Lactic acid 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

$42.57

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.

$129.00

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.

$9.77 with Aetna vs $33.95 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 $9.77 ↓ -77%
Medicare Traditional Medicare $10.85 ↓ -75%
HealthSpring Life & Health Insurance Company, Inc. Medicare Advantage $10.85 ↓ -75%
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Colorado Medicare $10.85 ↓ -75%
Banner Health Banner Choice Plus/Banner Select $10.85 ↓ -75%
Medica Medicare Advantage $10.85 ↓ -75%
Clear Spring Health Medicare Advantage $11.57 ↓ -73%
United Healthcare UHC Medicare Advantage $11.57 ↓ -73%
Longevity Medicare Advantage $11.92 ↓ -72%
Humana Medicare Advantage $12.26 ↓ -71%
Devoted Health Services Medicare Advantage $12.73 ↓ -70%
Assist Health Group AHG Specialty Network $13.02 ↓ -69%
Pinnacol Assurance Workers Comp Pinnacol Assurance WC $17.01 ↓ -60%
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Colorado Pathway Standard $18.54 ↓ -56%
United Healthcare Colorado Navigate/Colorado Option $20.30 ↓ -52%
Denver Health Medical Plan Commercial $21.19 ↓ -50%
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Colorado Pathway $25.82 ↓ -39%
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Colorado Blue Priority/HMO/PPO/Indemnity $26.60 ↓ -38%
Medica Commercial $29.16 ↓ -32%
United Healthcare Colorado Doctor's Plan $29.86 ↓ -30%
First Choice Health Network Commercial $31.50 ↓ -26%
Apostrophe, Inc. Commercial $31.50 ↓ -26%
Aetna Commercial/Medical Rental $32.55 ↓ -24%
United Healthcare Commercial $33.18 ↓ -22%
First Choice of the Midwest Commercial $33.25 ↓ -22%
Rocky Mountain Health Plans Private Plan/Self Insured Plan $33.25 ↓ -22%
Hue Health, Inc Medicare Advantage $33.25 ↓ -22%
Multiplan Commercial $33.95 ↓ -20%
Molina Healthcare Medicaid/CHIP not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Lactic acid at other Colorado hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Banner Fort Collins Medical Center Fort Collins $19.98 $11.22 – $33.25
Banner North Colorado Medical Center - Loveland Campus Loveland $20.24 $8.99 – $33.25
East Morgan County Hospital Brush $79.46 $14.75 – $33.95
AdventHealth Porter Denver $249.28 $11.34 – $21.40
AdventHealth Littleton Littleton $249.28 $11.34 – $21.40
AdventHealth Avista Louisville $249.28 $11.34 – $21.40
AdventHealth Castle Rock Castle Rock $249.28 $11.34 – $21.40
AdventHealth Parker Parker $249.28 $11.34 – $21.40

All Colorado hospitals for this procedure →