DRG 164 · Respiratory

Major Chest Surgery Cost in North Carolina — Compare All Hospitals

Major surgery inside the chest, such as removing part of a lung. The stay includes the operation, a chest tube while the lungs heal, and closely monitored recovery.

State average
$129,383
gross charge · DRG 164
Hospitals
15
with published pricing
Price range
$68,803 – $155,215
low to high
Lowest $68,803 Highest $155,215

15 North Carolina hospitals publish gross charges for major chest surgery (DRG 164). Prices range from $68,803 to $155,215 — roughly $86,412 apart. The cheapest is Duke University Hospital in Durham; the most expensive is Novant Health Ballantyne Medical Center in Charlotte. The state average sits at $129,383.

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 major chest surgery 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 major chest surgery 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 major chest surgery in volume, haven't published a usable price for DRG 164 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

    Duke University Hospital

    Durham, NC

    83 Medicare stays/yr
    Gross charge $68,803
    Cash pay $18,577
    Medicare pays (avg) $21,582
  2. 2

    Duke Regional Hospital

    Durham, NC

    Gross charge $68,803
    Cash pay $18,577
  3. 3

    UNC Hospitals

    Chapel Hill, NC

    43 Medicare stays/yr
    Gross charge $75,087
    Cash pay $45,052
    Medicare pays (avg) $23,342
  4. 4

    UNC REX Hospital

    Raleigh, NC

    47 Medicare stays/yr
    Gross charge $75,087
    Cash pay $45,052
    Medicare pays (avg) $15,147
  5. 5

    Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center

    Wilmington, NC

    29 Medicare stays/yr
    Gross charge $106,480
    Cash pay $47,916
    Medicare pays (avg) $18,933
  6. 6

    Frye Regional Medical Center

    Hickory, NC

    Gross charge $149,546
    Cash pay $59,818
  7. 7

    Novant Health Rowan Medical Center

    Salisbury, NC

    Gross charge $155,215
    Cash pay $77,608
  8. 8

    Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center (Acute Care)

    Charlotte, NC

    25 Medicare stays/yr
    Gross charge $155,215
    Cash pay $77,608
    Medicare pays (avg) $16,186
  9. 9

    Novant Health Thomasville Medical Center

    Thomasville, NC

    Gross charge $155,215
    Cash pay $77,608
  10. 10

    Novant Health Medical Park Hospital

    Winston-Salem, NC

    Gross charge $155,215
    Cash pay $77,608
  11. 11

    Novant Health Brunswick Medical Center

    Supply, NC

    Gross charge $155,215
    Cash pay $77,608
  12. 12

    Novant Health Matthews Medical Center

    Matthews, NC

    Gross charge $155,215
    Cash pay $77,608
  13. 13

    Novant Health Huntersville Medical Center

    Huntersville, NC

    Gross charge $155,215
    Cash pay $77,608
  14. 14

    Novant Health Mint Hill Medical Center

    Charlotte, NC

    Gross charge $155,215
    Cash pay $77,608
  15. 15
    Gross charge $155,215
    Cash pay $77,608
  16. 16

    CaroMont Regional Medical Center

    Gastonia, NC

    Gross charge
  17. 17

    Ecu Health Medical Center

    Greenville, NC

    40 Medicare stays/yr
    Gross charge
    Cash pay $46,646
    Medicare pays (avg) $15,857
  18. 18

    North Carolina Baptist Hospital

    Winston-Salem, NC

    23 Medicare stays/yr
    Gross charge
    Medicare pays (avg) $20,153
  19. 19
    Gross charge
  20. 20

    Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist | Wilkes Medical Center

    North Wilkesboro, NC

    Gross charge
  21. 21

    Columbus Regional Healthcare System

    Whiteville, NC

    Gross charge
  22. 22

    Wakemed, Raleigh Campus

    Raleigh, NC

    21 Medicare stays/yr
    Gross charge
    Medicare pays (avg) $18,056
  23. 23

    Cape Fear Valley Betsy Johnson Hospital

    Dunn, NC

    Gross charge
  24. 24

    Hugh Chatham Memorial Hospital

    Elkin, NC

    Gross charge
  25. 25

    Vidant Roanoke Chowan Hospital

    Ahoskie, NC

    Gross charge
    Cash pay $46,646
  26. 26

    ECU Health Edgecombe Hospital

    Tarboro, NC

    Gross charge
    Cash pay $46,646
  27. 27

    ECU Health Duplin Hospital

    Kenansville, NC

    Gross charge
    Cash pay $46,646
  28. 28

    ECU Health North Hospital

    Roanoke Rapids, NC

    Gross charge
    Cash pay $46,646
  29. 29

    WakeMed Cary Hospital

    Cary, NC

    13 Medicare stays/yr
    Gross charge
    Medicare pays (avg) $16,041
  30. 30

    ECU Health Bertie Hospital

    Windsor, NC

    Gross charge
    Cash pay $46,646
  31. 31

    ECU Health Chowan Hospital

    Edenton, NC

    Gross charge
    Cash pay $46,646
  32. 32

    The Outer Banks Hospital, Inc

    Nags Head, NC

    Gross charge
    Cash pay $46,646
  33. 33
    Gross charge
  34. 34

    Angel Medical Center

    Franklin, NC

    Gross charge

Compare major chest surgery pricing in nearby states