Emergency department visit cost in North Carolina

Prices at 71 hospitals in North Carolina, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $827 — 42% above the US median ($581), roughly 11.9× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Hugh Chatham Memorial Hospital Elkin, NC $148 $127 ★ 3/5 171 min 15.1%
Duke Health Lake Norman Hospital Mooresville, NC $168 $143 ★ 1/5 180 min 15.3%
Chatham Hospital Inc Siler City, NC $183 $120 ★ 4/5 214 min 14.0%
Duke University Hospital Durham, NC $197 $153 ★ 5/5 296 min 14.9%
Duke Regional Hospital Durham, NC $197 $153 ★ 5/5 244 min 14.1%
Washington County Hosp Inc Plymouth, NC $201 16.0%
Dlp Swain County Hospital Llc Bryson City, NC $328 82 min
Southeastern Regional Medical Center Lumberton, NC $330 $282 ★ 2/5 248 min 16.1%
Lifebrite Community Hospital of Stokes Danbury, NC $378 $556 15.1%
Alleghany Memorial Hospital Sparta, NC $379 $324 14.6%
Wilkes Regional Medical Center North Wilkesboro, NC $507 $381 ★ 3/5 168 min 15.7%
UNC Rockingham Eden, NC $509 $259 ★ 4/5 178 min 14.9%
Vidant Roanoke Chowan Hospital Ahoskie, NC $532 $423 ★ 2/5 139 min 16.2%
UNC Lenoir Health Care Kinston, NC $535 $402 ★ 4/5 200 min 15.8%
Rutherford Regional Medical Center Rutherfordton, NC $542 $599 ★ 2/5 141 min 15.5%
Harris Regional Hospital Sylva, NC $542 $1,371 ★ 3/5 174 min 13.9%
Haywood Regional Medical Center Clyde, NC $542 $1,189 ★ 3/5 192 min 15.1%
Vidant Duplin Hospital Kenansville, NC $573 $455 ★ 3/5 174 min 14.9%
ECU Health Bertie Hospital Windsor, NC $573 $540 ★ 4/5 162 min 14.4%
Pardee Hospital Henderson County Hendersonville, NC $583 $389 ★ 5/5 171 min 13.7%
Maria Parham Medical Center Henderson, NC $583 $1,233 ★ 2/5 167 min 15.5%
Pender Memorial Hospital Burgaw, NC $584 $698 14.7%
UNC Health Care Wayne Goldsboro, NC $602 $416 ★ 3/5 192 min 15.3%
Wakemed, Raleigh Campus Raleigh, NC $608 $510 ★ 4/5 204 min 13.9%
Wakemed, Cary Hospital Cary, NC $608 $474 ★ 5/5 195 min 14.6%

CMS rating = overall hospital star rating (1–5); ER wait = median minutes in the emergency department; Readmit = 30-day readmission rate (lower is better) — all from Medicare’s Care Compare; “—” = not reported. Data last updated August 2026. Prices from hospitals’ machine-readable files (45 CFR §180); Medicare benchmark from CMS PFS/CLFS/IPPS. Prices below 15% of the median are excluded as likely partial or mis-coded charges. Estimates — confirm with the hospital. Report an incorrect price.

Price comparison (median)

Chargemaster (list price)
$1,499
Cash / self-pay
$827
Insurer-negotiated
$458
Medicare pays
$69
$329$1,519
Median cash $827  ·  Medicare $69  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $827 — about 11.9× the Medicare rate ($69). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($139).

💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $1,499 list price could save about $673 (45%).

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Rough estimate from this procedure’s median insurer-negotiated rate. Your actual cost depends on your plan — confirm with your insurer.

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Emergency department visit cost in other states

All Emergency department visit prices (national) → · All hospitals in North Carolina →