US Health Care Costs

Bowel surgery, with major complications in North Carolina

MS-DRG 329: Major small and large bowel procedures with mcc

$134,840typical hospital bill
$35,106typical amount paid
$24,174–$56,755range paid across 26 hospitals

North Carolina hospitals billed Medicare a typical $134,840 for this stay in 2024, about 3.8 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
Pardee Hospital Henderson CountyHendersonville18$110,733$24,174
Novant Health Presbyterian Medical CenterCharlotte12$136,468$30,141
Firsthealth Moore Regional HospitalPinehurst22$126,441$30,189
Novant Health Forsyth Medical CenterWinston-Salem29$123,765$31,304
Novant Health Huntersville Medical CenterHuntersville12$107,755$31,807
Caromont Regional Medical CenterGastonia21$136,827$31,984
High Point Regional Health SystemHigh Point12$132,360$32,479
Novant Health Brunswick Medical CenterSupply17$118,797$33,562
Carolinas Medical Center-NortheastConcord21$171,084$33,739
Duke Regional HospitalDurham13$105,759$33,834
Unc Health NashRocky Mount11$137,266$34,066
Atrium Health PinevilleCharlotte27$155,142$34,396
Memorial Mission Hospital and Asheville Surgery CeAsheville31$153,645$34,917
Atrium Health UnionMonroe16$170,011$35,295
Rex HospitalRaleigh64$109,766$36,110
Wakemed, Raleigh CampusRaleigh22$166,093$36,788
Wakemed, Cary HospitalCary21$204,219$37,108
Ecu Health Medical CenterGreenville27$97,530$38,343
Cape Fear Valley Medical CenterFayetteville17$126,267$38,457
Carolina East Medical CenterNew Bern25$95,382$38,476
The Moses H. Cone Memorial HospitalGreensboro33$121,956$39,330
Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical CenterWilmington77$152,250$41,658
Carolinas Medical Center/Behav HealthCharlotte39$184,059$46,121
North Carolina Baptist HospitalWinston-Salem31$163,954$52,565
Duke University HospitalDurham47$165,782$55,033
Unc HospitalsChapel Hill42$133,212$56,755

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.