Hospital prices in North Carolina

Compare what every hospital we cover in North Carolina charges for common procedures, side by side with quality ratings and insurance rates.

34 Hospitals
113 Procedures priced
93 Insurance plans

34 hospitals in North Carolina publish prices for 113 common medical procedures, from basic lab tests and imaging to major surgeries. Prices vary substantially within each procedure — see the biggest differences below.

North Carolina Hospital Pricing Report — verified findings from real data Read the report →

Biggest price differences

The same procedure costs dramatically different amounts at North Carolina hospitals.

Heart Calcium Score (Cardiac CT)
$100 lowest
29.0x
$2,883 highest
Compare 28 hospitals → Chest X-Ray 2 Views
$93 lowest
16.9x
$1,570 highest
Compare 32 hospitals → Transforaminal Epidural Injection
$163 lowest
13.6x
$2,207 highest
Compare 17 hospitals → Joint Injection
$62 lowest
10.1x
$620 highest
Compare 19 hospitals → Lumpectomy
$619 lowest
9.7x
$5,974 highest
Compare 14 hospitals → Eye Injection Intravitreal
$142 lowest
9.4x
$1,327 highest
Compare 13 hospitals →

All procedures with price data

Every procedure where North Carolina hospitals publish price data, grouped by category. Each link opens a comparison across all hospitals offering that procedure.

Cancer

Chemotherapy Infusion First Hour 12 hospitals · median $820 Lumpectomy 10 hospitals · median $5,890

Cardiac

Carotid Duplex Scan 13 hospitals · median $1,146 Coronary Stent Placement 9 hospitals · median $11,354 Echocardiogram Complete 14 hospitals · median $1,780 Left Heart Catheterization 9 hospitals · median $14,653 Stress Echocardiogram 12 hospitals · median $1,031

Dermatology

Skin Biopsy Punch 10 hospitals · median $207 Skin Biopsy Tangential 11 hospitals · median $207

Emergency

Emergency Room Visit — Critical (Level 5) 15 hospitals · median $1,682 Emergency Room Visit — High Acuity (Level 4) 15 hospitals · median $1,591 Emergency Room Visit — Moderate (Level 3) 15 hospitals · median $1,519

Gynecologic

HPV High-Risk Test 15 hospitals · median $183 Hysteroscopy with Biopsy 10 hospitals · median $3,045 Pap Smear Liquid-Based Cytology 15 hospitals · median $131 Pap Smear with Physician Interpretation 6 hospitals · median $16

Imaging

CT Abdomen and Pelvis with Contrast 15 hospitals · median $3,217 CT Abdomen and Pelvis without Contrast 15 hospitals · median $2,875 CT Angiography Chest 15 hospitals · median $2,094 CT Chest with Contrast 15 hospitals · median $1,609 CT Chest without Contrast 15 hospitals · median $1,350 CT Head without Contrast 15 hospitals · median $1,269 Chest X-Ray 2 Views 15 hospitals · median $232 DEXA Scan (Bone Density) 15 hospitals · median $413 Heart Calcium Score (Cardiac CT) 15 hospitals · median $100 MRI Brain with Contrast 12 hospitals · median $2,267 MRI Brain with and without Contrast 12 hospitals · median $2,659 MRI Brain without Contrast 12 hospitals · median $1,765 MRI Cervical Spine without Contrast 12 hospitals · median $1,948 MRI Knee with and without Contrast 11 hospitals · median $2,495 MRI Knee without Contrast 11 hospitals · median $1,922 MRI Lumbar Spine with and without Contrast 11 hospitals · median $2,656 MRI Lumbar Spine without Contrast 11 hospitals · median $2,013 MRI Shoulder without Contrast 11 hospitals · median $1,938 PET Scan Whole Body 14 hospitals · median $4,174 Screening Mammography 14 hospitals · median $320 Shoulder X-Ray 15 hospitals · median $279 Ultrasound Abdomen Complete 15 hospitals · median $665 Ultrasound Pregnancy 15 hospitals · median $479 Ultrasound Transvaginal 15 hospitals · median $492

Lab

Blood Draw / Venipuncture 15 hospitals · median $5 CBC Complete Blood Count 15 hospitals · median $135 Comprehensive Metabolic Panel 15 hospitals · median $245 Ferritin Level 15 hospitals · median $157 Hemoglobin A1C 15 hospitals · median $137 Lipid Panel 15 hospitals · median $188 PSA Prostate Screening 15 hospitals · median $104 TSH Thyroid Test 15 hospitals · median $187 Urinalysis with Microscopy 15 hospitals · median $40 Vitamin D Level 15 hospitals · median $225

Office

Hospital Outpatient Clinic Visit 9 hospitals · median $246 Office Visit Established Patient Level 3 6 hospitals · median $154 Office Visit Established Patient Level 4 5 hospitals · median $159

Pain

Epidural Steroid Injection 9 hospitals · median $2,208 Facet Joint Injection 9 hospitals · median $2,227 Joint Injection 9 hospitals · median $620 Transforaminal Epidural Injection 9 hospitals · median $2,207

Rehab

Neuromuscular Re-education 15 hospitals · median $90 Physical Therapy Manual Therapy 15 hospitals · median $122 Physical Therapy Therapeutic Exercise 15 hospitals · median $94 Therapeutic Activities 15 hospitals · median $101

Screening

Colonoscopy Diagnostic 3 hospitals · median $1,586 Colonoscopy with Biopsy 3 hospitals · median $1,653 Colonoscopy with Polyp Removal 3 hospitals · median $1,509 Diagnostic Mammography Bilateral 13 hospitals · median $443 Diagnostic Mammography Unilateral 13 hospitals · median $221 Screening Colonoscopy Average Risk 3 hospitals · median $1,599 Screening Colonoscopy High Risk 3 hospitals · median $1,599 Sleep Study 10 hospitals · median $3,183 Spirometry Pulmonary Function Test 15 hospitals · median $235

Surgery

Eye Injection Intravitreal 9 hospitals · median $1,327 Upper GI Endoscopy with Biopsy 3 hospitals · median $1,650

Urologic

Cystoscopy 10 hospitals · median $404 ESWL Shockwave Lithotripsy 9 hospitals · median $2,535 Prostate Biopsy 10 hospitals · median $898

Price by hospital system

Average cash price for the same procedures across all hospitals in each multi-hospital system, ranked low to high. Useful when a system operates multiple campuses with different pricing.

SystemAvg PriceHospitalsAvg Rating
Novant Health $730 14 3.6★
Duke Health $967 2 4.5★
Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist $1,052 2 3.0★
UNC Health $1,430 3 3.9★
Atrium Health $1,561 9 3.0★

Cities we cover in North Carolina

Metros with hospital price data. Each card opens that city's most-covered procedure — branch out from there to other procedures.

High Point 69 procedures · up to 8 hospitals Charlotte 67 procedures · up to 15 hospitals Durham 64 procedures · up to 5 hospitals Raleigh 61 procedures · up to 4 hospitals Chapel Hill 59 procedures · up to 3 hospitals Winston-Salem 50 procedures · up to 4 hospitals

All North Carolina hospitals

34 hospitals ranked by quality.

Hospital City Stars Patient Rating Ownership
Duke University Hospital Duke Health Durham ★★★★★ 80.0% For-profit
Rex Hospital UNC Health Raleigh ★★★★★ 80.0% State government
Unc Hospitals UNC Health Chapel Hill ★★★★★ 78.0% State government
Atrium Health Lincoln Atrium Health Lincolnton ★★★★☆ 80.0% Local government
Duke Regional Hospital Duke Health Durham ★★★★☆ 71.0% Local government
Novant Health Brunswick Medical Center Novant Health Supply ★★★★☆ 71.0% Nonprofit
Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center Novant Health Winston-Salem ★★★★☆ 68.0% Nonprofit
Novant Health Huntersville Medical Center Novant Health Huntersville ★★★★☆ 66.0% Nonprofit
Novant Health Matthews Medical Center Novant Health Matthews ★★★★☆ 70.0% Nonprofit
Novant Health Medical Park Hospital Novant Health Winston-Salem ★★★★☆ 92.0% Nonprofit
Novant Health Mint Hill Medical Center Novant Health Charlotte ★★★★☆ 81.0% Nonprofit
Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center Novant Health Charlotte ★★★★☆ 65.0% Nonprofit
Wakemed, Raleigh Campus WakeMed Raleigh ★★★★☆ 71.0% Nonprofit
Atrium Health Pineville Atrium Health Charlotte ★★★☆☆ 72.0% Local government
Atrium Health Union Atrium Health Monroe ★★★☆☆ 74.0% Local government
Atrium Health University City Atrium Health Charlotte ★★★☆☆ 66.0% Local government
Carolinas Medical Center-northeast Atrium Health Concord ★★★☆☆ 71.0% Local government
Carolinas Medical Center/behav Health Atrium Health Charlotte ★★★☆☆ 71.0% Local government
Lexington Memorial Hospital INC Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Lexington ★★★☆☆ 72.0% Nonprofit
Novant Health Thomasville Medical Center Novant Health Thomasville ★★★☆☆ 69.0% Nonprofit
Stanly Regional Medical Center Atrium Health Albemarle ★★★☆☆ 71.0% Nonprofit
Atrium Health Cleveland Atrium Health Shelby ★★☆☆☆ 71.0% Local government
High Point Regional Health System UNC Health High Point ★★☆☆☆ 64.0% Nonprofit
Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center Novant Health Wilmington ★★☆☆☆ 56.0% Local government
Novant Health Rowan Medical Center Novant Health Salisbury ★★☆☆☆ 63.0% Nonprofit
Atrium Health Anson Atrium Health Wadesboro — 81.0% Local government
Davie Medical Center Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Bermuda Run — —
Duke Health Raleigh Hospital Duke Health Raleigh — —
J Arthur Dosher Memorial Hospital Southport — 85.0% Nonprofit
Novant Health Ballantyne Medical Center Novant Health Charlotte — 80.0% Nonprofit
Novant Health Charlotte Orthopedic Hospital Novant Health Charlotte — —
Novant Health Clemmons Medical Center Novant Health Clemmons — —
Novant Health Kernersville Medical Center Novant Health Kernersville — —
Novant Health Pender Medical Center Novant Health Burgaw — — Local government

Common questions

How much do hospital procedures cost in North Carolina?

Procedure prices at 34 North Carolina hospitals range from $3 to $14,653. The average is $1,114. Prices vary by hospital, ownership type, location, and insurance plan.

Why do North Carolina hospitals charge different prices for the same procedure?

Price variation is driven by ownership type (for-profit hospitals charge more on average), location, negotiated insurance rates, and facility overhead. The CMS Hospital Price Transparency Rule requires every hospital to publish all prices, making these differences visible.

Can I save money by paying cash instead of using insurance?

In many cases, yes. Our analysis shows that a significant percentage of insurance negotiated rates exceed the hospital's own cash price. If you haven't met your deductible, ask the billing department about their cash rate before scheduling.

Data compiled by HospitalCost from 17 federal sources including CMS Hospital Price Transparency files, Hospital Compare, HCAHPS, and Medicare Cost Reports. Updated August 2026.