Critical care each additional 30 minutes 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

$827.20

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.

$1,034.00

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.

$294.69 with Sanford Health Plan Align vs $930.60 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 $294.69 ↓ -64%
Ucare Medicare Replacement $316.40 ↓ -62%
Great Plains Medicare Advantage Medicare Replacement $319.51 ↓ -61%
Aetna Medicare Replacement $319.51 ↓ -61%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota Medicare Replacement $319.51 ↓ -61%
Health Partners Medicare Replacement $319.51 ↓ -61%
United Healthcare Medicare Replacement $319.51 ↓ -61%
Primewest Medicare Replacement $325.71 ↓ -61%
Wellmark HMO $517.00 ↓ -38%
Wellmark PPO $537.68 ↓ -35%
Sanford Health Plan Group Health/True $554.02 ↓ -33%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange True $554.02 ↓ -33%
Security Health Plan Commercial $568.70 ↓ -31%
Sanford Health Plan Commercial/ND Pers $651.73 ↓ -21%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange Commercial $651.73 ↓ -21%
Health Partners State Employees $682.44 ↓ -18%
Health Partners Commercial $775.50 ↓ -6%
Medica Choice $853.05 ↑ +3%
United Healthcare Commercial + Top 20 $863.39 ↑ +4%
Aetna Commercial $898.55 ↑ +9%
Ucare Commercial $908.47 ↑ +10%
Medica Elect $911.99 ↑ +10%
Healthez Commercial $930.60 ↑ +13%
First Choice Health Network Commercial $930.60 ↑ +13%
Multiplan Commercial $930.60 ↑ +13%

Visitor-reported prices

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Critical care each additional 30 minutes at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $483.00 not published
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $336.70 $56.25 – $518.00
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $325.00 $63.90 – $293.00
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $325.00 $110.75 – $329.80
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $793.00 $345.26 – $1,453.00
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $325.00 $108.20 – $293.00
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $469.30 $169.67 – $722.00
MercyOne Elkader Medical Center Elkader $325.00 $94.09 – $306.24

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →