Observation direct referral from physician office for admission 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

$683.43

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.

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

$654.00

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.

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

$182.47 with Aetna vs $677.76 with Devoted Health Services — 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.

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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 $182.47 ↓ -73%
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Colorado Medicare $202.74 ↓ -70%
Medica Medicare Advantage $202.74 ↓ -70%
Banner Health Banner Choice Plus/Banner Select $202.74 ↓ -70%
Medicare Traditional Medicare $202.74 ↓ -70%
HealthSpring Life & Health Insurance Company, Inc. Medicare Advantage $202.74 ↓ -70%
Assist Health Group AHG Specialty Network $243.29 ↓ -64%
Pinnacol Assurance Workers Comp Pinnacol Assurance WC $317.91 ↓ -53%
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Colorado Pathway Standard $346.42 ↓ -49%
United Healthcare Colorado Navigate/Colorado Option $379.32 ↓ -44%
Denver Health Medical Plan Commercial $396.00 ↓ -42%
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Colorado Pathway $482.52 ↓ -29%
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Colorado Blue Priority/HMO/PPO/Indemnity $496.97 ↓ -27%
United Healthcare Colorado Doctor's Plan $557.86 ↓ -18%
Apostrophe, Inc. Commercial $588.60 ↓ -14%
First Choice Health Network Commercial $588.60 ↓ -14%
Aetna Commercial/Medical Rental $608.22 ↓ -11%
Clear Spring Health Medicare Advantage $616.15 ↓ -10%
United Healthcare UHC Medicare Advantage $616.15 ↓ -10%
United Healthcare Commercial $619.99 ↓ -9%
First Choice of the Midwest Commercial $621.30 ↓ -9%
Rocky Mountain Health Plans Private Plan/Self Insured Plan $621.30 ↓ -9%
Hue Health, Inc Medicare Advantage $621.30 ↓ -9%
Multiplan Commercial $634.38 ↓ -7%
Longevity Medicare Advantage $634.63 ↓ -7%
Humana Medicare Advantage $653.12 ↓ -4%
Devoted Health Services Medicare Advantage $677.76 ↓ -1%
TriWest Healthcare Alliance Corp - VA CCN Tricare not published by hospital
Molina Healthcare Medicaid/CHIP not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Observation direct referral from physician office for admission at other Colorado hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Banner Fort Collins Medical Center Fort Collins $202.74 $351.85 – $5,346.00
Banner North Colorado Medical Center - Loveland Campus Loveland $322.42 $306.07 – $2,510.00
East Morgan County Hospital Brush $430.99 $275.60 – $634.38
AdventHealth Porter Denver $811.92 $615.65 – $1,162.20
AdventHealth Littleton Littleton $811.92 $615.65 – $1,162.20
AdventHealth Avista Louisville $811.92 $622.48 – $1,175.10
AdventHealth Castle Rock Castle Rock $811.92 $615.65 – $1,162.20
AdventHealth Parker Parker $811.92 $615.65 – $1,162.20

All Colorado hospitals for this procedure →