Sed rate (ESR) cost in Charlotte, NC
In Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC, 16 hospitals list a cash price for sed rate (ESR, erythrocyte sedimentation rate): from $37.00 to $188.25, with a median of $89.38. The lowest listed price is at MUSC Lancaster Medical Center — $52.38 less than the median here. Across North Carolina, the median is $80.08 at 37 hospitals.
Cash prices at 16 facilities across 13 cities for code 85652, 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 Lancaster Medical Center lowest Lancaster, SC · (803) 286-1481 HB SEDIMENTION RATE ERTHROCYTE WESTERGREN | $37.00 | $74.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| MUSC Chester Regional Medical Center Chester, SC · (803) 581-3151 HB SEDIMENTION RATE ERTHROCYTE WESTERGREN | $42.00 | $84.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Duke Health Lake Norman Hospital Mooresville, NC · (704) 660-4000 Sedimentation Rate Automated | $81.54 | $302.00 | $87.88–$104.19 | 73% | — source file |
| Duke Health Lake Norman Hospital Mooresville, NC · (704) 660-4000 Sedimentation Rate Automated | $81.54 | $302.00 | $105.70 | 73% | — source file |
| Duke Health Lake Norman Hospital Mooresville, NC · (704) 660-4000 HC SEDIMENTATION RATE AUTOMATED | $81.54 | $302.00 | $26.52–$196.30 | 73% | — source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte, NC · (704) 355-2000 HC RBC SEDIMENTATION RATE AUTOMATED | $89.38 | $178.75 | $2.75–$160.88 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Pineville Charlotte, NC · (704) 379-5000 HC RBC SEDIMENTATION RATE AUTOMATED | $89.38 | $178.75 | $2.75–$164.45 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Pineville Charlotte, NC · (704) 379-5000 HC RBC SEDIMENTATION RATE AUTOMATED | $89.38 | $178.75 | $2.75–$173.39 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte, NC · (704) 355-2000 HC RBC SEDIMENTATION RATE AUTOMATED | $89.38 | $178.75 | $2.75–$160.88 | 50% | Dec 4, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte, NC · (704) 355-2000 HC RBC SEDIMENTATION RATE AUTOMATED | $89.38 | $178.75 | $2.75–$164.45 | 50% | Dec 4, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte, NC · (704) 355-2000 HC RBC SEDIMENTATION RATE AUTOMATED | $89.38 | $178.75 | $33.96–$178.75 | 50% | Dec 4, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Rehabilitation Charlotte, NC HC RBC SEDIMENTATION RATE AUTOMATED | $89.38 | $178.75 | $2.75–$164.45 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Rehabilitation Belmont, NC HC RBC SEDIMENTATION RATE AUTOMATED | $89.38 | $178.75 | $2.75–$164.45 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Anson Wadesboro, NC · (704) 694-5131 HC RBC SEDIMENTATION RATE AUTOMATED | $89.38 | $178.75 | $2.75–$169.81 | 50% | Dec 1, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center-Northeast Concord, NC · (704) 783-3000 HC RBC SEDIMENTATION RATE AUTOMATED | $89.38 | $178.75 | $2.75–$169.81 | 50% | Dec 1, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Lincoln Lincolnton, NC · (980) 212-2000 HC RBC SEDIMENTATION RATE AUTOMATED | $89.38 | $178.75 | $2.75–$169.81 | 50% | Dec 1, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Union Monroe, NC · (704) 283-3100 HC RBC SEDIMENTATION RATE AUTOMATED | $89.38 | $178.75 | $2.75–$169.81 | 50% | Dec 4, 2025 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Belmont, NC CHG SEDIMENTATION RATE AUTOMATED | $105.00 | $105.00 | $1.62–$99.75 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Mount Holly, NC CHG SEDIMENTATION RATE AUTOMATED | $105.00 | $105.00 | $1.62–$99.75 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Gastonia, NC CHG SEDIMENTATION RATE AUTOMATED | $105.00 | $105.00 | $1.62–$99.75 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Amisub of South Carolina Fort Mill, SC SED RATE AUTO | $188.25 | $251.00 | $1.00–$251.00 | 25% | Apr 15, 2026 source file |
| Amisub of South Carolina Rock Hill, SC SED RATE AUTO | $188.25 | $251.00 | $1.00–$251.00 | 25% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $37.00, median $89.38, highest $188.25 — a 5.1× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 16 facilities here, median $89.38. 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
The sed rate measures how quickly red blood cells settle in a tube. A fast rate is a general sign of inflammation; it is used for conditions such as giant cell arteritis and polymyalgia rheumatica and to follow them.
What the price covers
The price usually covers running the test. The blood draw (36415) is often billed as a separate line.