US Health Care Costs

Bowel obstruction, with complications in North Carolina

MS-DRG 389: Gastrointestinal obstruction with cc

$24,570typical hospital bill
$6,888typical amount paid
$5,369–$13,943range paid across 39 hospitals

North Carolina hospitals billed Medicare a typical $24,570 for this stay in 2024, about 3.6 times what was actually paid. Medicare's payment depends mostly on the hospital's location and teaching role; the bill depends on the hospital's own price list, so bills vary far more than payments.

Billed (list price)Actually paid (Medicare + patient)

HospitalCityMedicare staysBilledPaid
Wakemed, Cary HospitalCary24$35,366$5,369
Iredell Memorial Hospital IncStatesville12$21,888$5,871
Novant Health Matthews Medical CenterMatthews20$21,177$6,162
Novant Health Brunswick Medical CenterSupply18$26,898$6,223
Rex HospitalRaleigh44$21,800$6,225
Pardee Hospital Henderson CountyHendersonville23$21,493$6,229
Unc Health NashRocky Mount22$24,501$6,237
Haywood Regional Medical CenterClyde19$31,322$6,265
Atrium Health PinevilleCharlotte25$31,760$6,413
Novant Health Huntersville Medical CenterHuntersville16$31,857$6,445
Novant Health Rowan Medical CenterSalisbury11$20,578$6,545
Atrium Health ClevelandShelby12$33,376$6,687
Memorial Mission Hospital and Asheville Surgery CeAsheville34$24,469$6,740
Carolina East Medical CenterNew Bern18$22,986$6,744
Firsthealth Moore Regional HospitalPinehurst44$35,715$6,753
Atrium Health UnionMonroe22$29,182$6,757
Carteret General HospitalMorehead City18$19,973$6,767
Novant Health Forsyth Medical CenterWinston-Salem29$21,701$6,882
AdventHealth HendersonvilleHendersonville20$20,487$6,886
Sentara Albemarle Medical CenterElizabeth City26$21,490$6,888
Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical CenterWilmington50$25,351$6,901
Hugh Chatham Memorial HospitalElkin11$22,213$6,969
Caromont Regional Medical CenterGastonia23$31,190$7,154
Johnston HealthSmithfield17$26,985$7,163
Catawba Valley Medical CenterHickory15$23,790$7,181
Unc Health Care WayneGoldsboro29$20,916$7,257
Cape Fear Valley Medical CenterFayetteville34$19,056$7,536
High Point Regional Health SystemHigh Point13$31,090$7,795
Duke Regional HospitalDurham12$19,966$8,005
The Moses H. Cone Memorial HospitalGreensboro35$21,720$8,199
Blue Ridge Healthcare Hospitals, IncMorganton13$38,136$8,217
Wakemed, Raleigh CampusRaleigh30$30,764$8,368
Carolinas Medical Center-NortheastConcord17$29,281$8,691
Ecu Health Medical CenterGreenville36$20,477$9,049
Alamance Regional Medical CenterBurlington16$36,842$10,325
Carolinas Medical Center/Behav HealthCharlotte28$37,253$11,297
Duke University HospitalDurham44$25,093$11,596
Unc HospitalsChapel Hill19$32,089$12,126
North Carolina Baptist HospitalWinston-Salem20$24,570$13,943

Medicare: CMS, 2024 (hospitals with 11 or more Medicare stays). Cash and insurer prices: hospitals' own price files, where read; insurer figures are commercial plans only, median and 10th–90th percentile across plans.