Tissue culture skin/biopsy 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

$189.50

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.

$423.00

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.

$118.02 with Aetna vs $410.31 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 $118.02 ↓ -38%
Medicare Traditional Medicare $131.13 ↓ -31%
HealthSpring Life & Health Insurance Company, Inc. Medicare Advantage $131.13 ↓ -31%
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Colorado Medicare $131.13 ↓ -31%
Banner Health Banner Choice Plus/Banner Select $131.13 ↓ -31%
Medica Medicare Advantage $131.13 ↓ -31%
Clear Spring Health Medicare Advantage $140.73 ↓ -26%
United Healthcare UHC Medicare Advantage $140.73 ↓ -26%
Longevity Medicare Advantage $144.95 ↓ -24%
Humana Medicare Advantage $149.17 ↓ -21%
Devoted Health Services Medicare Advantage $154.80 ↓ -18%
Assist Health Group AHG Specialty Network $157.36 ↓ -17%
Pinnacol Assurance Workers Comp Pinnacol Assurance WC $205.62 ↑ +9%
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Colorado Pathway Standard $224.06 ↑ +18%
United Healthcare Colorado Navigate/Colorado Option $245.34 ↑ +29%
Denver Health Medical Plan Commercial $256.13 ↑ +35%
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Colorado Pathway $312.09 ↑ +65%
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Colorado Blue Priority/HMO/PPO/Indemnity $321.44 ↑ +70%
Medica Commercial $352.36 ↑ +86%
United Healthcare Colorado Doctor's Plan $360.82 ↑ +90%
First Choice Health Network Commercial $380.70 ↑ +101%
Apostrophe, Inc. Commercial $380.70 ↑ +101%
Aetna Commercial/Medical Rental $393.39 ↑ +108%
United Healthcare Commercial $401.00 ↑ +112%
First Choice of the Midwest Commercial $401.85 ↑ +112%
Rocky Mountain Health Plans Private Plan/Self Insured Plan $401.85 ↑ +112%
Hue Health, Inc Medicare Advantage $401.85 ↑ +112%
Multiplan Commercial $410.31 ↑ +117%
Molina Healthcare Medicaid/CHIP not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Tissue culture skin/biopsy at other Colorado hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Banner Fort Collins Medical Center Fort Collins $206.85 $136.51 – $401.85
Banner North Colorado Medical Center - Loveland Campus Loveland $194.16 $108.71 – $401.85
East Morgan County Hospital Brush $275.80 $178.25 – $410.31
AdventHealth Porter Denver $1,180.87 $137.92 – $260.35
HCA HealthONE AURORA Aurora $2,828.12 $75.01 – $341.97
CENTRAL PARK ER, A PART OF ROSE DENVER $2,141.00 $64.03 – $341.97
HCA HealthONE SKY RIDGE Lone Tree $2,399.48 $80.49 – $341.97
HCA HealthONE SOUTH PARKER ER, A PART OF SKY RIDGE PARKER $2,399.48 $80.49 – $341.97

All Colorado hospitals for this procedure →