Price Comparison Report

TSH Thyroid Test

Durham, NC · 6 facilities · CPT 84443 · September 06, 2026

Summary

6 facilities within 25 miles of Durham publish prices for TSH Thyroid Test. Cash prices range from $19 to $114 — a 6.0x difference for an identical procedure. The North Carolina average is $111.

$19 lowest
$114 highest
Best Value

Wakemed, Raleigh Campus

Raleigh, VA · WakeMed · 20.8 mi

$19 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 $19 is below the statewide average of $111.

All facilities ranked by price

1
Wakemed, Raleigh Campus 4★ · 20.8 mi · Nonprofit
$19
2
Duke University Hospital 5★ · 0.0 mi · For-profit
$55
3
Duke Regional Hospital 4★ · 0.0 mi · Local government
$55
4
Rex Hospital 5★ · 20.8 mi · State government
$114
5
Unc Hospitals 5★ · 10.4 mi · State government
$114
Complete facility data
# Facility Cash Price Gross Charge Markup CMS Stars Patient Rating Ownership
1 Wakemed, Raleigh Campus WakeMed Raleigh, NC · 20.8 mi $19 $50 2.63x 4/5 71.0% Nonprofit
2 Duke University Hospital Duke Health Durham, NC · 0.0 mi $55 $202 3.7x 5/5 80.0% For-profit
3 Duke Regional Hospital Duke Health Durham, NC · 0.0 mi $55 $202 3.7x 4/5 71.0% Local government
4 Rex Hospital UNC Health Raleigh, NC · 20.8 mi $114 $190 1.67x 5/5 80.0% State government
5 Unc Hospitals UNC Health Chapel Hill, NC · 10.4 mi $114 $190 1.67x 5/5 78.0% State government
6 Duke Health Raleigh Hospital Duke Health Raleigh, NC · 19.2 mi — $203 — — —

Insurance negotiated rates by facility

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

Wakemed, Raleigh Campus

Cash: $19
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
AmeriHealth Managed Medicaid $13 -$6
Carolina Complete Managed Medicaid $13 -$6
Wellcare Managed Medicaid $13 -$6
Cigna Exchange $15 -$4
Aetna Medicare Advantage $17 -$2
Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicare Advantage $17 -$2
Wellcare Medicare Advantage $17 -$2
Liberty Medicare Advantage $17 -$2
Pruitt Medicare Advantage $17 -$2
Alignment Medicare Advantage $18 -$1
Aetna Narrow Network $22 +$4
First Health Coventry Carelink $23 +$4
Ambetter Exchange $25 +$6
Blue Cross Blue Shield Commercial $25 +$6
Aetna Preferred $25 +$6

6 additional plans not shown.

Duke University Hospital

Cash: $55
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
Aetna Medicare Advantage HMO $16 -$39
Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicare Advantage/Medicare Advantage HMO/Medicare Advantage PPO $16 -$38
UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage $16 -$38
Aetna Medicare Advantage PPO $17 -$38
Troy Health Medicare Advantage $17 -$38
VOANS Medicare Advantage $17 -$38
Humana Medicare Advantage $17 -$38
Cigna Medicare Advantage $17 -$37
Liberty Medicare Advantage $17 -$37
UnitedHealthcare Commercial/EPO/PPO $20 -$34
Alliance Health Managed Medicaid $20 -$34
AmeriHealth Managed Medicaid $20 -$34
Blue Cross Blue Shield Managed Medicaid $20 -$34
Carolina Complete Health Managed Medicaid $20 -$34
Trillium Managed Medicaid $20 -$34

10 additional plans not shown.

Duke Regional Hospital

Cash: $55
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
Aetna Medicare Advantage HMO $16 -$39
UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage $16 -$38
Aetna Medicare Advantage PPO $17 -$38
Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicare Advantage/Medicare Advantage HMO/Medicare Advantage PPO $17 -$38
Troy Health Medicare Advantage $17 -$38
VOANS Medicare Advantage $17 -$38
Humana Medicare Advantage $17 -$38
Cigna Medicare Advantage $17 -$37
Liberty Medicare Advantage $17 -$37
UnitedHealthcare Commercial/EPO/PPO $20 -$34
AmeriHealth Managed Medicaid $20 -$34
Blue Cross Blue Shield Managed Medicaid $20 -$34
Carolina Complete Health Managed Medicaid $20 -$34
Trillium Managed Medicaid $20 -$34
Alliance Health Managed Medicaid $20 -$34

9 additional plans not shown.

Rex Hospital

Cash: $114
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
Blue Cross Blue Shield MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $16 -$98
ALIGNMENT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $17 -$97
ALIGNMENT SMART HMO $17 -$97
HEALTH TEAM ADVANTAGE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $17 -$97
TRICARE HMO $17 -$97
Aetna MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $17 -$97
Cigna MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $18 -$96
Medicare MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $18 -$96
Humana MEDICARE ADVANTAGE GOLD PLUS $18 -$96
LIBERTY MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $18 -$96
UnitedHealthcare MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $18 -$96
WELLCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $18 -$96
CAROLINA COMPLETE HEALTH MANAGED MEDICAID $30 -$84
HEALTHY BLUE NORTH CAROLINA MANAGED MEDICAID $30 -$84

13 additional plans not shown.

Unc Hospitals

Cash: $114
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
Blue Cross Blue Shield MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $16 -$98
TRICARE HMO $16 -$98
ALIGNMENT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $17 -$97
ALIGNMENT PREFERRED PLUS HMO $17 -$97
HEALTH TEAM ADVANTAGE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $17 -$97
Medicare MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $17 -$97
WELLCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $17 -$97
Aetna MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $17 -$97
Cigna MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $18 -$96
Humana MEDICARE ADVANTAGE GOLD PLUS $18 -$96
Humana MEDICARE ADVANTAGE STATE HEALTH PLAN $18 -$96
LIBERTY MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $18 -$96
UnitedHealthcare MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $18 -$96
OPTUM HEALTH BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $19 -$95
Blue Cross Blue Shield BLUE HOME $24 -$90

19 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 TSH Thyroid Test (CPT 84443). 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
Wakemed, Raleigh Campus Nonprofit — Call billing, request Financial Assistance application
Duke University Hospital For-profit — N/A (for-profit)
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)
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.