Assay of neonatal thyroxine at Sterling Regional Medical Center

615 Fairhurst Street, Sterling, CO · Banner Health · · NPI 1942238555

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Mar 2, 2026 · Ingested Aug 12, 2026

$6.60

Cash price

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Discounted cash price

What a hospital charges a self-pay patient who pays directly, without going through insurance — usually well below the gross charge.

Example: A CT scan has a $3,200 gross charge but an $850 discounted cash price. Ask for it by name when scheduling — hospitals don't always advertise it up front.

Full explanation →

What you pay up front if you don't use insurance.

$20.00

Gross charge

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Gross charge (chargemaster price)

The hospital's full, undiscounted list price — pulled from its internal "chargemaster" price list. Almost no one actually pays this.

Example: A chest X-ray has a gross charge of $1,450. The same hospital's discounted cash price for the same X-ray is $180 — the gross charge mostly anchors negotiations, not what patients pay.

Full explanation →

The hospital's undiscounted list price — almost no one pays this.

$5.58 with Aetna vs $19.40 with Multiplan — same scan, same building. Share

Negotiated rates by payer
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Negotiated rate

The price a specific insurance plan agreed to pay the hospital for a service — it varies by insurer, and even by plan within the same insurer.

Example: The same knee MRI has a negotiated rate of $904 with one insurer's PPO plan and $1,509 with another's — identical hospital, identical scan.

Full explanation →

Payer
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Payer

The insurance company footing the bill — Aetna, UnitedHealthcare, Medicare, and so on.

Example: "Blue Cross Blue Shield" is the payer. Its negotiated rate for an MRI might be $904, while a different payer's negotiated rate for the same scan is $1,509.

Full explanation →
Plan
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Plan

The specific product an insurer sells — e.g. "Blue Cross PPO 500" — which sets your deductible, coinsurance and negotiated rates.

Example: Two people both insured by Aetna can owe very different amounts for the same MRI: $50 with an HMO plan's flat copay, or the full $1,200 toward a high-deductible PPO plan's unmet deductible.

Full explanation →
Negotiated rate vs. cash
Aetna Medicare Advantage $5.58 ↓ -15%
Medica Medicare Advantage $6.20 ↓ -6%
Medicare Traditional Medicare $6.20 ↓ -6%
HealthSpring Life & Health Insurance Company, Inc. Medicare Advantage $6.20 ↓ -6%
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Colorado Medicare $6.20 ↓ -6%
Banner Health Banner Choice Plus/Banner Select $6.20 ↓ -6%
Clear Spring Health Medicare Advantage $6.47 ↓ -2%
United Healthcare UHC Medicare Advantage $6.47 ↓ -2%
Longevity Medicare Advantage $6.66 ↑ +1%
Humana Medicare Advantage $6.86 ↑ +4%
Devoted Health Services Medicare Advantage $7.12 ↑ +8%
Assist Health Group AHG Specialty Network $7.44 ↑ +13%
Pinnacol Assurance Workers Comp Pinnacol Assurance WC $9.72 ↑ +47%
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Colorado Pathway Standard $10.59 ↑ +60%
United Healthcare Colorado Navigate/Colorado Option $11.60 ↑ +76%
Denver Health Medical Plan Commercial $12.11 ↑ +83%
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Colorado Pathway $14.76 ↑ +124%
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Colorado Blue Priority/HMO/PPO/Indemnity $15.20 ↑ +130%
Medica Commercial $16.66 ↑ +152%
United Healthcare Colorado Doctor's Plan $17.06 ↑ +158%
First Choice Health Network Commercial $18.00 ↑ +173%
Apostrophe, Inc. Commercial $18.00 ↑ +173%
Aetna Commercial/Medical Rental $18.60 ↑ +182%
United Healthcare Commercial $18.96 ↑ +187%
First Choice of the Midwest Commercial $19.00 ↑ +188%
Rocky Mountain Health Plans Private Plan/Self Insured Plan $19.00 ↑ +188%
Hue Health, Inc Medicare Advantage $19.00 ↑ +188%
Multiplan Commercial $19.40 ↑ +194%
Molina Healthcare Medicaid/CHIP not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Assay of neonatal thyroxine at other Colorado hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Banner Fort Collins Medical Center Fort Collins $4.54 $6.28 – $19.00
Banner North Colorado Medical Center - Loveland Campus Loveland $4.60 $5.14 – $19.00
East Morgan County Hospital Brush $12.32 $8.43 – $19.40
AdventHealth Porter Denver $17.72 $6.34 – $11.97
HCA HealthONE AURORA Aurora $126.09 $3.45 – $15.72
HCA HealthONE SKY RIDGE Lone Tree $107.42 $3.70 – $15.72
HCA HealthONE SOUTH PARKER ER, A PART OF SKY RIDGE PARKER $107.42 $3.70 – $78.66
AdventHealth Littleton Littleton $17.72 $6.34 – $11.97

All Colorado hospitals for this procedure →