Shock wave lithotripsy cost in Charlotte, NC
In Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC, 13 hospitals list a cash price for shock-wave lithotripsy to break up kidney stones (from outside the body): from $2,535.35 to $27,206.00, with a median of $2,535.35. The lowest listed price is at Carolinas Medical Center and 7 other hospitals. Across North Carolina, the median is $3,483.20 at 29 hospitals.
Cash prices at 13 facilities across 10 cities for code 50590, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Dec 1, 2025 and May 11, 2026.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carolinas Medical Center lowest Charlotte, NC · (704) 355-2000 HC LITHOTRIPSY INITIAL-GOV PAYORS | $2,535.35 | $5,070.70 | $1,105.92–$6,783.74 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center lowest Charlotte, NC · (704) 355-2000 HC LITHOTRIPSY | $2,535.35 | $5,070.70 | $971.04–$6,783.74 | 50% | Dec 4, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center lowest Charlotte, NC · (704) 355-2000 HC LITHOTRIPSY INITIAL-GOV PAYORS | $2,535.35 | $5,070.70 | $971.04–$6,783.74 | 50% | Dec 4, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center lowest Charlotte, NC · (704) 355-2000 HC LITHOTRIPSY | $2,535.35 | $5,070.70 | $911.20–$6,783.74 | 50% | Dec 4, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center lowest Charlotte, NC · (704) 355-2000 HC LITHOTRIPSY INITIAL-GOV PAYORS | $2,535.35 | $5,070.70 | $911.20–$6,783.74 | 50% | Dec 4, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center lowest Charlotte, NC · (704) 355-2000 HC LITHOTRIPSY | $2,535.35 | $5,070.70 | $963.43–$5,070.70 | 50% | Dec 4, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center lowest Charlotte, NC · (704) 355-2000 HC LITHOTRIPSY INITIAL-GOV PAYORS | $2,535.35 | $5,070.70 | $963.43–$5,070.70 | 50% | Dec 4, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center lowest Charlotte, NC · (704) 355-2000 HC LITHOTRIPSY | $2,535.35 | $5,070.70 | $1,105.92–$6,783.74 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Rehabilitation lowest Charlotte, NC HC LITHOTRIPSY INITIAL-GOV PAYORS | $2,535.35 | $5,070.70 | $1,551.13–$4,665.04 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Rehabilitation lowest Charlotte, NC HC LITHOTRIPSY | $2,535.35 | $5,070.70 | $1,551.13–$4,665.04 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Rehabilitation lowest Belmont, NC HC LITHOTRIPSY | $2,535.35 | $5,070.70 | $1,551.13–$4,665.04 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Rehabilitation lowest Belmont, NC HC LITHOTRIPSY INITIAL-GOV PAYORS | $2,535.35 | $5,070.70 | $1,551.13–$4,665.04 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Anson lowest Wadesboro, NC · (704) 694-5131 HC LITHOTRIPSY | $2,535.35 | $5,070.70 | $758.58–$4,817.17 | 50% | Dec 1, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Anson lowest Wadesboro, NC · (704) 694-5131 HC LITHOTRIPSY INITIAL-GOV PAYORS | $2,535.35 | $5,070.70 | $758.58–$4,817.17 | 50% | Dec 1, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Lincoln lowest Lincolnton, NC · (980) 212-2000 HC LITHOTRIPSY | $2,535.35 | $5,070.70 | $571.97–$4,817.17 | 50% | Dec 1, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Lincoln lowest Lincolnton, NC · (980) 212-2000 HC LITHOTRIPSY INITIAL-GOV PAYORS | $2,535.35 | $5,070.70 | $571.97–$4,817.17 | 50% | Dec 1, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Union lowest Monroe, NC · (704) 283-3100 HC LITHOTRIPSY | $2,535.35 | $5,070.70 | $659.19–$4,817.17 | 50% | Dec 4, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Union lowest Monroe, NC · (704) 283-3100 HC LITHOTRIPSY INITIAL-GOV PAYORS | $2,535.35 | $5,070.70 | $659.19–$4,817.17 | 50% | Dec 4, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Pineville lowest Charlotte, NC · (704) 379-5000 HC LITHOTRIPSY | $2,535.35 | $5,070.70 | $507.07–$4,665.04 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Pineville lowest Charlotte, NC · (704) 379-5000 HC LITHOTRIPSY INITIAL-GOV PAYORS | $2,535.35 | $5,070.70 | $507.07–$4,665.04 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Pineville lowest Charlotte, NC · (704) 379-5000 HC LITHOTRIPSY INITIAL-GOV PAYORS | $2,535.35 | $5,070.70 | $507.07–$4,918.58 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Pineville lowest Charlotte, NC · (704) 379-5000 HC LITHOTRIPSY | $2,535.35 | $5,070.70 | $507.07–$4,918.58 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center-Northeast lowest Concord, NC · (704) 783-3000 HC LITHOTRIPSY | $2,535.35 | $5,070.70 | $622.17–$4,817.17 | 50% | Dec 1, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center-Northeast lowest Concord, NC · (704) 783-3000 HC LITHOTRIPSY INITIAL-GOV PAYORS | $2,535.35 | $5,070.70 | $622.17–$4,817.17 | 50% | Dec 1, 2025 source file |
| Duke Health Lake Norman Hospital Mooresville, NC · (704) 660-4000 HC LITHOTRIPSY | $9,589.05 | $35,515.00 | $3,118.22–$26,318.00 | 73% | — source file |
| Duke Health Lake Norman Hospital Mooresville, NC · (704) 660-4000 Lithotripsy | $9,589.05 | $35,515.00 | $10,334.87–$12,252.68 | 73% | — source file |
| Duke Health Lake Norman Hospital Mooresville, NC · (704) 660-4000 Lithotripsy | $9,589.05 | $35,515.00 | $10,334.87–$12,252.68 | 73% | — source file |
| MUSC Lancaster Medical Center Lancaster, SC · (803) 286-1481 HB LITHOTRIPSY | $12,555.50 | $25,111.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Gastonia, NC · (704) 834-4891 HCHG LITHOTRIPSY | $27,206.00 | $27,206.00 | $3,601.33–$25,845.70 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Belmont, NC HCHG LITHOTRIPSY | $27,206.00 | $27,206.00 | $3,601.33–$25,845.70 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Mount Holly, NC HCHG LITHOTRIPSY | $27,206.00 | $27,206.00 | $3,601.33–$25,845.70 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $2,535.35, median $2,535.35, highest $27,206.00 — a 10.7× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 13 facilities here, median $2,535.35. Inpatient and outpatient prices are not comparable and are kept on separate pages: the inpatient charge covers admission, not the same purchase.
Cash or insurance?
At 9 of 12 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at none is it below every plan's rate. If you have insurance but have not met your deductible, you usually pay your plan's negotiated rate, which falls somewhere in the "Insurers pay" column. Paying cash can cost less, but a cash payment usually does not count toward your deductible. Ask the hospital for both numbers before you book.
What it is
Shock-wave lithotripsy breaks kidney or ureter stones into small pieces with sound waves aimed from outside the body, so the pieces can pass in the urine. No cut is made, and it is usually done under sedation or anesthesia.
What the price covers
The listed price usually covers the lithotripsy treatment in the facility. The urologist, anesthesia, X-rays and any stent placement are often billed separately; some hospitals rent the machine from an outside company, which can change how the charge is listed.