DRG 281 · Cardiovascular

Heart Attack Cost in North Carolina — Compare All Hospitals

Acute myocardial infarction (heart attack) with complications — discharged alive.

State average
$35,941
gross charge · DRG 281
Hospitals
24
with published pricing
Price range
$6,626 – $69,270
low to high
Lowest $6,626 Highest $69,270

24 North Carolina hospitals publish gross charges for heart attack (DRG 281). Prices range from $6,626 to $69,270 — roughly $62,644 apart. The cheapest is Randolph Hospital in Asheboro; the most expensive is Frye Regional Medical Center in Hickory. The state average sits at $35,941.

The number you see is each hospital's published "list price" — the gross charge for the facility component of heart attack. 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 heart attack at twice the price of another typically negotiates higher rates with insurers too, and quotes more for uninsured patients.

If you're scheduling heart attack in North Carolina, sort the list below by price, then click each hospital name to see its quality profile — CMS overall star rating, surgical-safety measures, readmission rates, patient-experience scores. The cheapest hospital isn't always the right call. Teaching hospitals often charge more because they take complex cases, and a higher-rated community hospital may deliver equivalent outcomes for a straightforward case at a lower price. Use the price column to narrow the field; use the quality data to make the final call.

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 heart attack in volume, haven't published a usable price for DRG 281 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.

What this hospital charge usually covers

The gross-charge number above is the hospital's facility bill for heart attack. Here's what's typically inside that price (typical inpatient stay: 3–5 days):

Included in the hospital bill

  • Emergency department evaluation and cardiac workup
  • Inpatient cardiac monitoring (often in a coronary care unit)
  • Diagnostic catheterization and any required stenting
  • Inpatient medications and routine labs during admission

Usually billed separately

  • Cardiologist, ED physician, and any interventional specialist professional fees
  • Ambulance transport
  • Outpatient cardiac rehab and follow-up visits after discharge
  • Long-term medications (antiplatelets, statins, beta-blockers)

Quality signals to check before picking a hospital

Price alone won't tell you which hospital does heart attack best. These are the CMS quality measures that matter most for this specific procedure. Click any hospital below for its full profile, then look for these:

Heart-Attack Mortality (30-day)

The single most important quality signal — how often patients survive 30 days after a heart attack at this hospital.

Time to Fibrinolysis (STEMI)

For ST-elevation heart attacks treated with clot-busting drugs, every minute counts. Tracks median minutes from arrival to treatment.

Heart-Attack Readmissions

Reflects discharge planning, medication reconciliation, and outpatient cardiology handoff.

When the cheapest hospital may not be the best fit

The list below sorts by price. For heart attack, the lowest price isn't automatically the best fit — these are situations where it's worth weighing additional factors against price. None of the below is medical advice; talk to your doctor about what applies to your specific situation.

Questions to ask your hospital or insurer

The gross charge is the starting point. These are the procedure-specific questions to ask before you commit:

Hospitals ranked by gross charge

  1. 1

    Randolph Hospital

    Asheboro, NC

    Gross charge $6,626
  2. 2

    Sampson Regional Medical Center

    Clinton, NC

    Gross charge $10,047
    Cash pay $7,033
  3. 3

    Harris Regional Hospital

    Sylva, NC

    Gross charge $20,396
    Cash pay $8,159
  4. 4

    Person Memorial Hospital

    Roxboro, NC

    Gross charge $23,870
    Cash pay $9,548
  5. 5

    UNC Hospitals

    Chapel Hill, NC

    28 Medicare stays/yr
    Gross charge $30,772
    Cash pay $18,463
    Medicare pays (avg) $9,592
  6. 6

    UNC REX Hospital

    Raleigh, NC

    38 Medicare stays/yr
    Gross charge $30,772
    Cash pay $18,463
    Medicare pays (avg) $5,424
  7. 7

    Maria Parham Medical Center

    Henderson, NC

    Gross charge $31,917
    Cash pay $12,767
  8. 8

    Haywood Regional Medical Center

    Clyde, NC

    Gross charge $35,570
    Cash pay $14,228
  9. 9

    Duke Regional Hospital

    Durham, NC

    20 Medicare stays/yr
    Gross charge $35,848
    Cash pay $9,679
    Medicare pays (avg) $6,668
  10. 10

    Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center (Acute Care)

    Charlotte, NC

    13 Medicare stays/yr
    Gross charge $36,592
    Cash pay $18,296
    Medicare pays (avg) $6,057
  11. 11

    Novant Health Thomasville Medical Center

    Thomasville, NC

    Gross charge $36,592
    Cash pay $18,296
  12. 12

    Novant Health Medical Park Hospital

    Winston-Salem, NC

    Gross charge $36,592
    Cash pay $18,296
  13. 13

    Novant Health Brunswick Medical Center

    Supply, NC

    Gross charge $36,592
    Cash pay $18,296
  14. 14

    Novant Health Matthews Medical Center

    Matthews, NC

    14 Medicare stays/yr
    Gross charge $36,592
    Cash pay $18,296
    Medicare pays (avg) $5,353
  15. 15

    Novant Health Huntersville Medical Center

    Huntersville, NC

    14 Medicare stays/yr
    Gross charge $36,592
    Cash pay $18,296
    Medicare pays (avg) $5,064
  16. 16

    Novant Health Mint Hill Medical Center

    Charlotte, NC

    Gross charge $36,592
    Cash pay $18,296
  17. 17
    Gross charge $36,592
    Cash pay $18,296
  18. 18

    Duke University Hospital

    Durham, NC

    34 Medicare stays/yr
    Gross charge $36,775
    Cash pay $9,929
    Medicare pays (avg) $8,424
  19. 19

    Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center

    Wilmington, NC

    35 Medicare stays/yr
    Gross charge $39,466
    Cash pay $17,760
    Medicare pays (avg) $6,153
  20. 20

    Novant Health Rowan Medical Center

    Salisbury, NC

    11 Medicare stays/yr
    Gross charge $45,608
    Cash pay $22,804
    Medicare pays (avg) $5,430
  21. 21

    Rutherford Regional Health System

    Rutherfordton, NC

    Gross charge $47,590
    Cash pay $19,036
  22. 22

    Wilson Medical Center

    Wilson, NC

    Gross charge $48,438
    Cash pay $19,375
  23. 23

    Central Carolina Hospital

    Sanford, NC

    Gross charge $56,876
    Cash pay $22,750
  24. 24

    Frye Regional Medical Center

    Hickory, NC

    12 Medicare stays/yr
    Gross charge $69,270
    Cash pay $27,708
    Medicare pays (avg) $5,296
  25. 25

    CaroMont Regional Medical Center

    Gastonia, NC

    17 Medicare stays/yr
    Gross charge
    Medicare pays (avg) $4,644
  26. 26

    Ecu Health Medical Center

    Greenville, NC

    56 Medicare stays/yr
    Gross charge
    Cash pay $22,884
    Medicare pays (avg) $6,564
  27. 27

    North Carolina Baptist Hospital

    Winston-Salem, NC

    48 Medicare stays/yr
    Gross charge
    Medicare pays (avg) $8,288
  28. 28
    Gross charge
  29. 29

    Columbus Regional Healthcare System

    Whiteville, NC

    Gross charge
  30. 30

    Wakemed, Raleigh Campus

    Raleigh, NC

    21 Medicare stays/yr
    Gross charge
    Medicare pays (avg) $7,022
  31. 31

    Cape Fear Valley Betsy Johnson Hospital

    Dunn, NC

    Gross charge
  32. 32

    Hugh Chatham Memorial Hospital

    Elkin, NC

    Gross charge
  33. 33

    Vidant Roanoke Chowan Hospital

    Ahoskie, NC

    Gross charge
    Cash pay $22,884
  34. 34

    ECU Health Edgecombe Hospital

    Tarboro, NC

    Gross charge
    Cash pay $22,884
  35. 35

    ECU Health Duplin Hospital

    Kenansville, NC

    Gross charge
    Cash pay $22,884
  36. 36

    ECU Health North Hospital

    Roanoke Rapids, NC

    Gross charge
    Cash pay $22,884
  37. 37

    WakeMed Cary Hospital

    Cary, NC

    13 Medicare stays/yr
    Gross charge
    Medicare pays (avg) $4,143
  38. 38

    ECU Health Bertie Hospital

    Windsor, NC

    Gross charge
    Cash pay $22,884
  39. 39

    ECU Health Chowan Hospital

    Edenton, NC

    Gross charge
    Cash pay $22,884
  40. 40

    The Outer Banks Hospital, Inc

    Nags Head, NC

    Gross charge
    Cash pay $22,884
  41. 41
    Gross charge
  42. 42

    Angel Medical Center

    Franklin, NC

    Gross charge

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