Level 1 ER visit cost in Charlotte, NC
In Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC, 17 hospitals list a cash price for emergency room visit, level 1 of 5, minor problem that may not need a doctor: from $94.50 to $659.25, with a median of $178.33. The lowest listed price is at Iredell Memorial Hospital — $83.83 less than the median here. Across North Carolina, the median is $178.33 at 61 hospitals.
Cash prices at 17 facilities across 14 cities for code 99281, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 29, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iredell Memorial Hospital lowest Statesville, NC · (704) 878-5661 ER - Base - Level 1+1 more line at this price File of Dec 31, 2025 · source file | $94.50 | $350.00 | $83.74–$500.00 | 73% |
| Duke Health Lake Norman Hospital Mooresville, NC · (704) 660-4000 HC ED VISIT LEVEL 1+2 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $160.92 | $596.00 | $52.33–$942.00 | 73% |
| Atrium Health University City Charlotte, NC · (704) 548-6000 HC ER LEVEL 1 VISIT LIMITED/MINOR PROB File of Dec 5, 2025 · source file | $178.33 | $356.65 | $35.67–$1,553.00 | 50% |
| Atrium Health Pineville Charlotte, NC · (704) 379-5000 HC ER LEVEL 1 VISIT LIMITED/MINOR PROB File of Dec 5, 2025 · source file | $178.33 | $356.65 | $35.67–$1,554.00 | 50% |
| Atrium Health Mercy, a facility of Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte, NC HC ER LEVEL 1 VISIT LIMITED/MINOR PROB File of Dec 4, 2025 · source file | $178.33 | $356.65 | $75.38–$1,556.00 | 50% |
| Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte, NC · (704) 355-2000 HC ER LEVEL 1 VISIT LIMITED/MINOR PROB+1 more line at this price File of Dec 5, 2025 · source file | $178.33 | $356.65 | $75.38–$1,539.00 | 50% |
| Atrium Health Union Monroe, NC · (704) 283-3100 HC ER LEVEL 1 VISIT LIMITED/MINOR PROB File of Dec 4, 2025 · source file | $178.33 | $356.65 | $46.36–$1,554.00 | 50% |
| Carolinas Medical Center-Northeast Concord, NC · (704) 783-3000 HC ER LEVEL 1 VISIT LIMITED/MINOR PROB File of Dec 1, 2025 · source file | $178.33 | $356.65 | $43.76–$1,554.00 | 50% |
| Atrium Health Lincoln Lincolnton, NC · (980) 212-2000 HC ER LEVEL 1 VISIT LIMITED/MINOR PROB File of Dec 1, 2025 · source file | $178.33 | $356.65 | $40.23–$1,557.00 | 50% |
| Atrium Health Anson Wadesboro, NC · (704) 694-5131 HC ER LEVEL 1 VISIT LIMITED/MINOR PROB File of Dec 1, 2025 · source file | $178.33 | $356.65 | $53.35–$1,539.00 | 50% |
| MUSC Chester Regional Medical Center Chester, SC · (803) 581-3151 HB ER VISIT BRIEF File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $252.00 | $504.00 | — | 50% |
| MUSC Lancaster Medical Center Lancaster, SC · (803) 286-1481 HB ER VISIT BRIEF File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $284.00 | $568.00 | — | 50% |
| CaroMont Regional Medical Center - Gastonia Gastonia, NC · (704) 834-4891 HCHG OB ED LEV I W MOD+2 more lines at this price File of May 11, 2026 · source file | $401.00 | $401.00 | $60.35–$380.95 | — |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Mount Holly, NC · (704) 834-4891 HCHG EMERGENCY DEPT LEVEL I+2 more lines at this price File of May 11, 2026 · source file | $401.00 | $401.00 | $60.35–$380.95 | — |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Belmont, NC · (704) 834-4891 HCHG EMERGENCY DEPT LEVEL I+2 more lines at this price File of May 11, 2026 · source file | $401.00 | $401.00 | $60.35–$380.95 | — |
| Piedmont Medical Center Rock Hill, SC · (803) 329-1234 ER VISIT LVL I File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $659.25 | $879.00 | $0.29–$311.00 | 25% |
| Piedmont Medical Center Fort Mill, SC · (803) 329-1234 ER VISIT LVL I File of Apr 15, 2026 · source file | $659.25 | $879.00 | $0.29–$311.00 | 25% |
Outpatient: lowest $94.50, median $178.33, highest $659.25 — a 7.0× 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 10 of 15 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
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.