Summary

5 facilities within 25 miles of Durham publish prices for ESWL Shockwave Lithotripsy. Cash prices range from $4,670 to $12,374 — a 2.6x difference for an identical procedure. The North Carolina average is $7,529.

$4,670 lowest
$12,374 highest
Best Value

Duke Regional Hospital

Durham, VA · Duke Health · 0.0 mi

$4,670 Cash price
4/5 CMS rating
71.0% Patient satisfaction

Lowest price among hospitals rated 4 stars or above. Patient satisfaction: 71%. Cash price of $4,670 is below the statewide average of $7,529.

All facilities ranked by price

1
Duke Regional Hospital 4★ · 0.0 mi · Local government
$4,670
2
Rex Hospital 5★ · 20.8 mi · State government
$12,374
3
Unc Hospitals 5★ · 10.4 mi · State government
$12,374
Complete facility data
# Facility Cash Price Gross Charge Markup CMS Stars Patient Rating Ownership
1 Duke Regional Hospital Duke Health Durham, NC · 0.0 mi $4,670 $17,296 3.7x 4/5 71.0% Local government
2 Rex Hospital UNC Health Raleigh, NC · 20.8 mi $12,374 $20,624 1.67x 5/5 80.0% State government
3 Unc Hospitals UNC Health Chapel Hill, NC · 10.4 mi $12,374 $20,624 1.67x 5/5 78.0% State government
4 Wakemed, Raleigh Campus WakeMed Raleigh, NC · 20.8 mi 4/5 71.0% Nonprofit
5 Duke Health Raleigh Hospital Duke Health Raleigh, NC · 19.2 mi $15,740

Insurance negotiated rates by facility

The rates below are what each insurer has contractually agreed to pay this hospital for ESWL Shockwave Lithotripsy. Your actual out-of-pocket cost depends on your deductible status and copay structure.

Duke Regional Hospital

Cash: $4,670
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
AmeriHealth Managed Medicaid $2,783 -$1,887
Blue Cross Blue Shield Managed Medicaid $2,783 -$1,887
Carolina Complete Health Managed Medicaid $2,783 -$1,887
Trillium Managed Medicaid $2,783 -$1,887
Alliance Health Managed Medicaid $3,093 -$1,577
Partners Managed Medicaid $3,093 -$1,577
UnitedHealthcare Managed Medicaid $3,247 -$1,423
Troy Health Medicare Advantage $3,359 -$1,311
VOANS Medicare Advantage $3,359 -$1,311
Cigna Medicare Advantage $3,426 -$1,244
Liberty Medicare Advantage $3,426 -$1,244
Aetna Medicare Advantage HMO $3,632 -$1,038
Aetna Medicare Advantage PPO $3,632 -$1,038
Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicare Advantage/Medicare Advantage HMO/Medicare Advantage PPO $4,324 -$346
Cigna Connect $6,365 +$1,695

7 additional plans not shown.

Rex Hospital

Cash: $12,374
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
Aetna MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $3,334 -$9,040
ALIGNMENT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $3,334 -$9,040
ALIGNMENT SMART HMO $3,334 -$9,040
Blue Cross Blue Shield MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $3,334 -$9,040
Cigna MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $3,334 -$9,040
Medicare MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $3,334 -$9,040
HEALTH TEAM ADVANTAGE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $3,334 -$9,040
Humana MEDICARE ADVANTAGE GOLD PLUS $3,334 -$9,040
LIBERTY MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $3,334 -$9,040
TRICARE HMO $3,334 -$9,040
UnitedHealthcare MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $3,334 -$9,040
WELLCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $3,334 -$9,040
Blue Cross Blue Shield BLUE HOME $3,591 -$8,784
ALLIANCE MANAGED MEDICAID $4,587 -$7,788

13 additional plans not shown.

Unc Hospitals

Cash: $12,374
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
Aetna MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $3,365 -$9,010
ALIGNMENT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $3,365 -$9,010
ALIGNMENT PREFERRED PLUS HMO $3,365 -$9,010
Blue Cross Blue Shield MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $3,365 -$9,010
Cigna MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $3,365 -$9,010
Medicare MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $3,365 -$9,010
HEALTH TEAM ADVANTAGE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $3,365 -$9,010
Humana MEDICARE ADVANTAGE GOLD PLUS $3,365 -$9,010
Humana MEDICARE ADVANTAGE STATE HEALTH PLAN $3,365 -$9,010
LIBERTY MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $3,365 -$9,010
TRICARE HMO $3,365 -$9,010
UnitedHealthcare MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $3,365 -$9,010
WELLCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $3,365 -$9,010
ALLIANCE MANAGED MEDICAID $6,352 -$6,022

19 additional plans not shown.

Wakemed, Raleigh Campus

Cash: N/A
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate
Ambetter Exchange $1,036
Blue Cross Blue Shield Commercial $1,612
Aetna Medicare Advantage $3,334
Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicare Advantage $3,334
Wellcare Medicare Advantage $3,334
Liberty Medicare Advantage $3,401
Pruitt Medicare Advantage $3,401
Alignment Medicare Advantage $3,501

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 ESWL Shockwave Lithotripsy (CPT 50590). 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 Regional Hospital Local government N/A (for-profit)
Rex Hospital State government N/A (for-profit)
Unc Hospitals State government N/A (for-profit)
Wakemed, Raleigh Campus Nonprofit Call billing, request Financial Assistance application
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.