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County Price & Affordability Audit 2 of 3 Hospitals Priced Pop. 329,405 $79,501 Median Income

Durham County, NC Hospital Rates

Compare hospital price transparency compliance, fair price benchmarks, and local household charity-care eligibility across all 3 mapped hospitals in Durham County.

Pillar 1 · The BaseRate™ CompositeHow 1.00× Fair BaseRate Works: Raw price averages unfairly penalize hospitals in high-wage cities or trauma centers treating sicker patients. We adjust for local CMS hospital wage levels and patient complexity first. A 1.00× score means right at the fair price average, 0.85× means 15% cheaper than fair market, and 1.30× means 30% above fair market.Good Deal · Below Fair Market
0.90×vs. Fair Market Price
Position vs. 1.00× Fair Price10% Below Fair Price 1.00× (center of the bar) is the U.S. fair price average after accounting for local hospital wages and patient complexity. Left of center (<1.00×) is below fair price; right of center (>1.00×) is above fair price.

Typical commercial prices here are 10% below the fair benchmark (0.90×) after accounting for local nurse/doctor wages and patient complexity.

Pillar 2 · VeriRate™ Data TrustHow VeriRate™ (0–100) Works: Hospitals are legally required to publish machine-readable price files, but some bury fake $0.01 numbers or omit cash discounts. VeriRate audits each file across 5 checks (hover any badge below to see what it tests).86/100 · Verified
86/100Hover Any Check Below to See How Prices Were Audited
File Completeness90Provenance (File Completeness): Checks whether the hospital published a complete, up-to-date machine-readable price file with valid CPT and MS-DRG billing codes instead of leaving blanks.
Price Logic88Coherence (Price Logic): Checks whether the hospital’s numbers make basic sense — e.g., self-pay cash price is lower than gross list price, with no fake $0.01 or $999,999 placeholder numbers.
Peer Alignment86Concordance (Peer Alignment): Checks whether reported prices sit in a realistic range compared to Medicare and nearby hospitals rather than wild 100× unit errors.
Clean Billing83Regularity (Clean Billing): Checks whether rates are structured consistently across procedures without erratic statistical spikes or hidden unbundled facility fees.
Real Cash Discount84Cash Honesty (Real Cash Discount): Checks whether the hospital offers a genuine self-pay cash discount that beats or matches commercial insurance rates instead of billing full sticker price.
Pillar 3 · Durham County Affordability & CoverageSummarizes local hospital price disclosure compliance in Durham County, U.S. Census median household income, local uninsured rate, and federal 200%–400% FPL charity-care income thresholds.2 of 3 Hospitals Priced
Hospitals Priced2 of 3Number of CMS-certified hospitals located inside Durham County that have published machine-readable price files out of all 3 local facilities.
Median Income$79.5k / yrU.S. Census ACS median annual household income in Durham County ($79,501/yr), used to measure medical bill burden and charity-care eligibility.
Uninsured Rate11.6%Percentage of Durham County residents without health insurance who rely on self-pay cash discounts and 501(r) nonprofit hospital financial assistance.

Local charity-care income cutoffs (200%–400% FPL): up to $31,920 (single) and $128,600 (family of 4) qualify for free or discounted hospital care.

County Hospital Pricing & Affordability Audit2 of 3 Local Hospitals Priced

Durham County, NC Hospital Price & Affordability Summary

Durham County, North Carolina (pop. 329,405) has 3 CMS-certified hospitals (2 publishing verified machine-readable price files) with a local price index of 0.90× the U.S. fair price benchmark and a $79,501 median household income.

County Price Index: 0.90× Fair MarketMedian Income: $79,501/yr
Advantage

Best Value & Patient Protections in Durham County

  • 2 of 3 hospitals in Durham County publish verified 45 CFR § 180 price files (Duke Regional Hospital, Duke University Hospital).
  • High-rated local clinical care: Duke Regional Hospital (5/5 CMS Stars) and Duke University Hospital (5/5 CMS Stars).
  • Under federal 26 U.S.C. § 501(r), nonprofit hospitals must provide discounted Financial Assistance Policy (FAP) rates for Durham County families earning up to $128,600/yr (400% FPL).
Watchout

Where Durham County Patients Get Burned (Billing Watchouts)

  • 1 facility in Durham County (North Carolina Specialty Hospital) lacks an indexed MRF price schedule — always demand a written Good Faith Estimate before scheduling.
  • With a 11.6% local uninsured rate and $79,501 median household income, an unnegotiated $5,000 hospital bill equals 3.3 weeks of typical Durham County family take-home pay.
  • Emergency department and inpatient ancillary charges vary significantly across North Carolina counties — inspect each hospital's profile below before paying a full chargemaster bill.
County MRF Price Coverage67% Published
2 of 3 Hospitals

Includes Duke Regional Hospital & Duke University Hospital.

Free Care Income Cutoff (200% FPL)Nonprofit 501(r) Rule
$31,920 – $64,300

Single ($31,920) to Family of 4 ($64,300) threshold for 100% free charity care.

Discounted Care Cutoff (400% FPL)AGB Billing Cap
Up to $128,600/yr

4-person household income cap qualifying for statutory AGB billing limits in Durham County.

North Carolina County Price & Affordability Heatmap 51 of 100 Counties with MRF Hospital Data

North Carolina County-Level Hospital Price & Affordability Heatmap

Hospital price index, Medicare markup, and household affordability burden across 100 counties in North Carolina

<0.94× Affordable 0.94–1.06× Near Avg 1.06–1.20× Elevated >1.20× High-Markup
Mecklenburg County8hosps
1.20× Fair
Income $84k
Forsyth County3hosps
1.22× Fair
Income $66k
Wake County3hosps
1.40× Fair
Income $102k
Durham County2hosps
0.90× Fair
Income $80k
Macon County2hosps
1.09× Fair
Income $53k
Catawba County2hosps
1.17× Fair
Income $65k
Davidson County2hosps
1.45× Fair
Income $62k
Guilford County2hosps
1.73× Fair
Income $66k
Swain County1hosp
0.56× Fair
Income $55k
Haywood County1hosp
0.82× Fair
Income $61k
Cleveland County1hosp
0.84× Fair
Income $56k
Surry County1hosp
0.86× Fair
Income $56k
Vance County1hosp
0.86× Fair
Income $47k
Stanly County1hosp
0.88× Fair
Income $62k
Carteret County1hosp
0.89× Fair
Income $70k
Union County1hosp
0.90× Fair
Income $99k
Cabarrus County1hosp
0.90× Fair
Income $86k
Columbus County1hosp
0.90× Fair
Income $48k
Pasquotank County1hosp
0.90× Fair
Income $64k
Lincoln County1hosp
0.91× Fair
Income $78k
Sampson County1hosp
0.92× Fair
Income $53k
Anson County1hosp
0.92× Fair
Income $44k
Stokes County1hosp
0.93× Fair
Income $60k
Bladen County1hosp
0.93× Fair
Income $45k
Showing top 24 counties with hospital price filings of 100 total in North Carolina

All Hospitals in Durham County (3)

Select any published hospital below to inspect its procedure price list, insurer discounts, and official MRF verification links.

MRF Compliance: 2 of 3 Published

Compare Procedure Prices Across All North Carolina Hospitals

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