Acute hepatitis panel at Sanford Sheldon Medical Center

118 N 7th Ave, Sheldon, IA · Sanford Health · · NPI 1841200623

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Mar 4, 2026 · Ingested Aug 12, 2026

$382.40

Cash price

?

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.

$478.00

Gross charge

?

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.

$136.23 with Sanford Health Plan Align vs $430.20 with Multiplan — same scan, same building. Share

Negotiated rates by payer
?

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
?

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
?

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
Sanford Health Plan Align Medicare Replacement $136.23 ↓ -64%
Ucare Medicare Replacement $146.27 ↓ -62%
Great Plains Medicare Advantage Medicare Replacement $147.70 ↓ -61%
Aetna Medicare Replacement $147.70 ↓ -61%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota Medicare Replacement $147.70 ↓ -61%
Health Partners Medicare Replacement $147.70 ↓ -61%
United Healthcare Medicare Replacement $147.70 ↓ -61%
Primewest Medicare Replacement $150.57 ↓ -61%
Wellmark HMO $239.00 ↓ -38%
Wellmark PPO $248.56 ↓ -35%
Sanford Health Plan Group Health/True $256.11 ↓ -33%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange True $256.11 ↓ -33%
Security Health Plan Commercial $262.90 ↓ -31%
Sanford Health Plan Commercial/ND Pers $301.28 ↓ -21%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange Commercial $301.28 ↓ -21%
Health Partners State Employees $315.48 ↓ -18%
Health Partners Commercial $358.50 ↓ -6%
Medica Choice $394.35 ↑ +3%
United Healthcare Commercial + Top 20 $399.13 ↑ +4%
Aetna Commercial $415.38 ↑ +9%
Ucare Commercial $419.97 ↑ +10%
Medica Elect $421.60 ↑ +10%
Healthez Commercial $430.20 ↑ +13%
First Choice Health Network Commercial $430.20 ↑ +13%
Multiplan Commercial $430.20 ↑ +13%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Acute hepatitis panel at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $450.60 $47.63 – $47.63
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $352.30 $46.16 – $542.00
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $316.55 $192.80 – $487.00
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $316.55 $184.09 – $548.17
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $328.25 $46.16 – $505.00
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $1,110.00 $9.09 – $487.00
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $241.15 $46.16 – $371.00
MercyOne Elkader Medical Center Elkader $316.55 $250.66 – $509.01

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →