AST liver test cost in Charlotte, NC
In Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC, 16 hospitals list a cash price for AST (aspartate aminotransferase) enzyme test: from $25.00 to $292.50, with a median of $43.40. The lowest listed price is at MUSC Chester Regional Medical Center — $18.40 less than the median here. Across North Carolina, the median is $43.40 at 37 hospitals.
Cash prices at 16 facilities across 13 cities for code 84450, 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 Sep 1, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MUSC Chester Regional Medical Center lowest Chester, SC HB AST FIBROSURE (SEND OUT) | $25.00 | $50.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| The Charlotte Mecklenburg Hospital Authority Charlotte, NC HC TRANSFERASE ASPARTATE AMINO AST SGOT | $43.40 | $86.80 | $5.28–$79.86 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| The Charlotte Mecklenburg Hospital Authority Charlotte, NC HC TRANSFERASE ASPARTATE AMINO AST SGOT | $43.40 | $86.80 | $5.28–$84.20 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Hospitals Inc Lincolnton, NC HC TRANSFERASE ASPARTATE AMINO AST SGOT | $43.40 | $86.80 | $5.28–$82.46 | 50% | Dec 1, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte, NC HC TRANSFERASE ASPARTATE AMINO AST SGOT | $43.40 | $86.80 | $5.28–$78.12 | 50% | Dec 4, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Hospitals Inc Wadesboro, NC HC TRANSFERASE ASPARTATE AMINO AST SGOT | $43.40 | $86.80 | $5.28–$82.46 | 50% | Dec 1, 2025 source file |
| The Charlotte Mecklenburg Hospital Authority Concord, NC HC TRANSFERASE ASPARTATE AMINO AST SGOT | $43.40 | $86.80 | $5.28–$82.46 | 50% | Dec 1, 2025 source file |
| The Charlotte Mecklenburg Hospital Authority Monroe, NC HC TRANSFERASE ASPARTATE AMINO AST SGOT | $43.40 | $86.80 | $5.28–$82.46 | 50% | Dec 4, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte, NC HC TRANSFERASE ASPARTATE AMINO AST SGOT | $43.40 | $86.80 | $5.28–$78.12 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Rehabilitation Charlotte, NC HC TRANSFERASE ASPARTATE AMINO AST SGOT | $43.40 | $86.80 | $5.28–$79.86 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte, NC HC TRANSFERASE ASPARTATE AMINO AST SGOT | $43.40 | $86.80 | $16.49–$86.80 | 50% | Dec 4, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Rehabilitation Belmont, NC HC TRANSFERASE ASPARTATE AMINO AST SGOT | $43.40 | $86.80 | $5.28–$79.86 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte, NC HC TRANSFERASE ASPARTATE AMINO AST SGOT | $43.40 | $86.80 | $5.28–$79.86 | 50% | Dec 4, 2025 source file |
| DUKE HEALTH LAKE NORMAN REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER, INC. Doing Business As: DUKE HEALTH LAKE NORMAN HOSPITAL Mooresville, NC Transferase Aspartate Amino (Ast) | $91.26 | $338.00 | $98.36–$116.61 | 73% | — source file |
| DUKE HEALTH LAKE NORMAN REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER, INC. Doing Business As: DUKE HEALTH LAKE NORMAN HOSPITAL Mooresville, NC HC TRANSFERASE ASPARTATE AMINO (AST) | $91.26 | $338.00 | $29.68–$219.70 | 73% | — source file |
| DUKE HEALTH LAKE NORMAN REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER, INC. Doing Business As: DUKE HEALTH LAKE NORMAN HOSPITAL Mooresville, NC Transferase Aspartate Amino (Ast) | $91.26 | $338.00 | $98.36–$116.61 | 73% | — source file |
| MUSC Chester Regional Medical Center Chester, SC HB AST (SGOT) | $110.00 | $220.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Gastonia, NC CHG AST SGOT | $121.00 | $121.00 | $2.82–$114.95 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Mount Holly, NC CHG AST SGOT | $121.00 | $121.00 | $2.82–$114.95 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Belmont, NC CHG AST SGOT | $121.00 | $121.00 | $2.82–$114.95 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Amisub of South Carolina, Inc. Rock Hill, SC TRANSTERASE AST(SGOT) | $135.00 | $180.00 | $1.00–$180.00 | 25% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Amisub of South Carolina, Inc. Fort Mill, SC TRANSTERASE AST(SGOT) | $135.00 | $180.00 | $1.00–$180.00 | 25% | Apr 15, 2026 source file |
| MUSC Lancaster Medical Center Lancaster, SC HB AST (SGOT) | $292.50 | $585.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| MUSC Lancaster Medical Center Lancaster, SC HB AST FIBROSURE (SEND OUT) | $292.50 | $585.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $25.00, median $43.40, highest $292.50 — a 11.7× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 16 facilities here, median $43.40. 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 11 of 14 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
AST is an enzyme found in the liver, muscles and heart. It is measured together with ALT to look for liver injury, and the ratio between them gives clues to the cause.
What the price covers
The price usually covers running the test. The blood draw (36415) is often billed as a separate line.