Individual Commercial $1,843.38 ↓ -14%
Cigna Commercial NB $1,864.48 ↓ -13%
Employers Health Network Commercial $1,903.23 ↓ -12%
Physician Reach Out Plan P $2,152.98 ↑ +0%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina HMO-PPO Managed Care $2,270.53 ↑ +5%
Cigna HMO-PPO Managed Care $2,307.99 ↑ +7%
MedCost Ultra $2,553.43 ↑ +19%
Quik Trip Commercial $2,798.87 ↑ +30%
GMMI Commercial $2,798.87 ↑ +30%
Cigna Commercial SAR $2,906.52 ↑ +35%
Aetna Whole Health HMO $2,940.96 ↑ +37%
United Healthcare HMO-PPO Managed Care $3,345.72 ↑ +55%
Provider Select Commercial $3,875.36 ↑ +80%
First Health Commercial $3,875.36 ↑ +80%
ChoiceCare Commercial $3,875.36 ↑ +80%
Aetna First Health Commercial $3,875.36 ↑ +80%
Healthgram Commercial $3,875.36 ↑ +80%
Private Health Care Systems Commercial $3,961.47 ↑ +84%
MedCost PPO $4,047.59 ↑ +88%
Beechstreet Commercial $4,090.65 ↑ +90%
Multiplan Commercial $4,090.65 ↑ +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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Lower Back (Lumbar Spine) CT scan (with and without contrast) at other North-carolina hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Atrium Health Behavioral Health Charlotte Charlotte $2,152.98 $53.24 – $3,789.24
Atrium Health Cleveland Shelby $2,152.98 $52.71 – $4,090.65
Atrium Health Cabarrus Concord $2,152.98 $52.71 – $4,090.65
Atrium Health Lincoln Lincolnton $2,152.98 $52.71 – $4,090.65
Atrium Health Mercy Charlotte $2,152.98 $52.71 – $3,961.47
Atrium Health Pineville Charlotte $2,152.98 $52.71 – $3,961.47
Atrium Health Stanly Albermarle $2,152.98 $52.71 – $4,133.71
Atrium Health Union Monroe $2,152.98 $52.71 – $4,090.65

All North-carolina hospitals for this procedure →