Fluid Around the Lung Cost in North Carolina — Compare All Hospitals
A buildup of fluid in the space around a lung (pleural effusion), which can make breathing difficult. The stay often involves draining the fluid with a needle or small tube and testing it to find the cause.
State average
$51,193
gross charge · DRG 186
Hospitals
23
with published pricing
Price range
$8,681 – $114,040
low to high
Hospitals ranked by gross charge
- 1
Randolph Hospital
Asheboro, NC
Gross charge $8,681 - 2
Sampson Regional Medical Center
Clinton, NC
Gross charge $22,993Cash pay $16,095 - 3
Duke Regional Hospital
Durham, NC
Gross charge $28,667Cash pay $7,740 - 4
Haywood Regional Medical Center
Clyde, NC
Gross charge $34,684Cash pay $13,874 - 5
Rutherford Regional Health System
Rutherfordton, NC
Gross charge $36,319Cash pay $14,528 - 6
Maria Parham Medical Center
Henderson, NC
Gross charge $40,656Cash pay $16,262 - 7
Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center (Acute Care)
Charlotte, NC
Gross charge $43,109Cash pay $21,554 - 8
Novant Health Thomasville Medical Center
Thomasville, NC
Gross charge $43,109Cash pay $21,554 - 9
Novant Health Medical Park Hospital
Winston-Salem, NC
Gross charge $43,109Cash pay $21,554 - 10
Novant Health Brunswick Medical Center
Supply, NC
Gross charge $43,109Cash pay $21,554 - 11
Novant Health Matthews Medical Center
Matthews, NC
Gross charge $43,109Cash pay $21,554 - 12
Novant Health Huntersville Medical Center
Huntersville, NC
Gross charge $43,109Cash pay $21,554 - 13
Novant Health Mint Hill Medical Center
Charlotte, NC
Gross charge $43,109Cash pay $21,554 - 14
Novant Health Ballantyne Medical Center
Charlotte, NC
Gross charge $43,109Cash pay $21,554 - 15
Duke University Hospital
Durham, NC
Gross charge $43,182Cash pay $11,659 - 16
Novant Health Rowan Medical Center
Salisbury, NC
Gross charge $51,051Cash pay $25,526 - 17
Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center
Wilmington, NC
Gross charge $57,942Cash pay $26,074Medicare pays (avg) $11,886 - 18
Central Carolina Hospital
Sanford, NC
Gross charge $65,191Cash pay $26,076 - 19
Harris Regional Hospital
Sylva, NC
Gross charge $71,162Cash pay $28,465 - 20
UNC Hospitals
Chapel Hill, NC
Gross charge $79,436Cash pay $47,661 - 21
UNC REX Hospital
Raleigh, NC
Gross charge $79,436Cash pay $47,661 - 22
Frye Regional Medical Center
Hickory, NC
Gross charge $99,138Cash pay $39,655 - 23
Wilson Medical Center
Wilson, NC
Gross charge $114,040Cash pay $45,616 - 24
CaroMont Regional Medical Center
Gastonia, NC
Gross charge — - 25
Ecu Health Medical Center
Greenville, NC
Gross charge —Cash pay $24,737Medicare pays (avg) $11,748 - 26
North Carolina Baptist Hospital
Winston-Salem, NC
Gross charge — - 27
North Carolina Specialty Hospital
Durham, NC
Gross charge — - 28
Columbus Regional Healthcare System
Whiteville, NC
Gross charge — - 29
Wakemed, Raleigh Campus
Raleigh, NC
Gross charge — - 30Gross charge —
- 31
Hugh Chatham Memorial Hospital
Elkin, NC
Gross charge — - 32
Vidant Roanoke Chowan Hospital
Ahoskie, NC
Gross charge —Cash pay $24,737 - 33
ECU Health Edgecombe Hospital
Tarboro, NC
Gross charge —Cash pay $24,737 - 34
ECU Health Duplin Hospital
Kenansville, NC
Gross charge —Cash pay $24,737 - 35
ECU Health North Hospital
Roanoke Rapids, NC
Gross charge —Cash pay $24,737 - 36
WakeMed Cary Hospital
Cary, NC
Gross charge — - 37
ECU Health Bertie Hospital
Windsor, NC
Gross charge —Cash pay $24,737 - 38
ECU Health Chowan Hospital
Edenton, NC
Gross charge —Cash pay $24,737 - 39
The Outer Banks Hospital, Inc
Nags Head, NC
Gross charge —Cash pay $24,737 - 40Gross charge —
- 41
Angel Medical Center
Franklin, NC
Gross charge — - 42
Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center
Winston-Salem, NC
Gross charge —Medicare pays (avg) $11,316
23 North Carolina hospitals publish gross charges for fluid around the lung (DRG 186). Prices range from $8,681 to $114,040 — roughly 13×. The cheapest is Randolph Hospital in Asheboro; the most expensive is Wilson Medical Center in Wilson. The state average sits at $51,193.
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 lung 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 lung 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 lung in volume, haven't published a usable price for DRG 186 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.