Joint aspiration (small/intermediate) cost in North Carolina

Prices at 70 hospitals in North Carolina, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $348 — 11% below the US median ($392), roughly 6.2× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Chatham Hospital Inc Siler City, NC $94 $52 ★ 4/5 222 min —
Lifebrite Community Hospital of Stokes Danbury, NC $121 $178 — — —
Vidant Edgecombe Hospital Tarboro, NC $144 $213 ★ 3/5 239 min —
Maria Parham Medical Center Henderson, NC $158 — ★ 2/5 168 min —
Duke Health Lake Norman Hospital Mooresville, NC $158 $126 ★ 1/5 190 min —
Alleghany Memorial Hospital Sparta, NC $160 $109 — — —
Alamance Regional Medical Center Burlington, NC $171 $106 ★ 3/5 228 min —
Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital, The Greensboro, NC $171 $106 ★ 3/5 224 min —
Catawba Valley Medical Center Hickory, NC $197 $299 ★ 2/5 228 min —
ECU Health North Hospital Roanoke Rapids, NC $203 $282 ★ 2/5 212 min —
Duke University Hospital Durham, NC $211 $265 ★ 5/5 317 min —
Duke Regional Hospital Durham, NC $211 $265 ★ 5/5 255 min —
ECU Health Bertie Hospital Windsor, NC $218 $184 ★ 4/5 166 min —
Lexington Memorial Hospital Inc Lexington, NC $252 $223 ★ 2/5 154 min —
Rutherford Regional Medical Center Rutherfordton, NC $252 $922 ★ 2/5 144 min —
Vidant Duplin Hospital Kenansville, NC $256 $270 ★ 3/5 170 min —
The Outer Banks Hospital, Inc Nags Head, NC $256 $217 ★ 4/5 208 min —
Hugh Chatham Memorial Hospital Elkin, NC $271 $171 ★ 3/5 168 min —
North Carolina Baptist Hospital Winston-salem, NC $273 $180 ★ 4/5 183 min —
UNC Lenoir Health Care Kinston, NC $280 $301 ★ 4/5 194 min —
High Point Regional Health System High Point, NC $294 $238 ★ 2/5 247 min —
Wakemed, Raleigh Campus Raleigh, NC $295 $324 ★ 4/5 204 min —
Wakemed, Cary Hospital Cary, NC $295 $342 ★ 5/5 196 min —
UNC Rockingham Eden, NC $306 $276 ★ 4/5 187 min —
Southeastern Regional Medical Center Lumberton, NC $314 $301 ★ 2/5 248 min —

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 October 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)
$697
Cash / self-pay
$348
Insurer-negotiated
$304
Medicare pays
$57
$162$898
Median cash $348  ·  Medicare $57  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $348 — about 6.2× the Medicare rate ($57). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($113).

💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $697 list price could save about $348 (50%).

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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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Joint aspiration (small/intermediate) cost in other states

All Joint aspiration (small/intermediate) prices (national) → · All hospitals in North Carolina →