Bx/exc lymph node/open/superfic 38500 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

$3,636.00

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.

$4,545.00

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.

$1,295.33 with Sanford Health Plan Align vs $4,090.50 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
Sanford Health Plan Align Medicare Replacement $1,295.33 ↓ -64%
Ucare Medicare Replacement $1,390.77 ↓ -62%
Great Plains Medicare Advantage Medicare Replacement $1,404.41 ↓ -61%
Aetna Medicare Replacement $1,404.41 ↓ -61%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota Medicare Replacement $1,404.41 ↓ -61%
Health Partners Medicare Replacement $1,404.41 ↓ -61%
United Healthcare Medicare Replacement $1,404.41 ↓ -61%
Primewest Medicare Replacement $1,431.68 ↓ -61%
Wellmark HMO $2,272.50 ↓ -38%
Wellmark PPO $2,363.40 ↓ -35%
Sanford Health Plan Group Health/True $2,435.21 ↓ -33%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange True $2,435.21 ↓ -33%
Security Health Plan Commercial $2,499.75 ↓ -31%
Sanford Health Plan Commercial/ND Pers $2,864.71 ↓ -21%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange Commercial $2,864.71 ↓ -21%
Health Partners State Employees $2,999.70 ↓ -18%
Health Partners Commercial $3,408.75 ↓ -6%
Medica Choice $3,749.63 ↑ +3%
United Healthcare Commercial + Top 20 $3,795.08 ↑ +4%
Aetna Commercial $3,949.61 ↑ +9%
Ucare Commercial $3,993.24 ↑ +10%
Medica Elect $4,008.69 ↑ +10%
Healthez Commercial $4,090.50 ↑ +13%
First Choice Health Network Commercial $4,090.50 ↑ +13%
Multiplan Commercial $4,090.50 ↑ +13%

Visitor-reported prices

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Bx/exc lymph node/open/superfic 38500 at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $593.40 not published
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $27,507.54 $4.92 – $7,823.39
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $1,124.00 $48.54 – $562.00
MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center Des Moines $26,146.00 $48.54 – $7,601.47
MercyOne Genesis Davenport Medical Center Davenport $622.80 not published
MercyOne Genesis DeWitt Medical Center DeWitt $622.80 $757.74 – $2,679.00
MercyOne Waterloo Medical Center Waterloo $8,813.00 $48.54 – $7,565.77
UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital Waterloo $1,640.00 $225.97 – $3,174.00

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →