Critical care (first hour) cost in Charlotte, NC
In Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC, 16 hospitals list a cash price for critical care, first 30 to 74 minutes: from $798.66 to $4,869.00, with a median of $2,808.93. The lowest listed price is at Duke Health Lake Norman Hospital — $2,010.27 less than the median here. Across North Carolina, the median is $2,536.24 at 37 hospitals.
Cash prices at 16 facilities across 13 cities for code 99291, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duke Health Lake Norman Hospital lowest Mooresville, NC · (704) 660-4000 HC CRITICAL CARE | $798.66 | $2,958.00 | $259.71–$2,154.00 | 73% | — source file |
| Duke Health Lake Norman Hospital lowest Mooresville, NC · (704) 660-4000 Critical Care | $798.66 | $2,958.00 | $701.05–$1,020.51 | 73% | — source file |
| Duke Health Lake Norman Hospital lowest Mooresville, NC · (704) 660-4000 Critical Care | $798.66 | $2,958.00 | $860.78–$1,020.51 | 73% | — source file |
| MUSC Chester Regional Medical Center Chester, SC · (803) 581-3151 HB ER VISIT CRITICAL CARE | $2,204.00 | $4,408.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| MUSC Lancaster Medical Center Lancaster, SC · (803) 286-1481 HB ER VISIT CRITICAL CARE | $2,519.00 | $5,038.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte, NC · (704) 355-2000 HC ER CRITICAL CARE, E/M 30-74 MINUTES | $2,808.93 | $5,617.85 | $75.38–$5,056.07 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Rehabilitation Charlotte, NC HC ER CRITICAL CARE, E/M 30-74 MINUTES | $2,808.93 | $5,617.85 | $859.46–$5,168.42 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Rehabilitation Belmont, NC HC ER CRITICAL CARE, E/M 30-74 MINUTES | $2,808.93 | $5,617.85 | $859.46–$5,168.42 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Anson Wadesboro, NC · (704) 694-5131 HC ER CRITICAL CARE, E/M 30-74 MINUTES | $2,808.93 | $5,617.85 | $817.43–$5,336.96 | 50% | Dec 1, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Lincoln Lincolnton, NC · (980) 212-2000 HC ER CRITICAL CARE, E/M 30-74 MINUTES | $2,808.93 | $5,617.85 | $633.69–$5,336.96 | 50% | Dec 1, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Union Monroe, NC · (704) 283-3100 HC ER CRITICAL CARE, E/M 30-74 MINUTES | $2,808.93 | $5,617.85 | $730.32–$5,336.96 | 50% | Dec 4, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Pineville Charlotte, NC · (704) 379-5000 HC ER CRITICAL CARE, E/M 30-74 MINUTES | $2,808.93 | $5,617.85 | $561.79–$5,168.42 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Pineville Charlotte, NC · (704) 379-5000 HC ER CRITICAL CARE, E/M 30-74 MINUTES | $2,808.93 | $5,617.85 | $561.79–$5,449.31 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center-Northeast Concord, NC · (704) 783-3000 HC ER CRITICAL CARE, E/M 30-74 MINUTES | $2,808.93 | $5,617.85 | $689.31–$5,336.96 | 50% | Dec 1, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte, NC · (704) 355-2000 HC ER CRITICAL CARE, E/M 30-74 MINUTES | $2,808.93 | $5,617.85 | $75.38–$5,056.07 | 50% | Dec 4, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte, NC · (704) 355-2000 HC ER CRITICAL CARE, E/M 30-74 MINUTES | $2,808.93 | $5,617.85 | $75.38–$5,168.42 | 50% | Dec 4, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte, NC · (704) 355-2000 HC ER CRITICAL CARE, E/M 30-74 MINUTES | $2,808.93 | $5,617.85 | $1,050.54–$5,617.85 | 50% | Dec 4, 2025 source file |
| Piedmont Medical Center Fort Mill, SC CRIT CARE E&M 30-74 MIN | $3,288.75 | $4,385.00 | $0.29–$2,565.00 | 25% | Apr 15, 2026 source file |
| Piedmont Medical Center Rock Hill, SC CRIT CARE E&M 30-74 MIN | $3,288.75 | $4,385.00 | $0.29–$2,565.00 | 25% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Belmont, NC HCHG ER DEPT CRITICAL CARE | $4,869.00 | $4,869.00 | $732.78–$4,625.55 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Gastonia, NC · (704) 834-4891 HCHG ER DEPT CRITICAL CARE | $4,869.00 | $4,869.00 | $732.78–$4,625.55 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Mount Holly, NC HCHG ER DEPT CRITICAL CARE | $4,869.00 | $4,869.00 | $732.78–$4,625.55 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Belmont, NC HCHG TRAUMA PT/ER CC LEVEL | $4,869.00 | $4,869.00 | $732.78–$4,625.55 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Mount Holly, NC HCHG TRAUMA PT/ER CC LEVEL | $4,869.00 | $4,869.00 | $732.78–$4,625.55 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Gastonia, NC · (704) 834-4891 HCHG TRAUMA PT/ER CC LEVEL | $4,869.00 | $4,869.00 | $732.78–$4,625.55 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Mount Holly, NC HCHG ALERT WO EMS+INITL CC ED LVL | $8,052.00 | $8,052.00 | $843.92–$7,649.40 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Gastonia, NC · (704) 834-4891 HCHG ALERT WO EMS+INITL CC ED LVL | $8,052.00 | $8,052.00 | $843.92–$7,649.40 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Belmont, NC HCHG ALERT WO EMS+INITL CC ED LVL | $8,052.00 | $8,052.00 | $843.92–$7,649.40 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Gastonia, NC · (704) 834-4891 HCHG CODE 1 WO EMS+INITL CC ED LVL | $16,882.00 | $16,882.00 | $843.92–$16,037.90 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Mount Holly, NC HCHG CODE 1 WO EMS+INITL CC ED LVL | $16,882.00 | $16,882.00 | $843.92–$16,037.90 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Belmont, NC HCHG CODE 1 WO EMS+INITL CC ED LVL | $16,882.00 | $16,882.00 | $843.92–$16,037.90 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $798.66, median $2,808.93, highest $4,869.00 — a 6.1× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 16 facilities here, median $2,808.93. 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 9 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 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 code bills care for a life-threatening illness or injury for the first 30 to 74 minutes. It appears on emergency department bills after serious cases and in intensive care.
What the price covers
The price is the hospital's charge. Additional half hours use 99292, and the doctor bills separately.