Lab tests CPT 80051 Inpatient — admitted to hospital

Electrolyte panel cost in Charlotte, NC — inpatient

In Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC, 16 hospitals list a cash price for electrolyte panel (sodium, potassium, chloride, CO2) as an inpatient: from $86.33 to $328.50, with a median of $103.67. The lowest listed price is at Carolinas Medical Center and 7 other hospitals — $17.34 less than the median here. Across North Carolina, the median is $79.20 at 52 hospitals.

Cash prices at 16 facilities across 13 cities for code 80051, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 28, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Dec 1, 2025 and Sep 1, 2026.

Lowest$86.33Carolinas Medical Center + 7 more
Median$103.67half of hospitals charge less
Highest$328.50in this market
Difference3.8×highest vs lowest

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.

median
Lowest $86.33Highest $328.50

Hospitals, cheapest first

HospitalCash priceList priceInsurers payOff list
Carolinas Medical Center lowest Charlotte, NC · (704) 355-2000 HC ELECTROLYTE PANEL BUNDLED CHARGE+1 more line at this price File of Dec 4, 2025 · source file $86.33 $172.65 $52.31–$155.39 50%
Carolinas Medical Center-Northeast lowest Concord, NC · (704) 783-3000 HC ELECTROLYTE PANEL BUNDLED CHARGE File of Dec 1, 2025 · source file $86.33 $172.65 $52.31–$164.02 50%
Atrium Health Anson lowest Wadesboro, NC · (704) 694-5131 HC ELECTROLYTE PANEL BUNDLED CHARGE File of Dec 1, 2025 · source file $86.33 $172.65 $52.31–$164.02 50%
Atrium Health University City lowest Charlotte, NC · (704) 548-6000 HC ELECTROLYTE PANEL BUNDLED CHARGE File of Dec 5, 2025 · source file $86.33 $172.65 $52.31–$158.84 50%
Atrium Health Pineville lowest Charlotte, NC · (704) 379-5000 HC ELECTROLYTE PANEL BUNDLED CHARGE File of Dec 5, 2025 · source file $86.33 $172.65 $52.31–$158.84 50%
Atrium Health Lincoln lowest Lincolnton, NC · (980) 212-2000 HC ELECTROLYTE PANEL BUNDLED CHARGE File of Dec 1, 2025 · source file $86.33 $172.65 $49.50–$164.02 50%
Atrium Health Union lowest Monroe, NC · (704) 283-3100 HC ELECTROLYTE PANEL BUNDLED CHARGE File of Dec 4, 2025 · source file $86.33 $172.65 $52.31–$164.02 50%
Atrium Health Mercy, a facility of Carolinas Medical Center lowest Charlotte, NC HC ELECTROLYTE PANEL BUNDLED CHARGE File of Dec 4, 2025 · source file $86.33 $172.65 $52.31–$158.84 50%
CaroMont Regional Medical Center - Gastonia Gastonia, NC · (704) 834-4891 CHG ELECTROLYTE PANEL File of May 11, 2026 · source file $121.00 $121.00 $95.83–$114.95 —
Gaston Memorial Hospital Mount Holly, NC · (704) 834-4891 CHG ELECTROLYTE PANEL File of May 11, 2026 · source file $121.00 $121.00 — —
Gaston Memorial Hospital Belmont, NC · (704) 834-4891 CHG ELECTROLYTE PANEL File of May 11, 2026 · source file $121.00 $121.00 $95.83–$114.95 —
MUSC Chester Regional Medical Center Chester, SC · (803) 581-3151 HB ELECTROLYTE PANEL File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file $127.00 $254.00 — 50%
Duke Health Lake Norman Hospital Mooresville, NC · (704) 660-4000 Electrolyte Panel+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file $142.02 $526.00 $153.07–$181.47 73%
Piedmont Medical Center Fort Mill, SC · (803) 329-1234 ELECTROLYTE PANEL File of Apr 15, 2026 · source file $166.50 $222.00 $1.00–$222.00 25%
Piedmont Medical Center Rock Hill, SC · (803) 329-1234 ELECTROLYTE PANEL File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file $166.50 $222.00 $1.00–$222.00 25%
MUSC Lancaster Medical Center Lancaster, SC · (803) 286-1481 HB ELECTROLYTE PANEL File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file $328.50 $657.00 — 50%
Hospital The hospital that published the price, its city and the line exactly as written in its price file.
Cash price The hospital's own price for a patient paying without insurance (“discounted cash” in its price file). Hospitals must publish it under federal law, 45 CFR 180.50. Call to confirm it before booking. More
List price The hospital's full chargemaster price (“gross charge”) before any discount. Almost nobody pays it; the gap to the cash price shows what the self-pay discount is worth. More
Insurers pay The lowest and highest rates this hospital has agreed with insurance plans for the same item, from its price file. If the cash price is below what your plan pays and you have not met your deductible, paying cash can cost you less. More
Off list How much lower the cash price is than the list price.
No cash discount This line's cash price equals the hospital's full list price. Many hospitals still reduce bills for uninsured patients: ask the billing office for its self-pay discount in writing. More

Inpatient: lowest $86.33, median $103.67, highest $328.50 — a 3.8× difference within the same market.

As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 17 facilities here, median $86.33 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.

Cash or insurance?

At 11 of 13 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 1 it is 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

An electrolyte panel measures sodium, potassium, chloride and bicarbonate (CO2) in one blood sample. It checks fluid and acid balance in people with vomiting, diarrhea, kidney problems or on diuretics.

What the price covers

The price usually covers running the test. The blood draw (36415) is often billed as a separate line.