Cholesterol 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

$38.40

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.

$48.00

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.

$13.68 with Sanford Health Plan Align vs $43.20 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 $13.68 ↓ -64%
Ucare Medicare Replacement $14.69 ↓ -62%
Great Plains Medicare Advantage Medicare Replacement $14.83 ↓ -61%
Aetna Medicare Replacement $14.83 ↓ -61%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota Medicare Replacement $14.83 ↓ -61%
Health Partners Medicare Replacement $14.83 ↓ -61%
United Healthcare Medicare Replacement $14.83 ↓ -61%
Primewest Medicare Replacement $15.12 ↓ -61%
Wellmark HMO $24.00 ↓ -38%
Wellmark PPO $24.96 ↓ -35%
Sanford Health Plan Group Health/True $25.72 ↓ -33%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange True $25.72 ↓ -33%
Security Health Plan Commercial $26.40 ↓ -31%
Sanford Health Plan Commercial/ND Pers $30.25 ↓ -21%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange Commercial $30.25 ↓ -21%
Health Partners State Employees $31.68 ↓ -18%
Health Partners Commercial $36.00 ↓ -6%
Medica Choice $39.60 ↑ +3%
United Healthcare Commercial + Top 20 $40.08 ↑ +4%
Aetna Commercial $41.71 ↑ +9%
Ucare Commercial $42.17 ↑ +10%
Medica Elect $42.34 ↑ +10%
Healthez Commercial $43.20 ↑ +13%
First Choice Health Network Commercial $43.20 ↑ +13%
Multiplan Commercial $43.20 ↑ +13%

Visitor-reported prices

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Cholesterol at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $28.80 $4.35 – $4.35
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $48.75 $4.21 – $75.00
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $40.95 $24.94 – $63.00
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $40.95 $23.81 – $70.91
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $50.70 $4.21 – $78.00
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $40.95 $24.08 – $63.00
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $51.35 $4.21 – $79.00
MercyOne Elkader Medical Center Elkader $40.95 $32.43 – $65.85

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →