Culture body fluid 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

$48.16

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.

$112.00

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.

$7.25 with Aetna vs $25.22 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 $7.25 ↓ -85%
Banner Health Banner Choice Plus/Banner Select $8.06 ↓ -83%
Medicare Traditional Medicare $8.06 ↓ -83%
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Colorado Medicare $8.06 ↓ -83%
Medica Medicare Advantage $8.06 ↓ -83%
HealthSpring Life & Health Insurance Company, Inc. Medicare Advantage $8.06 ↓ -83%
United Healthcare UHC Medicare Advantage $8.62 ↓ -82%
Clear Spring Health Medicare Advantage $8.62 ↓ -82%
Longevity Medicare Advantage $8.88 ↓ -82%
Humana Medicare Advantage $9.14 ↓ -81%
Devoted Health Services Medicare Advantage $9.48 ↓ -80%
Assist Health Group AHG Specialty Network $9.67 ↓ -80%
Pinnacol Assurance Workers Comp Pinnacol Assurance WC $12.64 ↓ -74%
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Colorado Pathway Standard $13.77 ↓ -71%
United Healthcare Colorado Navigate/Colorado Option $15.08 ↓ -69%
Denver Health Medical Plan Commercial $15.74 ↓ -67%
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Colorado Pathway $19.18 ↓ -60%
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Colorado Blue Priority/HMO/PPO/Indemnity $19.76 ↓ -59%
Medica Commercial $21.66 ↓ -55%
United Healthcare Colorado Doctor's Plan $22.18 ↓ -54%
Apostrophe, Inc. Commercial $23.40 ↓ -51%
First Choice Health Network Commercial $23.40 ↓ -51%
Aetna Commercial/Medical Rental $24.18 ↓ -50%
United Healthcare Commercial $24.65 ↓ -49%
First Choice of the Midwest Commercial $24.70 ↓ -49%
Rocky Mountain Health Plans Private Plan/Self Insured Plan $24.70 ↓ -49%
Hue Health, Inc Medicare Advantage $24.70 ↓ -49%
Multiplan Commercial $25.22 ↓ -48%
Molina Healthcare Medicaid/CHIP not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Culture body fluid at other Colorado hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Banner Fort Collins Medical Center Fort Collins $20.30 $8.36 – $24.70
Banner North Colorado Medical Center - Loveland Campus Loveland $31.25 $6.68 – $24.70
East Morgan County Hospital Brush $74.82 $10.96 – $25.22
AdventHealth Porter Denver $460.84 $8.45 – $15.95
AdventHealth Littleton Littleton $460.84 $8.45 – $15.95
AdventHealth Avista Louisville $460.84 $8.45 – $15.95
AdventHealth Castle Rock Castle Rock $460.84 $8.45 – $15.95
AdventHealth Parker Parker $460.84 $8.45 – $15.95

All Colorado hospitals for this procedure →