Summary

6 facilities within 25 miles of Durham publish prices for Skin Biopsy Tangential. Cash prices range from $80 to $189 — a 2.4x difference for an identical procedure. The North Carolina average is $258.

$80 lowest
$189 highest
Best Value

Duke University Hospital

Durham, VA · Duke Health · 0.0 mi

$80 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 $80 is below the statewide average of $258.

All facilities ranked by price

1
Duke University Hospital 5★ · 0.0 mi · For-profit
$80
2
Duke Regional Hospital 4★ · 0.0 mi · Local government
$80
3
Wakemed, Raleigh Campus 4★ · 20.8 mi · Nonprofit
$130
4
Unc Hospitals 5★ · 10.4 mi · State government
$188
5
Rex Hospital 5★ · 20.8 mi · State government
$189
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 $80 $297 3.7x 5/5 80.0% For-profit
2 Duke Regional Hospital Duke Health Durham, NC · 0.0 mi $80 $297 3.7x 4/5 71.0% Local government
3 Wakemed, Raleigh Campus WakeMed Raleigh, NC · 20.8 mi $130 $342 2.63x 4/5 71.0% Nonprofit
4 Unc Hospitals UNC Health Chapel Hill, NC · 10.4 mi $188 $313 1.67x 5/5 78.0% State government
5 Rex Hospital UNC Health Raleigh, NC · 20.8 mi $189 $315 1.67x 5/5 80.0% State government
6 Duke Health Raleigh Hospital Duke Health Raleigh, NC · 19.2 mi $258

Insurance negotiated rates by facility

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

Duke University Hospital

Cash: $80
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
Piedmont Health Medicare Advantage $29 -$51
Alliance Health Managed Medicaid $67 -$13
AmeriHealth Managed Medicaid $67 -$13
Blue Cross Blue Shield Managed Medicaid $67 -$13
Carolina Complete Health Managed Medicaid $67 -$13
Trillium Managed Medicaid $67 -$13
UnitedHealthcare Managed Medicaid $67 -$13
UnitedHealthcare HMO $73 -$7
Partners Managed Medicaid $75 -$6
Cigna Connect $110 +$29
Aetna Whole Health $111 +$31
MedCost Ultra $127 +$46
Blue Cross Blue Shield Commercial/HMO/PPO/Select $150 +$70
Aetna Commercial/HMO/PPO/POS $164 +$84
Aetna Medicare Advantage HMO $185 +$104

14 additional plans not shown.

Duke Regional Hospital

Cash: $80
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
Piedmont Health Medicare Advantage $29 -$51
AmeriHealth Managed Medicaid $48 -$32
Blue Cross Blue Shield Managed Medicaid $48 -$32
Carolina Complete Health Managed Medicaid $48 -$32
Trillium Managed Medicaid $48 -$32
Alliance Health Managed Medicaid $53 -$27
Partners Managed Medicaid $53 -$27
UnitedHealthcare Managed Medicaid $56 -$24
UnitedHealthcare HMO $58 -$22
Cigna Connect $109 +$29
MedCost Ultra $129 +$49
Aetna Whole Health $137 +$57
Blue Cross Blue Shield Commercial/HMO/PPO/Select $163 +$83
Aetna Commercial/HMO/PPO/POS $164 +$84
Sentara Optima $185 +$105

13 additional plans not shown.

Wakemed, Raleigh Campus

Cash: $130
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
AmeriHealth Managed Medicaid $61 -$69
Carolina Complete Managed Medicaid $61 -$69
Wellcare Managed Medicaid $61 -$69
Cigna Exchange $101 -$29
Ambetter Exchange $124 -$6
Aetna Narrow Network $154 +$24
First Health Coventry Carelink $157 +$27
Blue Cross Blue Shield Commercial $170 +$40
Aetna Preferred $171 +$41
Cigna Commercial $174 +$44
Aetna Medicare Advantage $192 +$62
Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicare Advantage $192 +$62
Wellcare Medicare Advantage $192 +$62
Liberty Medicare Advantage $196 +$66
Pruitt Medicare Advantage $196 +$66

6 additional plans not shown.

Unc Hospitals

Cash: $188
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
Cigna CHOICE $73 -$115
NALC HEALTH BENEFIT PLAN HMO/PPO $73 -$115
ALLIANCE MANAGED MEDICAID $96 -$91
CAROLINA COMPLETE HEALTH MANAGED MEDICAID $96 -$91
HEALTHY BLUE NORTH CAROLINA MANAGED MEDICAID $96 -$91
UnitedHealthcare MANAGED MEDICAID $96 -$91
WELLCARE MANAGED MEDICAID $96 -$91
TRILLIUM MANAGED MEDICAID $97 -$90
PARTNERS MANAGED MEDICAID $99 -$89
VAYA HEALTH MANAGED MEDICAID $99 -$89
Aetna MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $194 +$6
ALIGNMENT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $194 +$6
ALIGNMENT PREFERRED PLUS HMO $194 +$6
Blue Cross Blue Shield MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $194 +$6

19 additional plans not shown.

Rex Hospital

Cash: $189
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
ALLIANCE MANAGED MEDICAID $70 -$119
CAROLINA COMPLETE HEALTH MANAGED MEDICAID $70 -$119
HEALTHY BLUE NORTH CAROLINA MANAGED MEDICAID $70 -$119
UnitedHealthcare MANAGED MEDICAID $70 -$119
WELLCARE MANAGED MEDICAID $70 -$119
TRILLIUM MANAGED MEDICAID $71 -$118
Cigna CHOICE $72 -$117
PARTNERS MANAGED MEDICAID $72 -$117
VAYA HEALTH MANAGED MEDICAID $72 -$117
Blue Cross Blue Shield BLUE HOME $88 -$101
LIBERTY MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $186 -$3
Aetna MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $192 +$3
ALIGNMENT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $192 +$3
ALIGNMENT SMART HMO $192 +$3

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 Skin Biopsy Tangential (CPT 11102). 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)
Wakemed, Raleigh Campus Nonprofit Call billing, request Financial Assistance application
Unc Hospitals State government N/A (for-profit)
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.