Culture typing nucleic acid probe amplified per culture/isolate 6 or more targets 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

$576.00

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.

$720.00

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.

$205.20 with Sanford Health Plan Align vs $648.00 with First Choice Health Network — 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 $205.20 ↓ -64%
Ucare Medicare Replacement $220.32 ↓ -62%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota Medicare Replacement $222.48 ↓ -61%
United Healthcare Medicare Replacement $222.48 ↓ -61%
Great Plains Medicare Advantage Medicare Replacement $222.48 ↓ -61%
Aetna Medicare Replacement $222.48 ↓ -61%
Health Partners Medicare Replacement $222.48 ↓ -61%
Primewest Medicare Replacement $226.80 ↓ -61%
Wellmark HMO $360.00 ↓ -38%
Wellmark PPO $374.40 ↓ -35%
Sanford Health Plan Group Health/True $385.78 ↓ -33%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange True $385.78 ↓ -33%
Security Health Plan Commercial $396.00 ↓ -31%
Sanford Health Plan Commercial/ND Pers $453.82 ↓ -21%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange Commercial $453.82 ↓ -21%
Health Partners State Employees $475.20 ↓ -18%
Health Partners Commercial $540.00 ↓ -6%
Medica Choice $594.00 ↑ +3%
United Healthcare Commercial + Top 20 $601.20 ↑ +4%
Aetna Commercial $625.68 ↑ +9%
Ucare Commercial $632.59 ↑ +10%
Medica Elect $635.04 ↑ +10%
Multiplan Commercial $648.00 ↑ +13%
Healthez Commercial $648.00 ↑ +13%
First Choice Health Network Commercial $648.00 ↑ +13%

Visitor-reported prices

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Culture typing nucleic acid probe amplified per culture/isolate 6 or more targets at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $523.80 $218.06 – $218.06
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $354.25 $199.47 – $545.00
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $1,172.60 $9.09 – $500.00
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $325.00 $189.00 – $562.80
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $354.25 $154.24 – $545.00
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $325.00 $191.10 – $500.00
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $354.25 $128.08 – $593.39
MercyOne Elkader Medical Center Elkader $325.00 $257.35 – $522.60

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →