Summary

6 facilities within 25 miles of Durham publish prices for Emergency Room Visit — Moderate (Level 3). Cash prices range from $340 to $836 — a 2.5x difference for an identical procedure. The North Carolina average is $1,104.

$340 lowest
$836 highest
Best Value

Duke University Hospital

Durham, VA · Duke Health · 0.0 mi

$340 Cash price
5/5 CMS rating
80.0% Patient satisfaction

Lowest price among hospitals rated 5 stars or above. Patient satisfaction: 80%. Cash price of $340 is below the statewide average of $1,104.

All facilities ranked by price

1
Duke University Hospital 5★ · 0.0 mi · For-profit
$340
2
Duke Regional Hospital 4★ · 0.0 mi · Local government
$350
3
Unc Hospitals 5★ · 10.4 mi · State government
$562
4
Wakemed, Raleigh Campus 4★ · 20.8 mi · Nonprofit
$608
5
Rex Hospital 5★ · 20.8 mi · State government
$836
Complete facility data
# Facility Cash Price Gross Charge Markup CMS Stars Patient Rating Ownership
1 Duke University Hospital Duke Health Durham, NC · 0.0 mi $340 $1,261 3.7x 5/5 80.0% For-profit
2 Duke Regional Hospital Duke Health Durham, NC · 0.0 mi $350 $1,296 3.7x 4/5 71.0% Local government
3 Unc Hospitals UNC Health Chapel Hill, NC · 10.4 mi $562 $937 1.67x 5/5 78.0% State government
4 Wakemed, Raleigh Campus WakeMed Raleigh, NC · 20.8 mi $608 $1,600 2.63x 4/5 71.0% Nonprofit
5 Rex Hospital UNC Health Raleigh, NC · 20.8 mi $836 $1,393 1.67x 5/5 80.0% State government
6 Duke Health Raleigh Hospital Duke Health Raleigh, NC · 19.2 mi $1,072

Insurance negotiated rates by facility

The rates below are what each insurer has contractually agreed to pay this hospital for Emergency Room Visit — Moderate (Level 3). Your actual out-of-pocket cost depends on your deductible status and copay structure.

Duke University Hospital

Cash: $340
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
Piedmont Health Medicare Advantage $66 -$274
Blue Cross Blue Shield HPN $122 -$219
UnitedHealthcare HMO $137 -$204
UnitedHealthcare Options $197 -$143
Aetna Medicare Advantage HMO $257 -$83
Aetna Medicare Advantage PPO $266 -$74
Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicare Advantage/Medicare Advantage HMO/Medicare Advantage PPO $266 -$74
Humana Medicare Advantage $266 -$74
UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage $266 -$74
Troy Health Medicare Advantage $270 -$71
VOANS Medicare Advantage $270 -$71
Cigna Medicare Advantage $275 -$65
Liberty Medicare Advantage $275 -$65
Alliance Health Managed Medicaid $285 -$55
AmeriHealth Managed Medicaid $285 -$55

14 additional plans not shown.

Duke Regional Hospital

Cash: $350
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
Piedmont Health Medicare Advantage $66 -$283
UnitedHealthcare HMO $89 -$261
Blue Cross Blue Shield HPN $122 -$228
AmeriHealth Managed Medicaid $209 -$141
Blue Cross Blue Shield Managed Medicaid $209 -$141
Carolina Complete Health Managed Medicaid $209 -$141
Trillium Managed Medicaid $209 -$141
Alliance Health Managed Medicaid $232 -$118
Partners Managed Medicaid $232 -$118
UnitedHealthcare Managed Medicaid $243 -$107
Aetna Medicare Advantage HMO $261 -$89
Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicare Advantage/Medicare Advantage HMO/Medicare Advantage PPO $270 -$80
UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage $270 -$80
Troy Health Medicare Advantage $270 -$80
VOANS Medicare Advantage $270 -$80

13 additional plans not shown.

Unc Hospitals

Cash: $562
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
Aetna MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $270 -$292
ALIGNMENT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $270 -$292
ALIGNMENT PREFERRED PLUS HMO $270 -$292
Blue Cross Blue Shield MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $270 -$292
Cigna MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $270 -$292
Medicare MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $270 -$292
HEALTH TEAM ADVANTAGE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $270 -$292
Humana MEDICARE ADVANTAGE GOLD PLUS $270 -$292
Humana MEDICARE ADVANTAGE STATE HEALTH PLAN $270 -$292
LIBERTY MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $270 -$292
TRICARE HMO $270 -$292
UnitedHealthcare MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $270 -$292
WELLCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $270 -$292
CAROLINA COMPLETE HEALTH MANAGED MEDICAID $289 -$274

19 additional plans not shown.

Wakemed, Raleigh Campus

Cash: $608
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
Aetna Medicare Advantage $268 -$340
Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicare Advantage $268 -$340
Wellcare Medicare Advantage $268 -$340
Liberty Medicare Advantage $273 -$335
Pruitt Medicare Advantage $273 -$335
Alignment Medicare Advantage $281 -$327
AmeriHealth Managed Medicaid $287 -$321
Carolina Complete Managed Medicaid $287 -$321
Wellcare Managed Medicaid $287 -$321
Cigna Exchange $470 -$138
Ambetter Exchange $580 -$28
Aetna Narrow Network $720 +$112
First Health Coventry Carelink $736 +$128
Blue Cross Blue Shield Commercial $797 +$189
Aetna Preferred $800 +$192

6 additional plans not shown.

Rex Hospital

Cash: $836
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
Blue Cross Blue Shield BLUE HOME $260 -$576
Aetna MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $268 -$568
ALIGNMENT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $268 -$568
ALIGNMENT SMART HMO $268 -$568
Blue Cross Blue Shield MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $268 -$568
Cigna MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $268 -$568
Medicare MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $268 -$568
HEALTH TEAM ADVANTAGE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $268 -$568
Humana MEDICARE ADVANTAGE GOLD PLUS $268 -$568
LIBERTY MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $268 -$568
TRICARE HMO $268 -$568
UnitedHealthcare MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $268 -$568
WELLCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $268 -$568
ALLIANCE MANAGED MEDICAID $310 -$526

13 additional plans not shown.

Before you call

The data in this report is from each hospital's publicly filed prices. Here's how to use it.

Confirm the price

Call the hospital's billing department and ask for a price estimate or Good Faith Estimate for Emergency Room Visit — Moderate (Level 3) (CPT 99283). Under federal law, they must provide this. Compare it to the published price in this report.

Ask about cash pay

If you haven't met your deductible, ask for the cash/self-pay rate. At many hospitals, the cash price is lower than the insurance-negotiated rate. You can see this in the insurance table above — some negotiated rates exceed the cash price.

Compare before you schedule

You are not required to use the facility your doctor referred you to. You can request a referral to any in-network facility. The same procedure, same quality — sometimes at a fraction of the price.

Ask about financial help

Most nonprofit hospitals in Virginia offer financial assistance to patients based on household income. This is separate from insurance — even insured patients can qualify. Ask billing for their Financial Assistance Policy.

Financial assistance by facility

Nonprofit hospitals are legally required to have financial assistance programs. Below is what we know about each facility's charitable care.

Facility Status Charity Care Provided How to Apply
Duke University Hospital For-profit N/A (for-profit)
Duke Regional Hospital Local government N/A (for-profit)
Unc Hospitals State government N/A (for-profit)
Wakemed, Raleigh Campus Nonprofit Call billing, request Financial Assistance application
Rex Hospital State government N/A (for-profit)
Duke Health Raleigh Hospital N/A (for-profit)

What to do next

  1. Identify your top 2-3 facilities based on price, quality rating, and distance. The data in this report shows that lower price does not mean lower quality — check the star ratings.
  2. Call billing before you schedule. Confirm the published price. Ask for a Good Faith Estimate. Ask whether there's a prompt-pay or cash-pay discount beyond the listed rate.
  3. Check your deductible status. If you haven't met your deductible, compare the cash rate to what you'd owe through insurance. In some cases, paying cash is cheaper than using your plan.
  4. Apply for financial assistance if your household income is under $60,000-$125,000 (thresholds vary). Most eligible patients never apply because they don't know the program exists.
  5. Get everything in writing. Before your procedure, get a written price estimate. After, review the bill line by line. Roughly 80% of hospital bills contain errors (Becker's Hospital Review).

Data sources

Hospital prices
Published machine-readable files, required under CMS Hospital Price Transparency Rule (45 CFR Part 180)
Quality ratings
CMS Hospital Compare, updated quarterly
Patient satisfaction
HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems)
Financial data
CMS Cost Reports (charity care, revenue) and IRS 990 filings (officer compensation)

This report is for informational purposes only. It is not medical advice. Every price shown is a price a hospital published — not an estimate. Actual out-of-pocket costs depend on your insurance plan, deductible status, and clinical circumstances. Consult your healthcare provider and insurer before making decisions.