Level 1 ER visit cost in Charlotte, NC
In Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC, 16 hospitals list a cash price for emergency room visit, level 1 of 5, minor problem that may not need a doctor: from $23.66 to $401.00, with a median of $178.33. The lowest listed price is at Piedmont Medical Center and 1 other hospital — $154.67 less than the median here. Across North Carolina, the median is $178.33 at 37 hospitals.
Cash prices at 16 facilities across 13 cities for code 99281, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Piedmont Medical Center one side lowest Fort Mill, SC RIGHT CARE RIGHT PLACE | $23.66 | $31.54 | $0.29–$311.00 | 25% | Apr 15, 2026 source file |
| Piedmont Medical Center one side lowest Rock Hill, SC RIGHT CARE RIGHT PLACE | $23.66 | $31.54 | $0.29–$311.00 | 25% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Duke Health Lake Norman Hospital Mooresville, NC · (704) 660-4000 ED Visit Level 1 | $160.92 | $596.00 | $176.01–$205.62 | 73% | — source file |
| Duke Health Lake Norman Hospital Mooresville, NC · (704) 660-4000 ED Visit Level 1 | $160.92 | $596.00 | $176.01–$205.62 | 73% | — source file |
| Duke Health Lake Norman Hospital Mooresville, NC · (704) 660-4000 HC ED VISIT LEVEL 1 | $160.92 | $596.00 | $52.33–$942.00 | 73% | — source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte, NC · (704) 355-2000 HC ER LEVEL 1 VISIT LIMITED/MINOR PROB | $178.33 | $356.65 | $75.38–$1,539.00 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Rehabilitation Charlotte, NC HC ER LEVEL 1 VISIT LIMITED/MINOR PROB | $178.33 | $356.65 | $89.81–$1,555.00 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Rehabilitation Belmont, NC HC ER LEVEL 1 VISIT LIMITED/MINOR PROB | $178.33 | $356.65 | $89.81–$1,555.00 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Anson Wadesboro, NC · (704) 694-5131 HC ER LEVEL 1 VISIT LIMITED/MINOR PROB | $178.33 | $356.65 | $53.35–$1,539.00 | 50% | Dec 1, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Lincoln Lincolnton, NC · (980) 212-2000 HC ER LEVEL 1 VISIT LIMITED/MINOR PROB | $178.33 | $356.65 | $40.23–$1,557.00 | 50% | Dec 1, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Union Monroe, NC · (704) 283-3100 HC ER LEVEL 1 VISIT LIMITED/MINOR PROB | $178.33 | $356.65 | $46.36–$1,554.00 | 50% | Dec 4, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Pineville Charlotte, NC · (704) 379-5000 HC ER LEVEL 1 VISIT LIMITED/MINOR PROB | $178.33 | $356.65 | $35.67–$1,554.00 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Pineville Charlotte, NC · (704) 379-5000 HC ER LEVEL 1 VISIT LIMITED/MINOR PROB | $178.33 | $356.65 | $35.67–$1,553.00 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center-Northeast Concord, NC · (704) 783-3000 HC ER LEVEL 1 VISIT LIMITED/MINOR PROB | $178.33 | $356.65 | $43.76–$1,554.00 | 50% | Dec 1, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte, NC · (704) 355-2000 HC ER LEVEL 1 VISIT LIMITED/MINOR PROB | $178.33 | $356.65 | $75.38–$1,530.00 | 50% | Dec 4, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte, NC · (704) 355-2000 HC ER LEVEL 1 VISIT LIMITED/MINOR PROB | $178.33 | $356.65 | $75.38–$1,556.00 | 50% | Dec 4, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte, NC · (704) 355-2000 HC ER LEVEL 1 VISIT LIMITED/MINOR PROB | $178.33 | $356.65 | $66.69–$356.65 | 50% | Dec 4, 2025 source file |
| MUSC Chester Regional Medical Center Chester, SC · (803) 581-3151 HB ER VISIT BRIEF | $252.00 | $504.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| MUSC Lancaster Medical Center Lancaster, SC · (803) 286-1481 HB ER VISIT BRIEF | $284.00 | $568.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Mount Holly, NC HCHG OB ED LEV I W MOD | $401.00 | $401.00 | $60.35–$380.95 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Mount Holly, NC HCHG OB ED LEV I | $401.00 | $401.00 | $60.35–$380.95 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Gastonia, NC · (704) 834-4891 HCHG OB ED LEV I | $401.00 | $401.00 | $60.35–$380.95 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Mount Holly, NC HCHG EMERGENCY DEPT LEVEL I | $401.00 | $401.00 | $60.35–$380.95 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Gastonia, NC · (704) 834-4891 HCHG OB ED LEV I W MOD | $401.00 | $401.00 | $60.35–$380.95 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Belmont, NC HCHG EMERGENCY DEPT LEVEL I | $401.00 | $401.00 | $60.35–$380.95 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Gastonia, NC · (704) 834-4891 HCHG EMERGENCY DEPT LEVEL I | $401.00 | $401.00 | $60.35–$380.95 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Belmont, NC HCHG OB ED LEV I W MOD | $401.00 | $401.00 | $60.35–$380.95 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Belmont, NC HCHG OB ED LEV I | $401.00 | $401.00 | $60.35–$380.95 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Piedmont Medical Center Rock Hill, SC ER VISIT LVL I | $659.25 | $879.00 | $0.29–$311.00 | 25% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Piedmont Medical Center Fort Mill, SC ER VISIT LVL I | $659.25 | $879.00 | $0.29–$311.00 | 25% | Apr 15, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $23.66, median $178.33, highest $401.00 — a 16.9× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 16 facilities here, median $178.33. 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
This is the lowest of five emergency department visit levels, used for a minor problem that needs little care. Since 2023 this level may apply even when no physician or similar clinician needs to see the patient. The level is assigned after the visit: doctors pick it by the complexity of their medical decision making, and hospitals pick the facility level by the care and resources used, so a patient cannot choose it in advance.
What the price covers
The hospital price for this code is the facility fee for the ER visit. The emergency physician bills separately, and lab tests, imaging, medicines and procedures are added on top.