DRG 187 · Respiratory

Fluid Around the Lungs Cost in North Carolina — Compare All Hospitals

A buildup of fluid in the space between the lung and the chest wall (pleural effusion), which can make breathing difficult. Treatment usually involves draining the fluid and treating the underlying cause.

State average
$31,231
gross charge · DRG 187
Hospitals
19
with published pricing
Price range
$6,938 – $73,593
low to high
Lowest $6,938 Highest $73,593

19 North Carolina hospitals publish gross charges for fluid around the lungs (DRG 187). Prices range from $6,938 to $73,593 — roughly $66,655 apart. The cheapest is Randolph Hospital in Asheboro; the most expensive is Novant Health Rowan Medical Center in Salisbury. The state average sits at $31,231.

These numbers are list prices — what the hospital bills before any insurance adjustment. Insurance plans negotiate substantial discounts, Medicare and Medicaid pay fixed federal rates, and uninsured patients can usually qualify for a cash-pay discount. But the gross charge still works as a useful benchmark: a hospital that lists fluid around the lungs at twice the price of another typically negotiates higher rates with insurers too, and quotes more for uninsured patients.

You usually don't choose a hospital during an urgent fluid around the lungs admission. This page is for the planning side: patients with chronic conditions weighing their options, caregivers picking ahead of time, or employers comparing in-network facilities. Click any hospital name for its full quality profile — CMS overall star rating, mortality and readmission rates, patient-experience scores. When two nearby hospitals look similar on quality, the one with lower published charges is the safer default for routine medical admissions.

Pricing comes from each hospital's Machine-Readable File (MRF), published under the federal Hospital Price Transparency Rule. North Carolina hospitals missing from the list either don't perform fluid around the lungs in volume, haven't published a usable price for DRG 187 in their most recent MRF, or fell below our data-quality thresholds (we filter out clearly erroneous entries like $0 charges). The list refreshes as hospitals update their files.

Hospitals ranked by gross charge

  1. 1

    Randolph Hospital

    Asheboro, NC

    Gross charge $6,938
  2. 2

    UNC Hospitals

    Chapel Hill, NC

    Gross charge $21,290
    Cash pay $12,774
  3. 3

    UNC REX Hospital

    Raleigh, NC

    Gross charge $21,290
    Cash pay $12,774
  4. 4

    Duke University Hospital

    Durham, NC

    Gross charge $21,390
    Cash pay $5,775
  5. 5

    Duke Regional Hospital

    Durham, NC

    Gross charge $21,390
    Cash pay $5,775
  6. 6

    Harris Regional Hospital

    Sylva, NC

    Gross charge $26,435
    Cash pay $10,574
  7. 7

    Haywood Regional Medical Center

    Clyde, NC

    Gross charge $27,989
    Cash pay $11,196
  8. 8
    Gross charge $30,945
    Cash pay $15,472
  9. 9

    Novant Health Thomasville Medical Center

    Thomasville, NC

    Gross charge $30,945
    Cash pay $15,472
  10. 10

    Novant Health Medical Park Hospital

    Winston-Salem, NC

    Gross charge $30,945
    Cash pay $15,472
  11. 11

    Novant Health Brunswick Medical Center

    Supply, NC

    Gross charge $30,945
    Cash pay $15,472
  12. 12

    Novant Health Matthews Medical Center

    Matthews, NC

    Gross charge $30,945
    Cash pay $15,472
  13. 13

    Novant Health Huntersville Medical Center

    Huntersville, NC

    Gross charge $30,945
    Cash pay $15,472
  14. 14

    Novant Health Mint Hill Medical Center

    Charlotte, NC

    Gross charge $30,945
    Cash pay $15,472
  15. 15
    Gross charge $30,945
    Cash pay $15,472
  16. 16

    Maria Parham Medical Center

    Henderson, NC

    Gross charge $33,123
    Cash pay $13,249
  17. 17

    Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center

    Wilmington, NC

    Gross charge $35,680
    Cash pay $16,056
  18. 18

    Frye Regional Medical Center

    Hickory, NC

    Gross charge $56,716
    Cash pay $22,686
  19. 19

    Novant Health Rowan Medical Center

    Salisbury, NC

    Gross charge $73,593
    Cash pay $36,797
  20. 20

    CaroMont Regional Medical Center

    Gastonia, NC

    Gross charge
  21. 21

    Ecu Health Medical Center

    Greenville, NC

    Gross charge
    Cash pay $16,382
  22. 22

    North Carolina Baptist Hospital

    Winston-Salem, NC

    Gross charge
  23. 23
    Gross charge
  24. 24

    Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist | Wilkes Medical Center

    North Wilkesboro, NC

    Gross charge
  25. 25

    Columbus Regional Healthcare System

    Whiteville, NC

    Gross charge
  26. 26

    Wakemed, Raleigh Campus

    Raleigh, NC

    Gross charge
  27. 27

    Cape Fear Valley Betsy Johnson Hospital

    Dunn, NC

    Gross charge
  28. 28

    Hugh Chatham Memorial Hospital

    Elkin, NC

    Gross charge
  29. 29

    Vidant Roanoke Chowan Hospital

    Ahoskie, NC

    Gross charge
    Cash pay $16,382
  30. 30

    ECU Health Edgecombe Hospital

    Tarboro, NC

    Gross charge
    Cash pay $16,382
  31. 31

    ECU Health Duplin Hospital

    Kenansville, NC

    Gross charge
    Cash pay $16,382
  32. 32

    ECU Health North Hospital

    Roanoke Rapids, NC

    Gross charge
    Cash pay $16,382
  33. 33

    WakeMed Cary Hospital

    Cary, NC

    Gross charge
  34. 34

    ECU Health Bertie Hospital

    Windsor, NC

    Gross charge
    Cash pay $16,382
  35. 35

    ECU Health Chowan Hospital

    Edenton, NC

    Gross charge
    Cash pay $16,382
  36. 36

    The Outer Banks Hospital, Inc

    Nags Head, NC

    Gross charge
    Cash pay $16,382
  37. 37
    Gross charge
  38. 38

    Angel Medical Center

    Franklin, NC

    Gross charge

Compare fluid around the lungs pricing in nearby states