Assay of urine sulfate 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

$23.76

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.

$72.00

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.

$4.74 with Aetna vs $16.49 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 $4.74 ↓ -80%
Banner Health Banner Choice Plus/Banner Select $5.27 ↓ -78%
Medicare Traditional Medicare $5.27 ↓ -78%
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Colorado Medicare $5.27 ↓ -78%
Medica Medicare Advantage $5.27 ↓ -78%
HealthSpring Life & Health Insurance Company, Inc. Medicare Advantage $5.27 ↓ -78%
United Healthcare UHC Medicare Advantage $5.49 ↓ -77%
Clear Spring Health Medicare Advantage $5.49 ↓ -77%
Longevity Medicare Advantage $5.65 ↓ -76%
Humana Medicare Advantage $5.82 ↓ -76%
Devoted Health Services Medicare Advantage $6.04 ↓ -75%
Assist Health Group AHG Specialty Network $6.32 ↓ -73%
Pinnacol Assurance Workers Comp Pinnacol Assurance WC $8.26 ↓ -65%
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Colorado Pathway Standard $9.00 ↓ -62%
United Healthcare Colorado Navigate/Colorado Option $9.86 ↓ -59%
Denver Health Medical Plan Commercial $10.29 ↓ -57%
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Colorado Pathway $12.54 ↓ -47%
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Colorado Blue Priority/HMO/PPO/Indemnity $12.92 ↓ -46%
Medica Commercial $14.16 ↓ -40%
United Healthcare Colorado Doctor's Plan $14.50 ↓ -39%
Apostrophe, Inc. Commercial $15.30 ↓ -36%
First Choice Health Network Commercial $15.30 ↓ -36%
Aetna Commercial/Medical Rental $15.81 ↓ -33%
United Healthcare Commercial $16.12 ↓ -32%
First Choice of the Midwest Commercial $16.15 ↓ -32%
Rocky Mountain Health Plans Private Plan/Self Insured Plan $16.15 ↓ -32%
Hue Health, Inc Medicare Advantage $16.15 ↓ -32%
Multiplan Commercial $16.49 ↓ -31%
Molina Healthcare Medicaid/CHIP not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Assay of urine sulfate at other Colorado hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Banner Fort Collins Medical Center Fort Collins $16.34 $5.33 – $16.15
Banner North Colorado Medical Center - Loveland Campus Loveland $16.56 $4.37 – $16.15
East Morgan County Hospital Brush $44.35 $7.16 – $16.49
AdventHealth Porter Denver $141.26 $5.38 – $10.16
AdventHealth Littleton Littleton $141.26 $5.38 – $10.16
AdventHealth Avista Louisville $141.26 $5.38 – $10.16
AdventHealth Castle Rock Castle Rock $141.26 $5.38 – $10.16
AdventHealth Parker Parker $141.26 $5.38 – $10.16

All Colorado hospitals for this procedure →